Starring: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyquist and Alfie Allen
Directed By: David Leitch and Chad Stahleski
Rated: R
Running Time: 101 minutes
Summit Entertainment
Our Score: 4 out of 5 stars
An east coast kingpin by the name of Viggo (Nyquist) is furious. He’s just learned that the owner of a body shop struck his only son in the face. He’s called the owner to fume. He inquires about why the lowly proprietor would even think about laying a hand on his son. The man quickly retorts, “Your son stole John Wick’s car and killed his dog.” Viggo’s face quickly turns from anger to one of ominous regret and he quietly says, “Oh…”
John Wick (Reeves) is an unstoppable, former assassin, whose reputation is known throughout every little nook and cranny of the criminal underworld. Thing is though, he retired from his position as a contract killer, to settle into a normal life. Sadly that’s just not his destiny. His wife has recently passed, but before she died, she left Wick a memento of their love, an adorable puppy. The somber Wick quickly takes a liking to the pup that licks at his face and jumps with joy at the very sight of him. Wick also has another love in his life, his muscle car. He’s a complex man with simple pleasures. Before attempting normalcy with the love of his life, he was known as the guy you hire to kill the Boogeyman. So you can see why Viggo is less than thrilled that his numbskull son would even think about laying a hand on Wick, much less kill the last thing he had to remember his wife.
“John Wick” is slick, cool and fun as hell. It’s such a crowd pleaser, you would have suspected that a shoot-em up that’s so self-aware about its own gimmick would have been released against more tame summer action movies like the “Expendables 3”. The plot is alert to the fact that Wick is a larger than life character whose life and exploits exceed the length of the movie. That’s why were given so many verbal and visual cues that he’s a relentless machine that doesn’t stop until all the necessary blood has been spilt.
Leitch and Stahleski have spent their whole life performing stunt work and that really helps add to the craft of filming some of the more intimate hand-to-hand combat scenes. Writer Kolstad would appear to be an avid comic book/video game fan since his script relies so heavily on very little plot and first person shooter invincibility for Wick. I mean, he does get injured, but no real human being could shrug off a gaping wound and continue to tumble around like an acrobat. If there’s any marks against Kolstad in his fairly young career, it’s that he has an inability to find a correct time to wrap things up and allowed couple of lulls in what was a brute force adrenaline fueled movie.
There’s so much blood and violence, that the Reeves affable qualities make the more gruesome scenes light hearted in its own regard. Wick isn’t really a hero, but any time some Russian thugs senselessly kill a puppy, you’re going to have a lot of audience members eagerly awaiting revenge. What makes Wick pleasant is that he also doesn’t appear to take any kind of joy from killing, but views it as a way to rectify a universal wrong. Instead of shooting carelessly into a crowd, he waits for a clear shot, as to not harm any innocents. He also doesn’t want to kill anyone he doesn’t have to. If you’re looking for a sick, but pleasurable viewing experience, “John Wick” is your best bet.
