John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves) is a retired assassin with a legendary reputation. But he threw it all away for love. After getting married, sometime later she passes away suddenly, and John is left to mourn her death. He gets an unwelcome distraction however after mobster heir Iosef Tarasov (played by Alfie Allen) and his friends steal John’s beloved car and then murder his puppy, a final gift from his wife. Needless to say, the assassin in him rears his ugly head and heads will roll after he goes on a killing spree of revenge. Meanwhile, Iosef’s father (played by Michael Nyqvist), adds to the equation putting a hit out on John to protect his son.
If anybody’s a vampire it’s got to be Keanu Reeves. He’s 50 and looks almost the same as he did 15-20 years ago. I know people criticize him for his acting ability constantly, but I enjoy him as an action star and I believe he chooses roles well suited for himself most of the time. John Wick is no exception. In fact it’s one of the better films he has done in a long time.
The action is pretty slick and though it’s shot in a very drab style, it works. It’s as if it’s the reflection of the character’s feelings. One thing that caught me off guard was how funny this film was. You didn’t get a sense of that from the trailer at all so that was a pleasant surprise. The film doesn’t look like it has the largest budget but it works well with what it has and David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, the directors, make the most of every sequence. It’s R-rated so it doesn’t hold back. At only an hour and forty minutes, the film doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it also doesn’t feel too short either.
I feel like A Game of Thrones actors are all over the movies I’ve been watching lately. While Alfie Allen’s character on A Game of Thrones is arguably sympathetic these days, in this film you really wanted to see him get what was coming. He was a character that you loved to hate.
Overall, the most important takeaway from this film is…don’t kill a man’s dog. I think this film shows franchise potential and I’m looking forward to see where they could go with it. While Keanu Reeves never really left, this is a film that makes you feel like he’s “back.” And with the public embracing older action heroes nowadays with films like The Expendables, Taken, and more recently Equalizer, this could be a golden opportunity that could last for a while.