Keanu Reeves' 1995 Sci-Fi Movie On Netflix Is Perfect For Cyberpunk Fans

Before dodging bullets and rocking stylish sunglasses in "The Matrix," Keanu Reeves lit up another sci-fi movie that's an absolute must-watch for cyberpunk fans. Robert Longo's "Johnny Mnemonic" might not be as celebrated as the Wachowskis' genre-defining film, but this 1995 gem deserves its plaudits too. The good news is that it's on Netflix for those who want to watch it.

Based on a short story written by cyberpunk legend William Gibson, and featuring a screenplay penned by Gibson himself, "Johnny Mnemonic" sees Reeves portray the titular character. Johnny is in a special kind of courier business: he transports sensitive and encrypted data in a brain implant for a fee. For one job, though, the storage space exceeds the capacity available, but Johnny accepts the task anyway, knowing he's in a race against time to offload the data at the download point before it results in permanent damage. The problem is there are others on his tail.

"Johnny Mnemonic" is a sci-fi movie that takes place in a future that's already passed. Like any good cyberpunk film, it grapples with society's relationship with technology and the dangerous line that people walk between humanity and evolution. In other words, all highly pertinent topics, even in the present day.

Appearing at a 2016 talk with Henry Rollins, who stars as Spider in "Johnny Mnemonic," director Robert Longo discussed his experience working on the film. "Originally I wanted to make a black-and-white film like [Jean-Luc Godard's] 'Alphaville,'" Longo said (via The Hollywood Reporter). "Instead I made [a movie] for $28 million. When people give you money, they think they can tell you what to do." Longo claimed that the film was only "65 percent" of what he wanted it to be, though a black-and-white cut of "Johnny Mnemonic" would be released in 2021.

Even in 1995, during the production of the film, William Gibson echoed a similar sentiment. "That meeting we had yesterday, though, with some of the studio hotshots — I came away from it with the feeling that there were people there who clearly didn't get it," he told Wired.

While "Johnny Mnemonic" might not be remembered among Keanu Reeves' best movies and critics hated it, a lot of people fail to realize that without this sci-fi film, there would be no "Matrix." Even the Wachowskis agreed, revealing to The New Yorker how the cyberpunk film served as a prototype for "The Matrix." It's a bona fide cult classic now; a movie in which time has been kinder to it than most people might have imagined. If in doubt, give it another chance on Netflix.