Summary:
An ex-hit-man comes out of retirement to track down the mobsters that killed his dog and stole his car.
My Thoughts:
Some of the best action movies have the simplest plots but some incredibly cool worlds; “Mad Max: Fury Road”, “The Raid: Redemption”, and “John Wick” is another movie to add to that list. The plot for “John Wick” is so simple, that when I first told a friend about the film, he scoffed, saying, “Who needs to see a movie about a guy getting revenge for his dog?” I honestly would’ve agreed with my friend, but “John Wick” received amazing reviews when it came out, and I ended up seeing it opening weekend, and I was absolutely blown away. Yes, the film has a rather simplistic plot, but the world that it crafts is so much deeper than what you see onscreen (and that world is further elaborated on in “John Wick Chapter 2”). The side characters all have interesting back-stories and murky relations with our titular character; the settings all have specific rules; the twist and turns of the plot are exciting; and beyond all that, the action is spectacular, the cinematography is great, and the sequel is just as good.
If you can’t tell already, I’m a big fan of “John Wick”.
“The bodies he buried that day laid the foundation of what we are now.”
Ex-hitman John Wick’s (Keanu Reeves, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula”) wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan, “Lord of War”) dies and leaves him a dog to keep him company. Soon after the funeral, a few punk kids, led by Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen, “The Predator”), break into Wick’s home and kill his dog and steal his car. After Iosef takes the car to a chop shop run by Aurelio (John Leguizamo, “The Happening”), Aurelio informs Iosef that he has made a huge mistake. Soon, Iosef’s father Viggo (Michael Nyqvist, “Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol”) is made aware of the situation and he tries to bargain with Wick, but Wick wont listen. It’s too late: Wick wants blood. Viggo does his best to prepare by putting a hit on Wick, attracting all sorts of hitmen, including Marcus (Willem Dafoe, “At Eternity’s Gate”) and Ms. Perkins (Adrianne Palicki, “Legion”)
So, lets get the only real qualm I have with this film out of the way: I really don’t think Keanu is that great of an actor. Now, let me also say this. While I don’t think Keanu is an amazing actor, I think he is amazing. I think he knows how to handle an action scene incredibly well, and I think he looks like a total bad@$$ in this movie and “The Matrix” and half a dozen other movies. I also know that his personal life has been riddled with hardships (a few people close to him died in tragic ways, and there were other bizarre instances too), but he has still somehow managed to remain a positive person and give back to the community, so much so that the Internet has more or less fallen in love with him. So, I feel like that was a really long-winded way to say that while I think Keanu’s dramatic acting could use a ton of work, I’m always happy to see the man working, and I’ll typically forgive a little cheese for decent action.
Which brings me to the good stuff in this movie, because holy cow! Yes! This is the kind of action movie I’ve been searching for!
Look, I love action movies like “The Bourne Supremacy”, where the plots of the films are complex, and a lot of the tension comes from the murky relationships and shady dealings and back-stabbings. At the same time, I hate movies like “The Bourne Supremacy” because I can’t see a bloody thing whenever our character is fighting (sorry Paul Greengrass, but no one likes shaky-cam action scenes anymore). This film, while it does have a few twists and turns in the plot, where it really excels is in the fluidity of the action choreography. Once “wick” is lit, there’s no stopping him. This film simply explodes with frenetic gunfights, martial arts, knife fights and whatever else you can think of.
While there are plenty of impressive action sequences throughout the movie, my personal favorite takes place about halfway through, where Wick enters a nightclub. That scene has a ridiculously high body-count, and the choreography of the action rivals the famous Lobby Scene in “The Matrix” (also starring Keanu). The cinematography is also quite beautiful; our characters are so brilliantly bathed in neon glow that reminded me of movies like “Drive” or “Enter the Void”.
What makes this movie even better, however, is the depth of the world that is very subtly developed. We get glimpses of a bigger world that later takes on more meaning. Some characters, like Winston (Ian McShane, “Hellboy (2019)”) and Charon (Lance Reddick, “The Guest”) come back and hint at the rules of the world. The world of John Wick and the assassins that dwell there is much more complicated than one might originally think, and when we reach “John Wick Chapter 2” that worldbuilding explodes even further.
Verdict:
“John Wick” is one of the best action movies of the 2010s, and in my opinion, it’s Keanu Reeve’s second best role. This has everything I’m looking for in an action flick: it’s fast paced, brutal, intense; the stunts are practical and the fighting is easy to see. “John Wick” rocks and so does “John Wick Chapter 2”, so of course I can’t wait to see “John Wick Chapter 3- Parabellum”.
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