John Wick Movie Review

"People keep asking if I'm back and I haven't really had an answer, but yeah, I'm thinking I'm back!"
-John Wick

So I watched John Wick three times before I finally decided to sit down and write about it. Not for any particular reason, I just felt like now the time was appropriate. John Wick on the surface seems like your everyday revenge based action thriller. Since the success of Taken back in 2008 it seems that Hollywood has become saturated with this genre of film. Don't get me wrong, I love shoot-em-ups. But at some point enough becomes enough and even I feel the fatigue that these films have created. Unfortunately this might have been one of the factors that came into play when people decided to pass on this film starring Keanu Reeves, an actor who doesn't have quite the star power he had some years back. But man, passing on this movie would have been a huge mistake. I remember when it came out in the fall of last year I had every intention of going to see it in the movie theater after reading some good reviews, but I didn't get around to watching until it came out on Blu-Ray. I still don't regret that purchase.

What makes this film special to me was the stylistic approach it took combined with Reeves' performance. The action sequences had this flow to them that I have trouble expressing through words. Not that they were out of this world good, because I don't want to paint an unrealistic picture in your head, but they were just very refreshing. I haven't enjoyed watched thug after thug get endless bullets to the head this much in a long time. Many things came together to make this film special but Reeves gave it that extra push. His presence on screen was powerful and he gave life to a deeply troubled character who isn't by any standards a good guy. But we still root for him regardless. The film's action shots are so sharp and the two directors, who were once stuntmen themselves, took great care in filming these long fluent shots with minimal editing. They were in your face and they got Kenau to do as many of his own stunts as possible to give that extra feeling of uniqueness. Just through the the visual execution of his sheer skill, Wick's years of experience in this world shines and his level of comfort with these type of people is a bit disturbing. After loosing his wife to sickness and then soon thereafter becoming a target of a malicious crime, Wick is pulled back into the dark world of crime and death. But the directors waste no time with fillers and lengthy flashbacks, spoon-feeding us who John Wick is. They create this persona and notoriety about John Wick through his interactions with others. His character development is done in such a unique way that it is equal parts coherent and humorous while still being believable. Bravo.

While Reeves steals the show with his portrayal of Wick, there are some strong supporting roles that help flesh out the story to it's fullest potential. Willem Dafoe plays Marcus, an experienced assassin and long time friend of John's who plays an important role in the films climax. Dafoe is a great actor who takes control of the roles he is given and executes them beautifully. He didn't have a whole lot screen time but when he was on screen it was for good reason. Then we have Alfie Allen and Michael Nyqvist who play Iosef and Viggo Tarasov.  Iosef gets himself into some trouble with John Wick that there is no hope of getting out of and Viggo being the head of the Russian mob in New York City is pulled in to clean up after his. What makes it more interesting is that Viggo and John once had a working relationship. But together with an army of henchman to do their bidding, the Tarasovs pose a viable threat to John and his quest for vengeance. Finally we have the Continental. A hotel in the city where Wick and dozens of other assassins and mercenaries come to stay. It is essentially a safe zone where if the hotel's rules are broken, there are dire consequences. This is such an awesome concept that I feel could make a good movie on the premise of the hotel alone. The Continental should be considered a character by itself as it plays some pivotal roles throughout the film.

John Wick is not a perfect film but it's a hell of a lot better than I thought it was going to be walking in. The lead character is strong with a more than capable leading man to carry out responsibilities necessary. The story is heart-felt and you're given a rather compelling reason to root for John from the start of the film. It was a low budget action film that took the world by storm. With awe inducing action scenes and fight scenes that make you cringe at times, John Wick leaves you wanting more and more, especially once the credit begin to roll. Recently the sequel for this film was announced and I could not be happier. My only question still remains; how can they possibly top the first one? I hope for nothing more than for a John Wick sequel to get the effort it deserves and to win us over like the first one did. They major obstacle they face is to keep the conflict confined to this world. The stakes were low, there was no threat of government takeover or global destruction. If the team for the sequel can keep that in mind, they might just make another hit. I give John Wick a 9 out of 10 for being one of the most fun action movies in recent memory.