By: Robert Murphy
In an action movie, you never want to mess with the quite guy who just wants to be left alone especially since he just lost the love of his life. John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has just lost his wife to a fatal illness and he could not be more devastated but his wife wasn't just a great woman, she was possibly the best woman. After her passing she sends him a beagle puppy for something that will hopefully bring him hope and love in life after she is gone, it's kind of amazing if you think about it. Then enters the punk though, that guy who you know is going to mess up the whole thing. Iosef (Alfie Allen) is a the son of a rich and powerful Russian crime boss and has all the self entitlement that one would expect him to have from it. After a brief exchange at a gas station over John's 69' Mustang, Iosef breaks into his home to steal the car and mess up the place but to add insult to injury, he kills his new dog Daisy too. This just happens to be the last nail in the coffin and John slowly begins to feel a strange sensation inside of him that he left behind long ago. Little did Iosef know, John Wick was and is the most feared wet work killer and he's about to rain hell down on Iosef and anyone who gets in his way.
To be frank, John Wick is brilliantly simple and that's why it works so well especially for a movie about your dog getting killed and you murdering everyone for it. The whole affair is a straight forward ride that doesn't try and give off any disillusion about being serious or having major plot to it. The point of the whole thing is to deliver a knock out shoot'em up style movie that will make you follow along and it does just that with it's fast paced action scenes. John skillfully takes down enemies one by one in a breeze and the choreographed action is absolutely spot on, I half expected John to stop bullets all together Matrix style but it was still impressive without it. What also keeps the pacing for the movie so well together is the unique brand of comedy that can be seen between John and all his former associates from the old days. Everyone who sees him asks the question of whether or not he is back in the game and John will pass it off with a "just taking care of some things" or vice versa. It's almost like everybody is excited to see him again, back in the game and doing what he does best and to add even more fun, John seems to know everyone too. John will casually get hellos from characters who pop up here and there, my favorite has to be when a cop comes to his door who apparently works as cover for wet workers protection and he casually asks if John is back to work again and then departs.
What also adds to the appeal for John Wick is it's surprising team of actors who join along side Keanu Reeves's portrayal of a cool and even toned murderer. These being the kind of movies that Keanu Reeves shines brightest in and even though there is a slight romantic interest in the movie, it's dashed before it ruins any part of the story. His partners in his former life of crime are just as expertly cast into their roles, William Dafoe making an appearance as the semi-retired and probably the closest friend to John. John Leguizamo also comes out for a few brief scenes as the owner of a professional chop shop, smacking Iosef across the face for being stupid and stealing John Wick's car. Which, of course, leads Iosef to go taddling to daddy about what happened but Michael Nyqvist won't be happy either with what his son has done and puts on a great role as the mob boss that doesn't want to go against John but can't let his son be killed. Honestly though, the best of the brief scenes of the famous stars in John Wick, has to go to Ian McShane who plays the owner of the wet worker hotel that John and other professionals stay in. Stulking in the shadows, he brings a significantly small role to a very enjoyable level and that can be said for all of the stars hidden away here. It's brief and powerful and I certainly didn't expect it.
John Wick may in fact be a one trick pony of a movie but it does exactly what it sets out to do and that is deliver a great knock down, throw them out, action movie. Not only that but we also see a solid degree of humor weaved in throughout the entire thing and it had me laughing every single time, then it was right on to the action again. Despite what the entirety of what the movie is based on, you can still watch the entire thing through without batting an eye and that is something that not a lot of action movies can say they've done.
Good:
- The action is fast paced and great to watch
- Keanu Reeves has found his perfect role
- Outstanding performance by all the actors, Ian McShane and William Defoe definitely
Bad:
- A few cliches, nothing to shake a stick at though
Scully Rating: 7.5 out of 10
