A Cat Would Have Known When To Skip Out.

Rating: 4/10 (15 October 2015)

When you watch a lot of action films, you get to the point where you can write the plot. If you're a really good writer, you can write interesting genre pieces. If you are a hack, tired tales come out:
* Bob, the ex-plumber's chance at reforming his life is challenged when a crazed IRS section chief kidnaps Bob's wife and kids.
* Officer Walker gets his shot at the case to end all cases when Kermit the Alien invades the small town of Wyoming, MI to impregnate all the prostitutes.
This is the curse of the story of John Wick.
Keanu Reeves stars as John Wick, an ex-super hit-man, who pursues a vendetta against his former boss' son for killing Wick's dog.
The dog line is a running joke that falls flat each time it's spoken. People can't believe that Wick would do all the killing he does in the movie over a dog. I'm not certain if the filmmakers want us to laugh over it, too. It's not a well constructed statement like "Snake Plisken? I thought you were dead." Nor is it ironic enough. But they keep putting it out there.
That's the film in a nutshell. It's a weak story highlighted with sub-par craftsmanship.
For action, the film takes the AK-47 route. A lot of people get shot...in the head, which makes for great blood origami murals. (By the way, if all these people die in these types of films, how do we have massive overcrowding on the planet?) There are six mass killing scenes; one at Wick's residence, one in a dance club, one in a church, two in abandoned buildings, and the final.
There is not much to distinguish one from the other. Most of that has to do with the script from Derek Kolstad, but Chad Stahelski's direction wasn't any better. In the scene at the church, there is a secret stash. It's a scene that begs for suspense, tension and thrills. There are none. There is some shooting, some primping and some f-bombs. In a scene that many writers and directors would do their best to show off their talents, they do the minimum to advance the plot.
Keanu Reeves is a mystery. Before the Matrix he displayed an ease with slipping into the parts that came his way. Now he can't seem to flesh them out fully for the big screen. There was no empathy established for John Wick's character. And there is no moment where Reeves connects with the audience as he once could do with the drop of a "Whoa!" Maybe he has to go through the bottom barrels to re-discover his talent. I hope he gets it back soon.