A fresh take on action movies that's simplistic and badass

Rating: 8/10 (14 August 2017)

John Wick is the directorial debut of film maker Chad Stahelski, and features a triumphant return for Keanu Reeves as John Wick. The plot is a simple revenge story, but by no means generic. John Wick is a retired hit-man, who misses his wife. One day, he receives a dog as a gift. But all goes downhill when a Russian gang steal his car and kill his dog. It turns then into a cat and mouse chase.
So as described, the film isn't exactly super complex, or emotionally driven (though it does give us enough to sympathize with the main character, and give us also enough to be invested), but it is obvious from the very start that film doesn't try to be so. It instead gives you well choreographed action sequences.
Surprisingly though, John Wick is a compelling character to get behind, thanks to a tight script and a passionate performance by Keanu Reeves. the film could have benefited had the musical score been added, adding more subtlety and nuance, for example, when he receives the dog and reads the letter, the scene could have been more powerful without the voice over and the music.
Now let's talk about the action. This has to be one of the best directed action set pieces in the genre. The camera work is very graceful and stylistic, allowing us to witness the entire action scenes, knowing when to cut and when to give us the full picture. It's something that's not common in modern action films, and for that, the action is glorious, The key to this is because the camera is focused. There is no stupid shaky camera, or unnecessary cut edits. It just lets the scenes naturally flow. The cinematography is also brilliant and visually gorgeous, giving a scene of hostile and loneliness, as well as a violent, dead environment. It is easily the best aspect of the film, and the reason why John Wick is such a good movie. Overall, the film is fantastic and i would recommend it to any action movie fan.