John Wick

My Grade:  A-

Keanu Reeves is not a good actor. There’s no hiding that. Seven of his thirty award nominations come from the Razzies and most of the rest are from the MTV Movie Awards. But, if you put him in the right role, he’s great. It turns out that the titular ex-hitman in the recent action flick John Wick is the right role. It’s a wonderful return to the genre for the guy whose best movie is probably the 1999 Science Fiction hit The Matrix. 

If you read the brief description of the plot of John Wick, you may think it sounds silly. A guy’s wife passes away but gives him one last gift:  an adorable little beagle puppy. And yes, it is very adorable. When he is filling up at a gas station one day, he happens to run into some ruthless Russian mobsters who like his Boss Mustang. They want to buy it from him but he won’t sell it. The younger Russian mobster doesn’t like being told “no” so he breaks into John’s place, steals the keys, and kills the puppy. This sends John Wick into revenge mode and the rest is history... graphically violent and intense history.

The action scenes are well choreographed and to-the-point which is nice. Also they are very brutal. There are a lot of one-shot kills which make them nice and succinct without a lot of those silly, long drawn out hand to hand fights that some action movies hang their hats on. These people have guns, so they use them. Also, it would be interesting to tally up a body count because it’s a ridiculous number. 

The biggest issue I have with this movie is that it doesn’t fully explore the most unique part of its premise. At one point, John stays at a place called The Continental which is essentially a hotel/safe haven for assassins. Everything operates on these mysterious gold coins (which don’t get fully explained) and it is against the rules to “do business” (kill people) on hotel grounds. If you do, in fact, do any business there, you will have to face consequences from “management.” This is a fun and unique idea but it barely gets delved into. Maybe there will be a sequel which will explore it more fully.

The other strong point is the stylish way in which John Wick is shot. It’s hard to put into words other than to say it just looks cool. Most of the film is basked in muted blue tones and the slick camera work helps move the action along while mesmerizing the audience. It’s good work from cinematographer Jonathan Sela who is no stranger to the action genre having shot Max Payne, A Good Day To Die Hard, and others. It’s also a solid directorial debut from highly experienced Stunt Coordinator (now turned director) Chad Stahelski.

Overall, John Wick is a solid entry into the annals of modern action flicks but isn’t one to make you think too much. It’s a great role for Keanu Reeves and features a few unique, fresh twists on the genre. It’s worth checking out in Redbox.