John Wick (2014)
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 "He once was an associate of ours. They call him Baba Yaga."
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John Wick (retroactively titled John Wick: Chapter 1) is a 2014 American neo-noir, crime, action film directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch from a screenplay by Derek Kolstad. It stars Keanu Reeves, Micheal Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, and Willem Dafoe. The first installment in the John Wick film series.
Plot
Legendary assassin John Wick (portrayed by Keanu Reeves) retired from his violent career after marrying the love of his life. Her sudden death leaves John in deep mourning. When sadistic mobster Iosef Tarasov (portrayed by Alfie Allen) and his thugs steal John's prized car and kill the puppy that was a last gift from his wife, John unleashes the remorseless killing machine within and seeks vengeance. Meanwhile, Iosef's father (portrayed by Michael Nyqvist) -- John's former colleague -- puts a huge bounty on John's head.
Why It's Wicked Good
- The concept of a retired hitman brought back to act revenge on the people who have done him wrong and his dog is very interesting.
- It distinguishes itself from other action/revenge films by straying from the cliched and mundane at every turn.
- The kinetic, stylized action scenes are well-shot and well-directed.
- The title character is described by a Russian mobster as the bogeyman and the way the directors have him efficiently and brutally dispatch those in his way makes you believe it. He is also a badass and memorable protagonist.
- Keanu's performance as the grungy John Wick, performing his stunts and generally bringing back a Neo-esque performance of his stylization.
- The film is everything you want from an action blockbuster, real choreographed fight scenes, a simple yet vengeful story, interesting characters, and a badass protagonist.
- The highs and lows of the film are well balanced and the action sequences are directed with kinetic energy.
- The pacing is well done.
- The soundtrack is awesome.
Bad Qualities
- The villains are pretty flat, personality and suspense-wise.
- Daisy's death may be too unsettling and disturbing to some viewers.
Reception
John Wick enjoyed good reviews upon its release, attaining praise for the action sequences, direction, visual style, pacing, and the performances of the cast, especially Keanu Reeves as John Wick. The review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes gave the film a score of 86% based on 196 reviews, and an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Stylish, thrilling, and giddily kinetic, John Wick serves as a satisfying return to action for Keanu Reeves – and what looks like it could be the first of a franchise." Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 68 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". CinemaScore reported that audiences gave the film a "B" grade, on an A+ to F scale.