Tour-de-force in action choreography, but not much else

Rating: 6/10 (21 May 2020)

John Wick is the sort of film you only watch if you really like action movies... and I mean that you *really* have to like them. The choreography is great and really delivers that fantasy that John Wick is just an indestructible assassin.
Unfortunately that's about all the movie has to offer.
The plot is minimal, almost tacked-on. There is no character development. There is nothing this movie has to say. There is no intrigue, no drama, no comedy, no romance (thankfully). It's just one and a half hours of constant action choreography with a laughably weak "video game" plot. It like like watching someone play a video game. That may be your thing, but for me it wore very thin. By saying all that I almost feel like I've given away spoilers.
What makes John Wick most disappointing though, is that Keanu's been in better action movies, with better action scenes, and with philosophical themes and social commentary. Like... "The Matrix"? Compared to that movie, John Wick is very weak indeed as a piece of cinema. I don't understand why people rate it highly - although it works as a piece of cathartic release, or something to watch for "Netflix and chill" - where the point of the movie is not to actually watch it.