John Wick (R)

When filmmakers are enthusiastic about the source material they tend to make a better movie. It is the difference between Deadpool in “Wolverine: Origins” and the “Deadpool” movie. It is what made “Lord of the Rings” so amazing for fanboys. Also, why “Max Payne” was so horribly awful.

“John Wick” is the movie made by action lovers.

The directors, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, were both stuntmen. In fact, they both filled in as body doubles for Keanu Reeves in “The Matrix.” It fits, therefore, that their action coup de grace would reunite the trio for arguably one of the best action movies in years.

John Wick, as played by Keanu Reeves, is best explained by the character Viggo Tarasov, played by Michael Nyqvist, a Russian mob boss telling his son about the dangers of upsetting Mr. Wick:

“He once was an associate of ours. They call him Baba Yaga… Well, John wasn’t exactly the boogeyman. He was the one you sent to kill the f*cking boogeyman. John is a man of focus, commitment, sheer will.”

And that pretty much sums him up.

After being a hitman for the Russian mob John Wick retired for the sake of a woman, played by Bridget Moynahan. When sickness takes his wife from him after only five or so years of marriage and happiness, Wick is bereft. Then he received a package on the night of his wife’s funeral, and in it is an adorable puppy. His wife had arranged for the puppy to be delivered after her death to give Wick something to love.

Unfortunately, Wick has a chance encounter with Iosef Tarasov, Viggo’s son played by Alfie Allen. Iosef is hot tempered and spoiled, and takes a liking to Wick’s ’69 Mustang. Iosef breaks into Wick’s house, surprises him with a blow that knocks him into semi-consciousness, kills his puppy, and steals his car.

When he awakes, Wick sets about revenging.

The world of assassins and mobsters in this movie is original and fascinating. It is dark, noir, intricate, and developed. A particularly interesting element is the Continental Hotel, which caters to assassins, mobsters, and other underworld types. No business is allowed in the hotel, and these dark characters use it as a type of sanctuary.

And the action! John Wick combines aggressive martial arts with a John Woo type of gun fu, not quite like anything I had ever seen before. I read that the training regimen for Reeves to prepare for this movie was intense, and it shows.

As for Keanu himself, you have to love the guy. Yes, he may be a bit wooden. It could be argued that all of this characters are more or less the same. But there is no denying that he has been in some truly great movies. “Youngblood,” “Bill and Ted,” “Point Break,” “Speed,” “Constantine,” and, most importantly of all, “The Matrix.” Luck? Perhaps. Something tells me, though, that Keanu Reeves is the kind of guy filmmakers love to work with. The sort of actor that shows up on time, trains as hard as he can, and gives every performance everything he has. He is absolutely one of the few actors willing to train to the level of expertise that John Wick requires, that is for sure.

Finally, John Wick is the action movie that action movie fans want. You don’t have to believe the main character is the greatest just because the director and actor tells you he is, but you get to see that he is with your own eyes.

– by Lane Vespertine

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