The Uncommon Geek

John Wick (2014) starring Keanu Reeves

An Uncommon Geek Review

If I may borrow a line from a previous film of his, Keanu Reeves makes a “most triumphant” return to the big screen with the release of John Wick. Truthfully, I went into this film with only moderate expectations. I was anticipating a decent action film, one that would be entertaining enough for an hour and change, but little beyond that. Suffice to say, once the film was over, egg, and my face, were in alignment. John Wick rocks, hard.

What immediately and unexpectedly struck me in the beginning of the film was its emotional punch. While this is by and large an action movie, the story doesn’t overlook its protagonist’s humanity. The first act is “show, don’t tell” at its finest, and through a few beautifully shot minutes, we are given a solid insight into the mind and soul of one John Wick. It’s up to Keanu Reeves to carry these quiet but powerful scenes, and he delivered in spades. Say what you will about the man’s acting choices. He’s been accused of being very wooden, or of essentially rehashing the same performance over and over. I can admit to witnessing a few moments in The Matrix trilogy where I wanted to say, “Keanu, could you… emote? A bit?” But in John Wick, the man sells the agony of the film’s title character as well as I could hope for. I was right there with him, feeling what he felt in his moments of tragedy.

This more dramatic, emotionally intense first act is what brilliantly sets the stage for the main story conflict, which has John, an ex-assassin, declaring a one-man war on his former employer. The “why” of the conflict is part of the aforementioned tragedy in the first act, which is gut-wrenching enough that I don’t wish to spoil it. Suffice to say, when word gets around that John Wick has been crossed and is out for revenge, there are a great many characters who begin loading their drawers with excrement. Wick has a bit of a… reputation.

Once this conflict is set in motion, the action escalates, and it here that John Wick presents some of the best action combat, especially with regard to gunplay, that I’ve seen in recent years. It is realistic, brutal, yet the movie hardly ever takes itself too seriously; there is a tongue-in-cheek element that is prevalent throughout the script and in the acting, most of which is very dry and subtle. The film, at times, gives off vibes of over-the-top, stylized action movies such as Sin City or Shoot ‘Em Up, though I think John Wick does the action element better and more believably, and I appreciated this film’s more subtle, at times even deadpan, humor.

John Wick also brought to mind, at least to me, elements of Mad Max. The two films are nothing alike in setting, but they share a similar balance between action, humor, and drama, and both movies have strong protagonists whose motivations in the story conflicts are crystal clear, sympathetic, and believable. There wasn’t a moment where I felt disconnected from the character, and in much the same way I did for Mel Gibson’s Max, I felt what John Wick did at virtually every turn in the tale.

I also have to give praise to the supporting actors, who really make the script come alive. I was especially pleased (and surprised, as I had not looked at the cast list beforehand) to see Willem Dafoe, and Mr. Mayhem himself, Dean Winters, each in solid supporting roles. Also, Lance Reddick (as the hotel manager) takes the cake for best delivery of lines in the entire movie.

John Wick is shot well, and there was very little in the way of CGI fakery that I wanted to call BS on. Visually, the movie was spectacular. I particularly loved the almost comic book way in which subtitles were handled. The highlight for me was the final battle, which seemed to be paying a little tribute to the last fight between Neo and Smith in The Matrix: Revolutions, but without going overboard. The music was bang on, and accomplished exactly what it needed to for each scene. The pacing was quick, but not rushed, and I never felt close to being either bored or, on the opposite spectrum, overloaded with action.

This is a shorter than typical review for me, but I wanted to trim the spoilers as much as possible, while still giving a solid critique of the entire film. John Wick was the most surprising, refreshing action film that I have watched this year, bar none. I highly recommend it for a theatrical viewing, and this guy will be buying it on Blu-Ray when the time comes.

FIN