Welcome Back Keanu Reeves!

Rating: 9/10 (13 November 2014)

It's actually hard to remember the last time when Keanu Reeves was in a truly noteworthy, memorable, and quotable film, despite him being one of my favorite actors. 47 Ronin (2013), aside from being a notorious box office bomb, was completely forgettable; Generation Um (2012) was a mess; The Day the Earth Stood Still (2008) was an unnecessary remake, and Man of Tai Chi (2013), despite being a solid and well-made directorial debut from Reeves, didn't leave much of a lasting impression.
However, I've always felt that Reeves would eventually make another film that was worth the price of admission, and not just a cursory glance and rental in a video store. Thankfully, Reeves has made a fantastic return to his old, action-movie roots with John Wick (2014), a film that seems to have been designed specifically for fans of Reeves, and after finding out about how the film has performed better than expected at the box office, I can only hope that this film will help Reeves get back into the spotlight. He's definitely earned it as he is in one of the best films of the year.
The actual plot of the film is incredibly simplistic, which in this case is a good thing. Keanu Reeves plays John Wick, a retired hit man who has recently lost his wife, Helen (briefly played by Bridget Moynahan) to a disease (that is not clarified). Wick finds out that his wife left him a puppy, named Daisy, but before Wick can attempt to move on with his life, Russian mobster Iosef (played by Theon Greyjoy actor Alfie Allen) and his thugs break into Wick's home, mug him, steal his '69 Mustang, and then kill Daisy. John Wick then grabs his old guns and returns to the violent (also sophisticated, old-fashioned, and honorable) mob world that he had once escaped in order to find Iosef and exact his terrible vengeance.
I must admit I think this is easily the best performance Reeves has given since The Matrix sequels came out back in 2003. John Wick is a man of few words, but his expressions and actions (mostly violent) more than make up for it, which really works in Reeves' favor (dialogue has never been his best attribute, and I'm looking at you Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992)). Wick is by no means a hero; every character Wick runs into remarks about his terrible and legendary past, and I quickly realized that Wick was simply the best bad man in a world of terrible characters. Reeves clearly gave his all in this film, as in every action scene I could tell his career decision to perform a majority of his own stunts pays off; I never saw Keanu Reeves taking down bad guys in this film, I always saw John Wick, and it was a performance that truly felt real.
Reeves may be the star of the show, but he also has an impressive ensemble cast helping him out. Michael Nyqvist (of the Swedish The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo trilogy fame) is excellent as Viggo Tarasov, the leader of the New York Russian mob, Wick's former employer, and Iosef's father. You can tell that Viggo is the sort of man who is willing to place the life of his family (no matter how idiotic) over his former friendship with Wick, which creates an intriguing conflict. Alfie Allen plays another greedy, foolish character, which has become a well played, but too familiar archetype. William Dafoe and Adrianne Palicki, have solid bits as Marcus and Perkins, close associates/enemies of Wick, and John Leguizamo and Ian McShane have memorable but important cameos as Aurelio and Winston.
What impressed me the most about this film, besides the excellent action, slick and stylish choreography, a diverse and cool soundtrack, and great performances, was the world that Wick inhabits. It is revealed that Wick is a former member of the Continental, a society of hit men/assassins who reside in a fancy hotel, and live by a strict code of honor, chivalry, and rules, and if these rules are broken, there can be severe consequences. It was really creative, and I found it to be a world that could be expanded upon in future (fingers crossed) installments.
John Wick is an action film that arrived at a time when a film of this caliber is so desperately needed. First, it managed to bring Keanu Reeves back into the spotlight; second, it's an old fashioned action film that still managed to feel fresh; and finally, it's a film that I could tell had a lot of heart and effort in it. I truly hope that Reeves' efforts will result in a sequel or similar film, and a resurgence of interest in actor who played The One. Overall, John Wick is a blast, and is a must-see for any fan of the action genre.
Final Verdict: 9/10