Now this is how you make an action movie!

Rating: 10/10 (1 March 2017)

John Wick
A good action movie is a rare thing these days. Stallone, Arnie and all the heroes of old have become... well just that ...Old! Instead we have watered down action stars who rely on shaky cam to hide their lack of ability. Keanu Reeves however has always been a strong performer within this genre. A star who's action credentials go under the radar despite being in some of the best of all time. The Matrix, Speed, Point Break and Johnny Mnemonic. No wait forget the last one that was rubbish! So when a little movie by the name of John Wick turned up on our cinemas door step this was a nice surprise for action fans. Watching a geriatric Steven Seagal nearly putting his back out to get our action fix was becoming a little strained. Or watching Jean Claude and Dolph mumble through rehashes of movies they'd done before. Universal Soldier 14 anyone? John Wick is rather refreshing. This is a simple movie. Nasty men steal nice mans Ford Mustang and kill his puppy. Turns out nice man is an ex super assassin and his wife has just died! Time to get not so nice. Talk about picking on the wrong guy! The fella from Game of Thrones, the one who gets his wedding tackle cut off (Alfie Allen) is to blame for doing John Wick wrong. His crime boss father points out in one of the films many great scenes, "John Wick is the man you send to kill the boogeyman and you just killed his dog!" Absolutely brilliant! The way in which the myth of John Wick is created is truly fascinating. A story about a bar room and a pencil is wonderfully realised on screen helping give the titular character an air of invincibility. I think this film works so well because we care for John and understand what he's going through. We feel his pain. He's lost his wife. He's lost the very thing that guides him. A love that rescued and steered him away from his violent past. Keanu Reeves gives a stellar performance here. We feel the emotion ooze out of the screen. We see him descend back into his old ways. All he wants to do is grieve and the bad guys take that from him. Watching the scene with the dying puppy is one that will pull at the heart strings and fuel a violent anger in you, one you probably didn't know you had. John Wick has some interesting depth too despite being a simple film in terms of formula. The assassins world in which John is from is one of code and honour. There are rules. A world that is stylised on screen and one that could be expanded on when a sequel inevitably arrives. But what is an action movie without good action? Something that JW delivers big time. Every punch, kick and exploding head is delivered with a level of professionalism that just isn't seen very often in this genre anymore. As I mentioned before directors usually now rely on shaky cam or obscure camera angles to hide the fact that the lead actor just isn't up to it. Here we have wide angles where we can see the action played out to full potential. A visual feast for the action movie aficionado. Not over done or overly repetitive. Keanu Reeves is very good at his craft. Particularly when his craft requires him to kick ass on screen. People have criticised his acting ability but for me he is one of the best when it comes to action. He does most of the stunt work himself. Sure there are probably better martial artists out there or guys with bigger muscles but Reeves is a more all round package. Along with some colourful cinematography and ear popping sound, this is what we want from an action movie. I for one look forward to seeing him return but please don't harm anymore dogs. I don't think I could take it.