Film Review – John Wick
2 min read
Set in a dark, permanently shady world of high class assassins, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) seeks vengeance for – wait for it – his 69′ Mustang and Beagle puppy, Daisy. Now, under ordinary circumstances, this would be completely unjustified and, well, just plain wrong. But given how his wife, Helen (Bridget Moynahan) had just passed away a few days ago, had just come back from the funeral as well as received his very recently deceased wife’s surprise present in the form of a puppy, his actions could possibly be labelled as justifiable homicide.
The simple utterance of the words “John Wick” has everyone cowering. Known to all as “the man you send to kill The Boogeyman”, John has quite the reputation. As an audience, viewers are torn between deciding whether Wick is a good or bad guy. In Wick’s world of elite assassins, allies and enemies are uncertain – from veteran hitman and longtime friend Marcus (Willem Dafoe), femme fatale Ms. Perkins (Adrianne Palicki) to New York crime boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist).
One of the film’s outstanding features was the use of interactive comic-like speech bubbles, similar to what’s used in comic books. Cinematography was also on point – with sleek, stylish and bold sequences that highlight John’s dark and dauntless world. John Wick depicts elaborate, dynamic action sequences that more than makes up for minimal dialogue. Regardless, John Wick is certainly one of this year’s most intriguing and favourite action film; without the boom-crash-bang of movies such as Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Expendables 3, Wick’s steady and high-powered narrative definitely makes it an outstanding film.
Keane Reeves. Like, whoa. If anybody has any inkling that Reeves’ career would be finished, then they haven’t seen this film. After a string of adequate films, Reeves is instantly captivating as John Wick; with minimal dialogue and a lot of magnetic action sequences, Reeves demonstrates once again that he, like his character, is back with a vengeance. In his role, Reeves demonstrates his dramatic versatility, transversing from the sorrowful, widowed man to a detached, unflinching assassin, Reeves displays the talent audiences knew he was capable of.
It’s James Bond meets Batman. With streamlined, energetic sequences and performances, John Wick is a refreshing watch from the year’s explosive, over-the-top action films.
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