In “John Wick,” Keanu Reeves is the action hero for everybody. He has the overwhelming bloodlust of Mel Gibson in “Mad Max,” the surprising vengefulness of Uma Thurman in “Kill Bill” and the brooding professionalism of Liam Neeson in “Taken.”
Like the protagonists in all of the aforementioned films, Reeves’ title character goes on an unbridled campaign to get what he wants. But “John Wick,” the directorial debut of stuntman Chad Stahelski, sports a humor and a dynamic pace that manages to stay ahead of the trail of blood Reeves leaves in his wake.
Upsettingly, it starts with a puppy. While grieving his wife’s death from cancer, John receives a beagle in the mail from her as a gift to be delivered after her passing. The perfect companion follows him everywhere, including a gas station where spoiled son of a mobster Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) takes a liking to John’s Mustang. Iosef and his cronies decide to find John’s residence in the middle of the night, take his car and gratuitously kill his dog.
Iosef’s father Viggo (Michael Nyqvist) hears of his son’s dunderheaded move and goes to his fireplace to contemplate. Viggo knows what’s coming – John is the greatest hit man alive. He used to work under Viggo as the perfect assassin, and nothing, not even the entirety of Viggo’s mob, can stop him.
Naturally, Iosef wants to fight John to the death. Viggo knows better, he’s seen this movie before. Just like the audience, Viggo knows exactly what’s going to happen next, and it will probably conclude in the death of his son, and the death of himself if he doesn’t play his cards right. John is going to go inhumanly unhinged on all of Viggo’s men, like a sharply dressed, dashingly assertive Nicolas Cage character.
Once Reeves dials down the passion and ups the gunshots, however, things start to get particularly interesting. With a few slow pans over the skyscrapers of New York, Stahelski sets the glamorous scene: John is a celebrity among these criminal parts. The hotel he stays at, fitted with exclusive bars and clubs for only the most classy killers, is as immaculate as John’s suit. The private rooms are dyed with primary colors that glow in an aura that might have come from Nicolas Winding Refn’s lost catalog.
Everything about “John Wick”’s meticulous action and easy-to-follow choreography is entertaining, but unlike with most films of the unstoppable-domestic-husband genre, the acting isn’t put by the wayside. Reeves is a fine fit for the anger-induced novelty of his role, with a cast of pleasantly recognizable personalities flanking his every side: Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Clarke Peters all get fun lines and moments to keep the rage-a-thon going.
The characters all know John, and just by the fact that he’s back after his relationship-sustained retirement, they also know that something bad is about to go down. “John Wick” has a creatively self-aware universe behind it, one in which every individual on screen could have a believable back story, and more importantly, one where a sequel or two seems ripe for the taking.
Stahelski sets up his world elegantly and immaculately, letting the violence flow from one dead mobster to the next without much need for breathing. John strips away his humanity when he needs to, and unleashes himself with a kinetic fire when he doesn’t.
Underneath all the stylization, “John Wick” has what the average moviegoer should expect: goofy lines, over-the-top action hallmarks, an archaic level of predictability. But that shouldn’t matter all too much while John is effectively teaching the basic lessons of revenge movies: Don’t go messing with average-looking suburban people – and most importantly, never kill their dog.
– Sebastian Torrelio