Directed By: Chad Stahelski
Released: October 2014
Run Time: 101 Minutes
Rated R
Cast:
Keanu Reeves: John Wick
Michael Nyqvist: Viggo Tarasov
Alfie Allen: Iosef Tarasov
Willem Defoe: Marcus
Ian McShane: Winston
Action movies that feature a main character hell-bent on revenge are nothing new. It’s a story line that goes back decades. These days there are few action thrillers that are straight to the point. It’s not always a bad thing for a movie to be straightforward like that. Movies like Taken and Colombiana are some of the more recent flicks featuring a character that’s been wronged and is willing to do whatever it takes to set things right. Generally, a lot of these action thrillers feature a character that is a total bad-ass. Said bad-ass knows how to fight using either guns or his hands and feet. There were a number of films last year that fit the bill. One was The November Man starring Pierce Brosnan, which was absolutely fantastic. Sabotage and The Raid 2 were also released last year. Both were really good at what they did. But it’s not often that we see Keanu Reeves take down the Russian mob. Enter John Wick, released last year to fairly decent reviews.
John Wick stars Keanu Reeves as….John Wick, the guy that the Russian mafia used to call to eliminate issues that they couldn’t handle themselves. So, Mr. Wick is a kind of a specialist. After leaving the business behind to live a life of peace with his wife, she unexpectedly dies of cancer 5 years later. Before her death, she arranges for a dog to be brought to him upon her death. After encountering some nasty Russian mobsters at a gas station, they follow him home, beat him to a pulp, kill his dog, and steal his car. To say this pisses him off is an understatement. Digging up the weapons that he had buried years earlier, he systematically targets the Russian mafia to get to the person who took everything from him. While the setup to the film seems a little cheesy, the film soon goes into overdrive and doesn’t stop. It’s a non-stop action thrill-ride that’s light on substance, but heavy on style.
Keanu Reeves in an action movie really isn’t anything new. He’s been in some of the coolest action movies ever: Point Break, Speed, and The Matrix Trilogy. It’s kind of funny since the role that he’s really known for was Ted “Theodore” Logan from the Bill and Ted movies. When he’s given the right material, Keanu Reeves can knock it out of the park, not just physically, but also in the acting department. While the opening scene of John Wick seems a little cheesy, Reeves is actually given a chance to act a little bit. But when he’s let off the leash, Reeves becomes one of the coolest assassins in cinema. It’s clear that he prepared for the role, because the way he handles guns and hand-to-hand combat in this film, seem almost natural to him. He’s supported by some pretty heavy-weight actors like Willem Defoe, who plays an aging assassin who may or may not be a villain. Ian McShane briefly shows up as the owner of a hotel that caters specifically to hit-men. He’s always fun to watch, even though he doesn’t get much to chew on. Alfie Allen of Game of Thrones fame, plays Iosef, the son of the head of the Russian mob in New York. This guy knows how to play a complete scumbag. Michael Nyqvist plays Iosef’s father, who realizes what Iosef did and tries to defuse the situation to no avail. John Wick will not be denied. The action is impressively choreographed with interesting and awesome moves that only someone like Keanu Reeves could do with style. It’s brutal, violent, and can be a hell of a lot of fun. John Wick I feel is one of the better action movies of 2014.
The story is pretty much a straight-forward revenge tale. There’s nothing particularly original here, yet I found myself getting emotionally involved. Why? I love dogs and watching the mobsters kill John’s dog in front of him enraged me considering the purpose the dog was supposed to serve. It really did. I think most people who love dogs as much as I do would feel the same thing. That makes it easier to get behind the character and root for him unleashing hell on his assailants. Watching John Wick gun down mobster after mobster provided me with a sense of catharsis. Watching the mobsters get what’s coming to them was extremely satisfying, especially in the way that Wick does it. Make no mistake, John Wick is not a good guy. He’s a cold-blooded killer who’s been pushed too far, and yet we root for him. If there’s a nitpick that I have with the film, is that it can feel a bit like a video game at times and some of the blood is obviously CG. That’s pretty much it. The action is solid and moves at a break-neck pace. This is Chad Stahelski’s directorial debut, and it is a knock-out hit as far as I’m concerned. The man has intimate experience with fight coordination and stunt-work so having him direct a movie like this actually makes a lot of sense, since he knows a great deal about what it takes to make an effective action film. Overall, this is a very solid action film. Word is that they’re trying to go forward with a second film. Given how well the first movie turned out, I’m looking forward to it. This one comes easily recommended. 9/10.