Better than "The Equalizer" and "jack Reacher" - bad reviewers don't know action movies.

Rating: Null/10 (26 March 2015)

Spoilers ahead!
Go see this movie if: - you like very fast-paced action flicks - you don't need a super-complicated plot - you like to see a good guy kill lots of bad guys - you appreciate noir (and you understand what it is) - you like to see a well constructed 'world'
DO not see this movie if: - you don't like violence - you have no appreciation/understanding of noir - you need the 'good-guy' to be totally a good person - you have no appreciation for ultra-violence done _really_ well - you don't like revenge movies - you expect the Disney logo at the start of every 'good' movie
This is the best action movie in years. I say this as an action-flick junkie who likes ultra-violence but not torture-porn.
The plot is simple and linear by design. It does not need to be complicated or 'twisty' - we all should know what is going to happen and the enjoyment is seeing how this unfolds. If you cannot understand that this plot setup also indicates the intent and, to a certain extent, the setup of the noir, then you will not like this movie.
Said more bluntly "the killing of the puppy is stupid by design, it is there to show that the bad-men are really bad and that this event is a simplistic device to unleash carnage".
The beauty of this movie is in the world/noir. We get assassins who have their own hotel, their own currency, their own creed and their own body disposal service. The rules of this world are presented and then adhered to - and are quite interesting. A couple good examples are when a cop comes to John Wick's house after John has shot 12 people (who were sent to kill him). John opens the door to the cop, who he knows by first name, and says "noise complaint?". And after the cop sees dead bodies/blood behind John, he says (deadpan) "you working again?". This is a fantastic scene in a movie with a bunch of them.
Another is when John enters a club where his intended victim has been stashed. He puts a gun to the head of the bouncer at the entrance, who he knows, and they talk about his losing weight (while the gun is pressed to his head). The bouncer then asks tentatively "are you here on business?" knowing that John will likely kill him as he is protecting the bad guys. Instead John says "why don't you take the night off?". Another great scene in a great movie.
Finally, the music is very good both the songs that were integrated into the movie ("Killing Strangers" by Marilyn Manson) and the soundtrack.
For context, I found The Equalizer and Jack Reacher to be two of the better action movies to come out in the last couple of years, but this movie blows them away.....