The one is back!

Rating: 7/10 (23 November 2014)

Quickie Review:
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a highly skilled ex-hit-man who receives a puppy from his dying wife to help him grieve. Things only get worse when a spoiled son of a crime boss steals John's car and murders his puppy. Now he must return to the criminal world he had left years ago to avenge all that he has lost. You have heard and seen this type of plot countless times, there are no surprises here, you will predict everything. But is it fun? Oh yes it is. Keanu owns his role and is a complete badass. So despite the unoriginality of the plot, John Wick is filled with some of the most original gunfights I've seen in a long time. Overall this movie is an entertaining pop-corn action flick that is well worth your time.
Full Review:
I think most would agree that Keanu Reeves is no thespian when it comes to his acting talents. So even though he has been in some terrible movies lately I still find to be a likable actor. I just want him to return to his glory days of being Neo, and John Wick seemed like the perfect opportunity for him to do that, so I was more than I excited to see it.
Let's be real here, this movie could have come off very cheesy judging by its premise. However, Keanu through his action persona sold me on this seemingly odd world and character as being real and actually quite cool. You can see Reeves wholeheartedly dedicating himself to his role that you can't help but cheer him on for every brain splattering headshot (strange thing to cheer I know, but you'll know what I mean). Most importantly, this is an action film that actually shows the action. From what I can remember there was not a single shaky cam, every gun fight is brilliantly shot (pun intended) beginning to end. I also loved how precise the movements were, John Wick would always land a headshot and if he can't then he would shoot another part of the body to get an aim at the head. Just plain awesomeness.
John Wick is not without its problems. As I mentioned before the plot is largely unoriginal, so whenever there are no fights the movie is not as engaging. Also I was quite underwhelmed by the climatic end. The rest of the movie had a great build in tension but the finale felt rushed, and left more to be desired. One of the positives of John Wick is the rich criminal underworld. It is filled with colorful characters and has very interesting ways in which it functions. There is a sense of mutual respect amongst the people in that world. I just wish we got to explore more of that world because I found it to be so intriguing and unique. I am sure they will if there ever is a sequel, which I do think this movie deserves.
In the end, I thoroughly enjoyed my time watching John Wick. Yes it has some flaws, but I was able look past them to appreciate it for what it is. One word to sum up the movie would be "personality," because even if it is working with tired story and character concepts John Wick does it with style and fun.
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