John Wick (2014) Review

 

John Wick (2014)

Haven’t seen a pure action flick in a long, long time and what better than the granddaddy of them all.
John Wick is about John, a retired assassin who comes out of retirement to get revenge on the people who stole his car and killed his dog, his last gift from his recently deceased wife.

This movie has always fascinated me because when it comes down to it, I look for an interesting story, great acting, and practicality. And while John Wick is a classic revenge tale cranked to a million, it’s also super hokey and almost comical at times. Mix in some gun-fu as the producers called it, and you have an intensely fun and awesome movie that shouldn’t be as good as it is. The set pieces are mind blowing, mixing judo and jiu jitsu with lots and lots of guns and stunning fight choreography that was done some of the best in the game.

Besides the action, the real reason this movie works is because of Keanu Reeves. Many of the same people that worked on The Matrix, returned to work on this, with Reeves playing to his strong suite as an action star and putting in an unbelievable amount of work to bring such a complex character to life. He was quiet and subtle, while still nailing the intense action and dark comedic aspects. His Boogeyman (Baba Yaga) persona is the most believable thing about this movie, where his name alone strikes fear. And with good reason, with him genuinely seeming like a rusty assassin who’s been out of the game for a bit, but hasn’t lost a step. I simply cannot state enough how good Reeves plays John Wick. His performance was bolstered by great performances from Ian McShane, Willem Dafoe, and our hilariously intense antagonist Michael Nyqvist.

I also really enjoyed the alternative, almost nightclub feel the whole film has, with much of the movie shrouded in red, blue, and purple light giving it a unique look that is paired well with amazing cinematography. And while John Wick’s believably meter is zero, it’s the parts that seem absolutely bonkers that are so enjoyable, making this a ridiculous, gun-toting extravaganza that used a great emotional buildup to thrust us into this batshit world of assassins.

8.2/10