Keanu Reeves is back to his action roots in his latest offering, John Wick. An pure-bred action movie that excels in driving home a relentless pace above all else, John Wick sees Keanu play the titular hero, a retired hitman who just wanted to be left in peace following the death of his wife (by cancer). Unfortunately, life has other plans. Unfortunate for life, that is.
His wife's dying gift to him is a dog, which he takes care of. That is, right up until some Russian thugs break in, beat him up and kill his dog. Still grieving, Keanu then decides to track down the thugs and make them pay for killing his dog, stepping back into the hired killer game. And because you know it is one of those movies, the thugs just happen to be involved in the Russian mob (one of the thugs is the head guys son),
What follows is a rampage of revenge as Keanu takes up the mantle of professional hitman once again and carves a bloody swathe through the Russian mob. He has nothing to gain from his rampage, but for the next 80 minutes we are taken with him through slick gunplay and hand-to-hand combat sequences. From the first time he glares at the camera following the death of his dog, you know it has hit the fan for the people that had the gall to cross him.
In that firs glare, you see that Keanu Reeves has nailed the part of John Wick, He has the action chops and the detached coolness that is so often misused in other movies put to great effect here. He is also backed by a stellar supporting cast playing mobsters and other hitman out to get the bounty placed on his head as everyone is caught up in a frantic pace with just enough quiet moments to let the audience catch its breath.
After every quiet moment, we get a slick action sequence where Keanu does his stuff. These action sequences feel gritty and dirty. This is because every encounter feels like anything could happen. As opposed to one character being a superhero, there is always a threat of danger and henchmen aren't treated lightly, always posing some threat to Keanu during the hand-to-hand fighting or gunplay.
John Wick is a really good action movie. It never tries to be anything more than what it is and drives a relentless pace forward. It also puts in enough quite moments so that the audience isn't too overwhelmed with a cacophony of noise.
5 out of 5 Wick'ed Waffles.
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