Is the much-buzzed-about JOHN WICK the action movie of the year? For my money, no. That honor still belongs to Gareth Evans’ breathtaking Indonesian martial arts thriller, THE RAID 2. JOHN WICK comes in a rousing second place, though.
In JOHN WICK Keanu Reeves plays the title character, a man with a past who’s looking to a brighter future. Unfortunately, a personal tragedy and a run-in with Russian car thieves reopens Wick’s eyes to the way the world really is. and faster than you can say HISTORY OF VIOLENCE, he is promptly returned to his former glory.
It’s hard to believe that Reeves is 50 this year! The man doesn’t show his age at all. He still has the physicality to pull the breathtaking action off without a hitch, and quite frankly, he does it with more flair than a lot of action types 20 years his junior. In short, there’s very little difference between action Keanu of SPEED and THE MATRIX, and action Keanu of JOHN WICK.
As strong as Reeves is in the lead, he’s somewhat let down by a less worthy villain. Michael Nyqvist seems to be channeling Christoph Waltz and the Dos Equis beer commercial guy. His Viggo Tarasov is both colorful and amusing, but is he menacing? Not really. Since Tarasov isn’t very much of a physical threat, when he and Wick eventually do throw down, it’s a little bit boring.
JOHN WICK is somewhat generic in the plot department, and it offers up sporadic cheeseball dialogue that could only be uttered by an actor of Reeves’ stature (that is not at all meant as an insult), but what this flick lacks in originality, it more than makes up for in brilliantly conceived action sequences. Unlike watered-down fare like TAKEN and joyless actioners like THE EQUALIZER, JOHN WICK is incredibly violent and immensely entertaining… at least, for the first hour or so. The final 35 minutes of JOHN WICK don’t live up to the rip-roaring antics that make up the first hour of the picture, and the ending is disappointingly anti-climactic. Still, the exciting stuff definitely outweighs the dull stuff.
Like Adam Wingard’s THE GUEST, JOHN WICK sometimes feels like a grand throwback to the actioners of the ’80s, a decade when titles like COMMANDO reigned supreme. But JOHN WICK is also very modern, imagining a world where professional hitmen (and hitwomen) have their own entire sub-culture. They even have their own place to stay — a luxurious hotel, where assassinating on grounds is strictly prohibited. Furthermore, JOHN WICK imagines a world where no one is safe. Not even your pet dog.
The action sequences in JOHN WICK are quickly paced, smooth, incredibly exciting, and very easy to follow. There’s very little shaky cam to speak of. That’s because directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski have confidence and skill and clearly, they feel no need to hide behind cheap, lazy shaky cam tactics. There’s a poetic beauty to the carnage, particularly the gunplay, and a lot of it reminded me of John Woo’s best stuff.
Be warned, though, that JOHN WICK launches a large body count. It’s violent and in-your-face. This is a movie that wears its “R” rating proudly on it sleeve. It’s more THE PROFESSIONAL than JACK REACHER and while it certainly has a couple of dark and brooding moments, JOHN WICK is surprisingly joyful. A lot of that joy comes from the direction, but most of it comes from an eager-to-please Reeves. Now, bring on a new BILL AND TED ADVENTURE already!
