John Wick

It looks as if the filmmakers realized that the public was sick of certain movies. Most movies nowadays are full of wire work, sci-fi, etc. often topped with icing made of needless or predictable background stories that add nothing. For example the beautiful girlfriend who gives the moral speeches or the troubled teenage daughter, who aren't present here.

Nothing of that is in John Wick. John Wick adds hardly a story, no character development, no needless character or background, no misplaced drama, no misplaced humor and not too much eye candy, nothing of that. What John Wick offers is action, action and more action. In fact, it is one long action scene, with some lines and close ups added. But that is not a problem. The directors promise action and deliver. While delivering they made it look good and convincing, without trying to be more, and they're smart enough to give the movie a satisfying beginning and ending.

And for those who claim that Keanu Reeves is a horrible actor..... you are right. But his blank expression is perfect for this movie. Leave the acting to the bad guys and the delicious guest part for Willem Dafoe.

If you're tired of movies with forced drama or loaded with CGI, John Wick will be a pleasant wake-up call.

JOHN WICK is a rare example of Hollywood getting things spot-on when it comes to creating the near-perfect action film. JOHN WICK is a relentless, pulse-pounding thriller that has plenty of similarity to the Liam Neeson classic TAKEN, albeit with a more simplistic (and also more emotionally intense) plot line. This is the kind of lean, pared-down film-making that's all about intensity and momentum. It sits well with classic international fare like POINT BLANK, SLEEPLESS NIGHT, MEA CULPA, THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, and THE RAID films.

JOHN WICK isn't a perfect film; some of the dialogue is sloppily, some of the writing is too broad, and occasionally the music is intrusive. However, when it gets things right, as it frequently does, you can forgive all of these minor niggles and sit back and enjoy the ride. The clever decision was made to employ a martial arts expert as director, so the emphasis is on realistic, superbly choreographed action sequences, and they're hard-hitting and plentiful. The nightclub set-piece is the obvious highlight, but nearly all of the action here is spectacular.

Keanu Reeves has been in lots of average or overrated films over the years but this stands as one of his very best, alongside SPEED. His dry, laconic turn is light years ahead of his other recent action flick, MAN OF TAI CHI. The supporting cast is basically unnecessary, but Michael Nyqvist, Willem Dafoe, and Alfie Allen all put in decent turns. In the end, though, JOHN WICK is all about the action, and quite simply it rocks. Bring on the sequel!

Lesson learned: don't get on retired legendary hit-man John Wick's bad side. In the film of the same name, he goes back into action shooting up bad guys in a city where it seems that the cops have all simultaneously taken a vacation. Played by surprisingly youthful quinquagenarian Keanu Reeves, John Wick's style of shooting baddies is reminiscent of my days playing Whac-A-Mole, Duck Hunt, or any of those arcade games with the plastic guns. Wick is a vengeant superman, and this is the basis of the entire movie. Although he doesn't have a clear weakness that can be exploited like most heroes, Wick does get into enough trouble for the audience to be sincerely worried about him.

If you're planning on seeing John Wick because you like movies with clever or meaningful story lines, then you're going to be disappointed. If you are looking for raw well- choreographed action and machismo, then look no further. House Greyjoy's Alfie Allen stands out as villainous Russian mafia brat Iosef Tarasov, and Michael Nyqvist (Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) plays Viggo, his mob boss father. Adrianne Palicki, Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane and Dean Winters round out a strong supporting cast.

Overall, I enjoyed John Wick as a pure action film. It doesn't have a storyline like The Matrix or Speed, but it was visually entertaining and the simplicity of the story allowed for appreciation of the action. This movie is manly and primitive, and proves that at the age of 50, Keanu Reeves can still mix it up as an action star.

Though he no longer has a taste for wet work, retired assassin and "Boogeyman" John Wick has suffered a personal tragedy that's left a huge void in his life. When he and his dog (really the last meaningful thing he has left) fall victim to a scummy group of Russian mobsters, he emerges from his shell with vengeance on his mind. Slow and ambiguous at first, but reveals more as it goes along, and once it kicks into gear it rarely lets up with plenty of stylized, visceral action scenes, an impressive arsenal of weaponry, plus sly direction and editing that give it the feel of a violent music video at times. Preposterously fun to watch, it just doesn't have much of a story at its disposal, not to mention all the over-the-top bloodletting and mayhem eventually becomes redundant. Savvy, indestructible Reeves looks right at home, and delivers many of his lines with a sardonic wit. **½

He never misses, he is literally unstoppable.... He's got a particular set of skills that would make Liam Neeson look like a catholic priest... Did I mention he shoots a priest in the leg? This action movie was "perfect"..... Is it in the realm of the best subjective movies of all time, Godfather, Shawshank or The Dark Knight? Well no but in terms of the genre it's self? I'm giving it a perfect 5 out of 5 Stars... Hell continuity was even good, the dialog was sound and had moments of humor at every beat, and Keanu actually shows some range... Yeah you heard that right, raaaaange.... Not only that Mr. Wick even takes time to reload again everything just worked perfectly with this movie... I don't have anything to nitpick... The supporting cast was even good, this is a perfect fun action movie.... Dammit I gotta see this again. Remember children when the boogie man goes to sleep, he checks under his bed for John %^$% Wick...