Modern Action Classic!

Rating: 9/10 (29 October 2014)

John Wick is easily the best action film since Skyfall. I might even like this more than Skyfall actually. This is better than any of the Expendables films, even Expendables 2. John Wick is a badass revenge flick that knows what it is and goes all-out with it. This film doesn't try to be something it isn't or be overly complicated to try to appease a certain audience. This film is really what the film Machete should've been. Machete was advertised as an awesome revenge film that brought back classic action films, but it really wasn't. It tried to be deep and relevant with constant preaching about the border and it really detracted from what the film initially was supposed to be and it was very boring and quite disappointing. This film knows what it is and it is really refreshing. Keanu Reeves brings his A-game, as does all the side cast. The action is great and well-choreographed. The villain is badass and humorous at the same time.
The story is simple and straight forward. John Wick is a former Hit-man but has been out of the game for five years. The film starts with his wife sadly dying and there is a funeral. Then he finds a dog on his doorstep which was his wife's final gift to him. Shortly after all that these mobsters start screwing with him. One of them is the son of the main villain, Viggo (Michael Nyqvist), who John once worked for. Eventually the beat him up and kill his dog, which was a huge mistake. John then snaps and goes on a killing spree to get these guys back.
The character, John Wick, is definitely a badass you don't want to screw with. He doesn't talk much and he doesn't need to. He lets his actions speak for him and he's merciless. He doesn't screw around at all. He reminds be a lot of Liam Neeson in Taken. This film has a very similar feel to Taken. For example, I like how it's basically John Wick verses everybody for the most part. Dafoe helps him out a bit but it's mainly John by himself wasting an army of mobsters just like it was Liam Neeson by himself wiping-out a ton of bad guys with no mercy or hesitation. There is no pointless love-interest, goofy sidekick, or stupid comic relief characters put it. It's just John Wick by himself which is how it should be. However I like this film more than Taken for a couple reasons that I'll get to.
What's particularly cool about Wick is just the amount of build-up and praise he gets by everyone in the film including the main villain. What I like is that all the characters in this film seem to know each other particularly John himself. Everyone in this film respects John Wick and/or fears him which makes all the more badass. This shows that Keanu Reeves is great if given the right role. Many people trash him but I never found him a bad actor.
Another thing that makes this film awesome is its side characters. William Dafoe has a smaller role as John's old friend and fellow Hit-man. Dafoe is always awesome in any role he's in. You can put him in a lame Goblin costume straight from the set of Power Rangers and he'll come out awesome. The rest of the cast is equally memorable. The side characters don't get much time but they make the most of what little they have to do and all of them have presence.
The villain, Viggo, is also quite strong. I like that him hand Wick know each other, have worked together before, and that Viggo has a respect for John and is even quite scared of him. The way he describes John in the beginning and his constant uneasiness when he finds out he's back I find quite funny and awesome at the same time. He could've just been a nothing villain that was basically just a punching bag for Wick, but he has some pretty badass moments and has a presence to him. This is the reason I like this film more than Taken. In Taken the side characters weren't very strong and neither were the villains but that is not the case here.
The action is great as I said earlier. The fights are well-choreographed and there is hardly any shaky-cam. It's R-rated so they go all-out and it gets bloody. The film looks great and has an atmosphere to it. The length is just right for the film this is. If it was any longer it would've felt padded-out as some action film of late have.
Overall, John Wick is a new modern action classic. It is definitely worth checking-out if you're into action films.