Hello, and welcome back to another throwback review, I know its been awhile since we have done one of these, but I promise to try and get more out (especially with some new installments of certain franchises on the way). But for now we are going to be looking at one of the best action franchises of all time just in time for its new installment coming this weekend, and that is of course the John Wick series. This has become quite the franchise since it started out very small, with a decent performing original that turned out to be surprisingly critically acclaimed with great word of mouth. Of course, that first movie is what we will be talking about today, so without further ado lets dive right in!
Our story begins when our protagonist recently loses the love of his life due to cancer. Just when he thought he had lost all purpose a package suddenly arrives at his doorstep. This surprise gift turns out to be a puppy his wife sent him, to leave a part of her with him, and then he begins to find purpose again and vows to take care of it. Unfortunately that happiness is short lived once John runs into the son of a Russian mobster, and his friends, and accidentally offends them. So they decide to break into his house, and not only steal his car, but beat him senselessly, and kill his dog. However when word gets to the mobster leader about what happened he calls in people to protect his son, because this was no ordinary person whose dog his son killed no it was legendary assassin, John Wick AKA the Boogeyman (or Baba Yaga), and no one messes with him without wanting a death wish. So with the aid of some old friends at the Continental Hotel John begins his killing spree of revenge, as he returns to a life he wanted to leave behind, but that just came right back to greet him again.
Now the story seems pretty simple enough, I mean it kind of sound like one of those Taken like revenge flicks that we get every year. But this film stands out from the pack in many great ways that make it an instant action movie classic. My favorite part about the story is how it doesn’t spoon feed everything to you, and dump exposition in every scene. In fact the first act has very little dialogue, and relies on visual storytelling to tell what is going on, and the audience is able to understand what is going on, which makes the emotional moments very effective. You instantly care for this character and want to see him succeed and just move on with his life, and the film does a good job of characterizing John Wick and explaining just who he is through some great dialogue, and the reactions of many of the characters. To be honest the film kind of reminds me of Cowboy Bebop in some respects like it feels like a sequel to a story we never got to see play out, and that is pretty interesting since whenever the characters interact you can feel this shared history between them. The film also has some of the best world building I have seen in a very long time, since once again it does not spend time shoving all of the information down the audiences throats, and just lets them see for themselves in a way that’s easy to understand. I just love the way this film sets up this whole world, and how it works, what with this hotel for assassins, this service that cleans up dead bodies, and so much more. If i’m gonna be honest this movie just puts every single would be cinematic universe starter to shame in the way its sets up its world.
But how can we talk about this film without mentioning the phenomenal action sequences. Man, this is some of the most brutal, and well staged action I have ever seen. This film definitely earns its R-rating as the filmmakers do not hold back, and just go all out (particularly in one sequence set in a nightclub, which was just perfect). Its also so refreshing how well shot these scenes are, and its not like some other action movies where the editing is so choppy it makes the action almost incomprehensible. In this film however the action is shot so well, where you can see everything that is happening. The film is also well made from a film making standpoint as David Leitch, and Chad Stahelski excellently direct this film with not just the action but also with the scenes where the characters are just talking to each other, and the film has this feeling that matches the seedy underworld setting of the film, and that is also thanks to the beautiful cinematography. The score also helps to capture that setting as it is intense, exciting, and oddly underrated (I never really hear many people talk about the music in this movies which is a shame because its that good). I also like some of the song choices here, especially Killing Strangers by Marilyn Manson, which fits the tone of the film very well.
So yes the story is extremely well executed, and the action is just a sight to behold, but I don’t know if any of those things would have worked without the man, the myth, the legend himself, Keanu Reeves, who is just wow! This man was born to play this character as he just nails the role perfectly. Whether he is fighting people, or just grieving the loss of his wife, and dog, you care for this character, and want him to just be left in peace, and that is in no small part thanks to Reeves performance. Whats even more impressive is that he did most of his own stunts, and that just makes it even more intense because when John gets punched it feels as if you felt that punch too. While the film understandably is more focused on Wick, the supporting cast still does very well with what they are given even if they have limited screentime. I’d say the 2nd biggest character after Wick is the leader of the Russian Mob, Viggo Tarasov played by Michael Nyqvist, who is a surprisingly compelling villain, and is more than just your typical evil mob boss (he even gets some of the best lines in the film), and Nyqvist gives an excellent performance, and really captures the character’s menacing yet soft speaking nature. As for his son Iosef, to be honest I really did not care for him all that much (which is weird considering he’s the one who started this whole mess to being with), even with Alfie Allen giving a fine performance, since he is just your typical trouble making youth, who really just served as a plot device to get John Wick back into action. Some other big names include Ian McShane, Adrianne Paliki and Lance Riddick as the owner of the Continental, Winston, fellow assassin, Perkins, and the manager of the hotel, Charon, respectively, and even some surprise appearances from William Dafoe as Wicks old mentor figure, Marcus, and John Leguizamo as a mechanic, and Wick’s friend Aurelio, all of which do good with what they’re given, but this is absolutely Reeves show here, and he knocks it out of the park big time.
In conclusion John Wick is just an action classic in the making, and it is easily one of my favorite action films of the decade as it just does so much right. Not only did this film start a fantastic franchise, it also showed why Keanu Reeves is such a legend, and gave him another iconic role to add to his resume. The film also makes me excited to what the directors do next as they did some amazing work here (I mean David Leicth did go on to direct Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, and the upcoming Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw). So now that we are done talking about the first film, we will be taking a look at Ch.2 real soon.
Rating: A
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