Review of John Wick (2014) by Sara C — 28 Jun 2017

An action packed, well drawn out world that's better than it ever deserved to be.

An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him. With New York City as his bullet-riddled playground, JOHN WICK (Keanu Reeves) is a fresh and stylized take on the "assassin genre".

"John Wick" is one of those films that has no real story or substance, but it excels so much at what it sets out to do that it doesn't really matter that much. This is a fun movie, to say the least. It's action packed and if you can suspend your disbelief, you may even come out loving this movie. Their are a lot of positive things about this film, with no real glaring negatives. Without further ado, let's dive into this probable quick and short review.

One thing that really makes this film is Keanu Reeves. Not only is he the action star of this film, but he's the quintessential version of John Wick. I don't know how often he used a stunt double and all that, but he's still got it. He captures that bad ass, god like persona, while also supplying a pretty big emotional moment that got my heart strings moving a bit. I think this is his character without a doubt, and I'm glad he was casted in this role.

This is purely an action flick where you're here to see people get killed by a notorious hitman. There's no real story, it's style over substance, and you do have to suspend your disbelief. However, they do a great reputation about world building and character building without ever really telling it to your face. You're able to imagine and conjure up exactly who and what this John Wick fellow has done, which makes it even more exciting. They establish this world where this character and other entities exist, creating a lot of future possibilities for future films.

The choreography is done great. Whoever the stunt team is and whoever directed all of the action did a fantastic job. Ultimately, credit goes to everyone involved on the set. This is what you want to see in action films and this is the type of quality you hope to see in most action films.

In the end, this film is simple. It's fast paced, adrenaline pumping, and action filled. Don't expect much of anything else, but you'll surely have a fun time none the less.