John Wick (2014) Review

"You can either hand over your son or you can die screaming next to him!"

-John Wick

While grieving over the recent death of his wife, retired hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is pulled back into the criminal underworld when some thugs steal his car and kill his dog.  With his son marked for death, mob boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist) has to throw everything he's got at Wick to try and stop him, but it won't be enough...

What Works:

In terms of action sequences, John Wick is about as good as it gets.  The filmmakers use a lot of long takes that allow you to see all of the action rather than cutting away.  This makes a world of difference and the results are amazing.  The fight scenes are brutal and exciting and every sequence leaves an impression.  This is what every action film should strive to be.

Keanu Reeves gives one of his best ever performances.  He doesn't get a ton of dialogue, but he makes it count.  Even when he isn't speaking, his face tells us all we need to know.  This guy is devastated and angry and Reeves sells it too perfection.

The film makes it extremely easy to root for Wick as he hunts down Iosef (Alfie Allen).  This guy is unlikable right off the bat, but we also see him kill an adorable puppy.  It's very hard to watch, but it's incredible motivation.  We're right with John wanting to see Iosef die and it makes it very easy for us to connect with him.

Finally, I really like Michael Nyqvist's perfromance as Viggo.  He's a very interesting villain.  He knows his son is in the wrong almost immediately.  He knows what John is capable of and knows that he is justified in what he is about to do.  He knows his son is doomed and that since he loves his son and will do his best to try and protect him, he is likely doomed as well.  Viggo has a lot of respect for John and I really like their scenes together.  I especially like Viggo in the 3rd act when he laughs at John's return.  He knows the end is near and has accepted it, but still goes out fighting.  He's a great villain with a lot of depth.

What Sucks:

My only complaint with this movie comes from the opening scene.  I hate that we see John is still alive after some sort of brutal fight.  The rest of the film is a flashback that we know John survives.  It takes some of the tension out of the film.  I hate this kind of framing device and 99% of the time they are unnecessary.

Verdict:

Framing device aside, John Wick is an awesome movie with incredible action sequence, amazing performances from Reeves and Nyqvist, and a really easy to like protagonist.  This is how an action movie should be done.  John Wick has absolutely got it going on.

 9/10: Great