Review of John Wick (2014) by Ezzo M — 19 Jun 2015

Thing is about this movie; it's not a revelation, it's not the greatest film I saw, it's not a perfect masterpiece that deserves a statue in the hall of fame. The thing is; if every movie genre was a hit song from our childhood and choirs and plays tried to sing them, hoping they'd do it well and induce that nostalgia feeling inside us, John Wick would hit all of the right notes with action genre. This film is unbelievably good.

"Seriously, five starts?" you ask. I don't understand why I loved this movie. I don't understand why I watched it three times and I'm preparing for the fourth. It's just I've been waiting a long time for another movie action movie that's exciting, unnerving, thrilling and beautifully directed! John Wick is fantastically directed. We get great shots and wallpaper-worthy moments every minute. The cinematography is brilliant. You get far enough shots to comprehend the fast-paced, brutal beatings and shootings but close enough to immerse yourself and experience the intensity. The manipulation of light in this movie reminded me of my dropped-jaw when I saw Drive and Only God Forgives. The nightclub scene had me salivating. Everything in this movie makes me want to get up and watch it again. And the fight scenes, the way they're choreographed, they'll astound you how good they are. The soundtrack, how synthy at times, how loud, how mellow, the soundtrack is timed perfectly and they're are a lot of ways the soundtrack was used to distinguish emotions and intentions of characters iIN THE SAME SCENE.

The performances in this film were not bad. Keanu, an actor that I used to label as a bad actor, really surprised me with a heart-felt, true performance that was adequate enough to play this revenge-driven, furious, focused marksman. There aren't many but there are emotional scenes in this movie and if Keanu came in with his "I know Kung Fu" acting skills, this movie would've lagged. But no, he was great. I was affected by his sadness and his anger. I understood how everything that happened to him motivated him to do what he did and I understood all that thanks to his excellent and profound delivery of his character.

In my opinion, this film achieved excellence in it's genre. Action movies now a days are aimless and confused. They try to be inspired by other films that were financially successful so they end up looking like a moshpit of dodge-jumps and explosions. This film understands the art of action and it understands how to make an action film where you're constantly entertained. Not only is good action films about the action or the fights or the guns, it's about the character. John Wick is the return of awesome, relatable action movie characters that you sympathize with and care for all way through. He's physically and emotionally vulnerable. We're sitting there vouching for him, wanting nothing but his satisfaction. The man sets out for revenge, you're sitting two hours hoping he gets it. Yes, John Wick is extremely badass, he's talented in what he does, his skills and kills are badass but you can't have a character that messes everybody up all the movie without breaking a sweat and expect yourself to invest your interest and sympathy in them. John Wick is an angry, mourning, dangerous person who's put in dangerous situations and that's why we cared for him. Don't get be wrong, most of this movie is him inflicting excruciating pain on those who tested him.

All in all, I keep hearing the songs that played in that sauna in the nightclub and I'm going to go watch the movie again. If you love action films and appreciate when they're done right, definitely check out this movie. I guarantee you, you won't regret it.