Lack of an Intelligent Script and Contrived Plot Points Prevent This from Being a True Gem!

Rating: 6/10 (17 November 2018)

John Wick is a movie that has all of the action trademarks that actions fans desire, and then some. There isn't anything that we haven't seen before, and it's another film that has borrowed heavily from the Bourne franchise; action sequences shown in quick-cuts and fast movements to give the audience the feel of a tense, frenetic pace.
However, movies like this that truly work have a decent story and their characters are intelligent as well as efficient. Jason Bourne, for instance, is methodical, and he's always five steps ahead of everyone else. Leon, from The Professional, isn't a smart man generally, but he's cold, merciless, and efficient when he kills, as any true killer would be. Robert McCall also demonstrates tremendous intelligence.
There are too many inconsistencies in this film. John Wick is supposed to be, according to his friends and enemies alike, the coldest, most efficient killing machine around. And yet, there are too many instances where we quickly begin to doubt the veracity of that claim. Oh, he can kill. No doubt, but he's not very good at predicting and anticipating what's coming. He lacks the intelligence of the above-mentioned characters. The characterization is inconsistent and filled with too many contradictions.
Someone like John Wick would never let a female assassin, who was trying to kill him, live. He would have put her down. He also would never have been lying on his bed, making himself a target.
Here, also, is a man who can hit moving targets as easy as pie, even effectively shooting them while driving a car. And yet, he's unable to shoot a running target in a nightclub...getting off about five or six shots...all of them missing.
Wick also has a "guardian angel" who saves him from certain death a couple of times, which also lends itself to proving that Wick isn't as bright as he would be.
If you're going to be a good writer, you have to stick to the plot points and abilities of your character. Contrived plot points show a weakness in your story-telling. You have to use your brain to come up with a plausible reason why Wick's target was able to elude him. This one fails miserably.
Keanu Reeves still can't act his way out of a paper bag. He can only deliver lines one way, and it just doesn't work most of the time with this character. He's most effective when he isn't saying anything. When he does talk, his lines are said in a way to make them almost laughable.
Still, the movie isn't a complete failure. The supporting cast does enough to help keep the film from drowning in its own inconsistencies.
As a number of reviewers have stated, if you just want mindless action, John Wick works pretty well. If you want action with substance, and characters who are more believable, then you're better off watching movies with the above-mentioned characters.
Given that most viewers today don't care for anything with a good story or characterizations, I can see why this film was such a hit.