Keanu Reeves is back with a vengeance in 2014's JOHN WICK, one of the best hard core action flicks in recent memory.
Reeves is a man of few words but plenty of violence as Wick, a legendary hitman operating out of Manhattan. He leaves the business to care for his ailing wife and as seen in the film's opening minutes, he holds his wife as she succumbs to the illness. Wick heads home to an empty house. He is surprised by the delivery of a beagle puppy with a hand written note from his wife, urging him to remember their love and hold the puppy close so he isn't alone. Sweet, right?
Things soon go astray when Iosef (Alfie Allen from "Game of Thrones") the degenerate son of a powerful Russian mobster happens upon John at a gas station, wants to buy his classic 1969 Mustang and when it is't for sale, takes it upon himself to steal the car, badly beat Wick and kill his new puppy.
Messing with a man's car is one thing, but the puppy? Oops. Wick transforms back into the lethal killer he once was and begins a relentless pursuit of Iosef.
Reeves and his former stunt double Chad Stahelski (serving here as first time Director) have taken what could have been a trite story line and infused it with so much style, momentum and energy that the film takes off like a rocket and never stops.
When the thug's father and mob boss Viggo (Michael Nyqvist from the Swedish "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" trilogy) learns what his son has done, he unleashes a $2 million contract on Wick's head. What ensues is a free for all of violence on a massive scale as Wick kicks, punches, carves and shoots his way through nearly a hundred bad guys between him and his target.
Keanu's John Wick makes Denzel's "The Equalizer" look like the Dahli Lama.
Ian McShane (Deadwood), John Leguizamo and Lance Reddick (Fringe) all add depth and fun, as does Willem Dafoe as one of Wick's long time associates who may or may not be on his side.
There's a long scene inside one of those giant mobster bars that only exists in the movies, with a huge techno club on the top floor and a luxurious bathhouse in the basement. As Wick penetrates the building in seach of his prey and battles an unending wave of Russian mobsters, hitmen, hit women and armed thugs, Reeves and his director stage a non-stop action sequence that stands as a freakishly perfect blend of the styles of Director John Woo, Bruce Lee, The Matrix films, the Crazy 88's scene in "Kill Bill" while somehow making it feel fresh. Like the rest of the film, the bar sequence is exhilerating and crazy fun.
It's a great return to form for Reeves. Let's hope he and his creative partner Stahelski team up to give us more adventures.
Unlike the massive trail of 89 bad guys he leaves behind him in the film, I hope I haven't seen the last of John Wick. It's an explosive surprise that gets an A.
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