Review of John Wick (2014) by Andrewburge — 25 Jun 2018

The very first scene of Chad Stahelski's 'John Wick' depicts the title character portrayed by Keanu Reeves severely hurt, not even being able to stand. The first thing he does, though, is not attempt to ease his wounds, but rather take out his phone and watch a video of a girl on the beach. We later learn that was his wife, which died from an incurable disease and the man in question is probably one of the most feared and respected hitmen.

The premise of this film is that his wife leaves him a dog as present for him which is killed by a naive mobster's son just for fun so he can steal Wick's car. After that, we have the classic hero looking for revenge. But unlike most films, 'John Wick' offers a fresh premise, with the dog representing the last thing left for him by his wife, almost like a child, if you wish. More so, it offers some brilliantly directed and choreographed action scenes which flow perfectly and a soundtrack which is booming and dangerous.

So, this is a pretty cool film. It has the makings of greatness, but unfortunately there are some issues in controlling these elements. First of all, there are occasional awkward pacing issues, and also sometimes the film ditches its somber soundtrack for generic 'cool' pop-rock singles which are inappropriate. The character of John Wick himself is rather dull and emotionless (apart for his feelings of sadness and vengeance) although I tend to believe this was done on purpose. What is better is the way in which the main villain, mob leader Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist) is presented. He develops a fascination for Wick and his skills and determination, even though sometimes he seems a bit cartoonish.

Another great thing is the way in which John Wick is referred to as an unstoppable and feared hitman, almost like a supernatural being. The action scenes though, are perfectly balanced, realistic and by the end of the film Wick is bruised and beaten... but he survives. It is this perseverance which makes him truly powerful, but more so, he seems to be the only man which has true friends in the cold Mafia underworld, like Marcus (Willem Dafoe) who had many chances of killing him but could not do it.

In the end, 'John Wick' is a slick, dark and stylish action flick which despite a few awkward and overly dramatized moments offers one of the best, brutal and elegant fighting dynamics.