Sweet, stylish action flick that redefines Keanu Reeves as a visceral action hero

Rating: 8/10 (9 February 2015)

With the action genre running low on fresh, if not entirely original ideas over the past several years; this stylish action film starring Keanu Reeves as the titular character is one that comes with surprise. This movie sees Reeves reuniting with Chad Stahelski and David Leitch who served as the fight choreographers for the 'Matrix' trilogy, and redefining himself as a new hero with high-trained set of skills with guns and hand-to-hand combat. Although Reeves is no stranger to the action genre since he exploded as the visceral action hero Neo in the Matrix, this film pins the actor into a fine, polished role as a gun-totting hero facing down the guys. Calling this film is a game-changer in the genre would be saying a bit much, but it does indeed stand as one of the most entertaining films of the category. In further words, it shows the genre is still far from dead. Keanu Reeves plays John Wick, a former assassin devastated by the death of his wife. After days of mourning, Wick is surprised with a gift of cute little puppy to help cope with his lonesomeness. While trying to readjust to his life, Wick is visited by a group of Russian mobsters lead by Losef Tarasov (played by Alfie Allen), son of corrupt mob moss Viggo Tarasov (played by Michael Nyqvist), who brutally attack him, destroy his house, steal his Mustang, and murder his poor little puppy. In an act of revenge, Wick must rally up his former accomplices including Marcus (played by William DeFore) and chop shop owner Aurelio (played by John Leguizamo) to hunt them down.
This movie provides action movie junkies with plenty of thrills and visceral action set pieces to fuel the adrenaline for most. Although the plot is rather thin and falls short of originality beyond a simple revenge story, the major driving force of the film is the dazzlingly choreographed action sequences along with the compelling character study of our tragic titular protagonist. From the opening scene, John Wick is established as a man with a grim past and faces a deep tragedy with the death of his wife from an illness that is never specified. The beginning effectively breaths humanity into the character without being overly sappy or manipulative, and the final product is a protagonist viewers can sympathize with; even when he journeys to the dark side of gunning down countless individuals. When the action begins, it is truly stunning. The first action set piece takes place in the main character's house where he fights and mows down an array of criminals in a sequence choreographed in a style of what almost resembles a poetic dance routine. And this scene is only the beginning of the enormously high body count he racks up throughout the film. While the action scenes stand out gracefully, the film's shortcoming perhaps come from the characters, mostly from the antagonist category. Alfie Allen and Michael Nyqvist both do their duty in the villain roles but fall victim to rather underwritten characters. Why did they try to kill John Wick, a explanation is never deeply explored (or at least not in a way that is understandable). And William DeFoe's character is given rather little to do. Overall, these come as only minor gripes and should not stand in the way to witness the alluring direction Chad Stahelski and David Leitch drive this fast-paced vehicle.
John Wick is a sleek, stylish action thriller that redefines its charismatic lead actor as a visceral action hero, and at best, sprouts as a shining star in the slowly diminishing genre. This film may not shine as a game changer in the genre, it clearly sets a solid example of what meets the criteria of a good action flick.