101 minutes of Keanu Reeves laying out henchmen after henchmen in a revenge thriller

Rating: 6/10 (1 November 2019)

John Wick stacks the body count in a wickedly fun revenge thriller starring Keanu Reeves about a retired assassin drawn back to a previous life of murder and violence after a vicious break-in and theft led by a Russian mobster's son. Despite a thin script, 101 minutes of gratuitous violence ultimately pays off due to sheer spectacle, some stylish direction, and incredible action set pieces.
Keanu Reeves has never been known as an actor with a wide range but instead limited to certain roles that show little emotion. As a character, John Wick is perfectly suited for Reeves. Characterized as an unassuming quiet, grieving widower, Wick is actually a no-nonsense former assassin in retirement after finding love. Coupled with director Chad Stahelski, a veteran stuntman and coordinator, and Reeves' history of playing badass male leads, this is the film to take Keanu Reeves back to previous career highs not seen since The Matrix trilogy and which would go on to launch a successful and critically well-received franchise. Reeves owns the role of Wick. The casting couldn't be more perfect.
Primarily, John Wick is centered on loss and revenge. Wick is out for blood against the people who took away everything important in his life. As an exploration of the aforementioned themes, the film only goes skin-deep, failing to dig deeper into the character's persona and background. Majority of Wick's history is shown through flashbacks and subtle dialogue. While the script leaves a lot to be desired, the character interactions aren't preachy, grounding the film on an emotional and human level. More importantly, Wick does not really grow as a character. He's not placed in a situation that questions his motives allowing room for him to grow.
The film takes its themes seriously, but perhaps intentionally, it's also a satire on the futility and value of masculinity. Characters within the film present this dual approach of tackling a subject matter common in Hollywood cinema. Iosef Tarasov, played by Alfie Allen, embraces hypermasculinity with his arrogant, selfish and entitled personality being the son of Russian Mobster Viggo Tarasov, played by Michael Nyqvist. John Wick is the exact opposite with a laid back attitude. Iosef initiates the plot of the film when he and his group conducted a vicious burglary that beat Wick, ransacked his home, killed his dog left behind by his deceased wife, and stole his treasured car. Unknowingly to him, Wick formerly works for his father and is nicknamed "Baba Yaga", Russian for "Boogeyman." As Wick hunts down Iosef, the opposite occurs between the characters as Iosef's toxic hypermasculinity is exposed as fraudulent when faced with an actual credible threat. Wick finds again the machismo he once discarded.
Themes of loyalty, word of honor and brotherhood are also present. Marcus, played by Willem Dafoe, is Wick's mentor and friend. Hired by Viggo to kill Wick, he broke the contract when another assassin, Ms. Perkins, comes in and vies for the prize, probably also out of mutual respect. He is tortured then murdered when Viggo learns of his betrayal. Ms. Perkins is killed for breaking The Continental's policy of no "business" transaction within hotel grounds. Lastly, Viggo is killed by Wick by protecting his son. In the criminal underworld, death is the ultimate fate.
John Wick's strengths are its direction and fight scenes. For lovers of neo-noir, Spaghetti Westerns and Hong Kong martial arts cinema, Chad Stahelski has great command, specifically in the cinematography department, in paying homages to his film's influences bringing a unique testosterone-charged modern twist of the genres. The score is also great from Tyler Bates, containing a mix of techno and rock music.
The sequel has lots of potentials that the first has failed to tackle. Put a heavier emphasis on character development, not just lip-service dialogue. Here's to hoping it exceeds the first.
6/10