John Wick

ONE MAN AND HIS DOG

Despite John Wick being released back in October last year back in the States, all I was hearing was positive opinions and glowing reviews.  So when I sat down in the movie theatre, I was definitely ready for some mind-blowing revenge and I was not disappointed,

The plot of John Wick is so simple, it borders on fantastic. The son of a mob boss gets a bit too big for his boots and decides to steal the car of a random stranger he meets at a petrol station. Whilst he robs him, the mob son figures that he should kill the stranger's dog too (just because he can).  But it turns out that this stranger is actually John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves), an incredibly bad-ass retired hitman who now has a score to settle. Wick returns to the life he once left to enact revenge on those that were in the wrong place, messing with the wrong man.

It's so refreshing to just see an honest-to-God revenge film nowadays.  Not only that, but one that creates such a three-dimensional criminal world without spoon-feeding information to the viewer.  Everything we learn about John Wick and the organisations for which he used to work is told through the film's storyline and the interactions John encounters through his revenge.  Usually the hype around an imposing and capable character such as Wick is hyperbole and we never see anything to back up these opinions, but Reeves' demeanour and 'all-for-broke' attitude more than back up the legends of Wick's past ("He killed three men... with a pencil!").  The Continental Hotel in which John stays during his revenge is an especially fantastically-realised idea within the history of movie crime-underworlds.

Speaking of realistic, Keanu Reeves usually gets stick for his acting (or lack thereof) and I can't say I've not criticised him a few times for some wooden performances, but as John Wick, his icy demeanour throughout the incredibly-choreographed fight scenes matches the legend of 'the ultimate hitman' perfectly.  He constantly reminds the audience that this is a man that you should not f##k with.  Plus the connection he establishes with his pet dog Daisy in the opening few scenes is quite visible and allows the audience to connect to Wick before his whole world breaks down.

Reeves more than holds his own alongside the fantastic character actors that populate the film, such as Michael Nyqvist, Ian McShane, Willem Dafoe and Lance Reddick.  The only unfortunate stand-out is Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones' Theon Greyjoy) who still appears to be visibly acting and not just embodying his character, a problem he too often encounters in Game of Thrones too.  Any time he was on screen, I was reminded I was watching a film and it was an unwanted and constant distraction.

Whilst it won't be winning any Academy Awards, I thoroughly enjoyed the roller-coaster thrill-ride that was John Wick.  It doesn't take itself too seriously, has fun in the meantime and leaves you more than happy for the amount of money you paid to watch it.  I highly recommend checking it out.

Rating - 8/10

Until next time folks, thanks for reading!

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