I've never seen a more human meat-eating super assassin until John Wick.

Rating: 9/10 (17 January 2015)

The film begins with John Wick stumbling from a badly-damaged SUV and falling to the ground, clutching his bleeding gut. With bloody fingertips he begins playing a video on his smartphone of he and his wife at the beach, in much better times.
We then flash back to Wick visiting his terminally-ill wife at the hospital to say his farewell, before telling the doctor to discontinue life support.
After the funeral, Wick receives an unexpected delivery, a puppy, along with a heartfelt note from his late wife, hoping that he will embrace this dog as a companion to remind him of her.
He goes for a drive, with the puppy (a beagle named Daisy) as his copilot. He stops for gas, whereupon a BMW full of Russian mobsters pulls up (one, the son of the local Russian mob boss, played by Game Of Thrones actor Alfie Allen). He takes a special interest in Wick's classic Ford Mustang, and takes offense to Wick rebuking his desire to buy the car.
As you might expect, the Russians invade Wick's home. They beat Wick senseless, and kill the puppy in front of him. He cradles the dead puppy in his arms, Wick's last and precious link to his beloved wife in the world, ignites the fires of vengeance in Wick which leads him to go on an all-out rampage against the Russians. This hearkens back in my mind to Will Smith's character in "I Am Legend", where his loyal German shepherd, Samantha, is about to turn, but he strangles it to death before that can happen. Samantha represents Will's character's daughter; Daisy represents Wick's departed wife.
From here, Keanu Reeves' kung fu skills garnered from the days of The Matrix rise up and reveal the super assassin lying beneath this otherwise mild-mannered widower. Keanu Reeves plays the role as a very elegant, methodical, deadly killer.
It's worth mentioning that the hotel Wick visits, The Continental, is an interesting and classy hangout for elements of the criminal underworld. Wick seeks a room at this hotel as his safe haven and as the proprietor states, "no business may be incurred on these premises without *heavy* penalties".
The end of the story shows the mob in shambles. As Wick, severely injured, finds his way into a veterinary clinic for supplies to staunch his wounds, he hears a puppy cry out. The clipboard attached to its kennel reveals it's to be euthanized the next day.
The final scenes show Wick walking out, a pit bull puppy on a leash accompanying him. One of the best action flicks I've seen, it has made its way into my top list of films.