John Wick, 2014.
Directed by David Leitch and Chad Stahelski.
Starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick.
SYNOPSIS:
An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.
If there is one thing that John Wick proves, it’s that no matter how stupid a story sounds on paper, with proper execution anything can be entertaining. Seriously, a movie where Keanu Reeves plays an ex-gangster known as The Boogeyman who gets back into the game because mobsters murder his dog – the very last thing reminding him of his deceased wife – sounds like it was spat out by a random movie plot generator website. It is completely absurd but fortunately never once takes itself seriously after the narrative sets up the non-stop action.
Furthermore, the action of the film is unexpectedly quite good. Whenever John Wick has a gun in his hands it’s genuinely exciting because you have no idea what stunt he is going to pull off next. He rolls around the area, jumps off of balconies, pulls off an insane amount of head-shots, and isn’t afraid to get up close and personal mixing in martial arts with the gun-fu. The film is simply put, full throttle style over substance, as evident by a scene where a shootout takes place during a rave with bright flashing colors.
Even though Keanu Reeves has returned to form here though, it is Alfie Allen (Game Of Throne‘s Theon) who steals some of the thunder as a remorseless and spoiled arrogant son of a crime lord. Once he realizes what exactly John Wick is capable of, Alfie Allen nails the cowardly performance. And let’s face it, the actor just has one of the most punchable faces ever, so it’s easy to buy him in this role.
What I don’t understand is why so many lesser-known but still revered actors were cast in such tiny parts. Take Deadwood‘s Ian McShane for example, an amazing villain presence who would have been amazing to see chew up the scenery in a ridiculous movie like this, yet here is playing a supporting good guy role that gets maybe three minutes of screen-time. That was certainly a disappointment, and makes me wonder if the filmmakers even knew who they casted. At least Willem Dafoe has some cool scenes though as a sniper that has John Wick covered.
It’s also pretty disappointing that the major villains don’t really receive a satisfying comeuppance. Most of your cheering will come from Keanu Reeves dispatching generic mobsters in some awesomely creative ways, as you’re left feeling that the big baddies should have suffered a more violent fate. Both climaxes in general felt like they were lacking a truly awesome moment in an otherwise atmospheric and violently fun mindless revenge flick.
Speaking of the atmosphere, that R-rated gritty vibe that has been missing from most action movies Hollywood puts out nowadays is enough to make up for some of the faults along the way. Watching John Wick really does feel like watching an action film from the 80s or 90s starring Arnold Schwarzenegger or Jean-Claude Van Damme. It’s pure mindless fun with an obscenely high body count. With that said, it isn’t the action driving the film – it’s certainly no Raid 2 – but rather the feeling that we are being offered something we really don’t see much of in Hollywood anymore. If Keanu Reeves can make a comeback with John Wick, then I hope John Wick can make a case that there is an audience for cheesy action flicks of yesteryear in modern cinema.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Robert Kojder – An aficionado of film, wrestling, and gaming. He currently writes for Flickering Myth, We Got This Covered, and Wrestle Enigma. Follow me on Twitter.
Read our interview with screenwriter of John Wick, Derek Kolstad here.
Originally published October 24, 2014. Updated April 13, 2018.
