Posted in: Movies | Tagged: Chad Stahelski, David Kolstad, entertainment, film, john wick, keanu reeves

John Wick Hits The Mark

Published Wed, 05 Nov 2014 08:30:10 -0600

By Octavio Karbank

Keanu Reeves? Check! Wonderfully choreographed fight sequences? Check! How about dead puppies? That's a big 'ol check! What happens when you kill the dog of the man who's referred to as the boogeyman you send to kill the boogeyman? Well, John Wick happens of course.

John Wick's plot, for lack of a better word, can be laid out easily. If you've seen the trailer then you have a pretty good idea about what to expect. Except you don't. We're presented with a classic revenge tale, but with surprisingly poignant twists and turns along the way. This is the story of a broken man with absolute focus for one thing and one thing only: retribution.

Visceral and oftentimes brutal, John Wick successfully limits its campiness while other films in the revenge-story genre either go too far or not far enough. Unlike many action flicks, John Wick offers something of a character study. On the surface, it's easy to dismiss the character and screenplay as just another run-of-the-mill man-versus-fill-in-the-blank tale, but through thoughtful introspection, we find ourselves witnessing the intense emotional pain of a man who's lost nearly everything after his wife's death, leaving him holding on to what little vestiges of normality he can. Unfortunately, this is an action movie and not a drama, so Wick's time for grief is cut short on account of his new puppy being murdered, sending him on a one-man rampage against the local mob; woe are the poor saps that think they can survive his rage.

We haven't seen Keanu Reeves in some time, but watching him in the role of Wick and completely immersing himself in the character, makes for excellent viewing. Director Chad Stahelski comes from a stuntman background, and it shows with Reeves using the opportunity to show off his physicality, taking on a great many of the stunts and fights. The shootouts and martial arts moments are so believable that despite the gun fu, you're left with your mouth agape, wondering how long it took Reeves and the stunt crew to get all their fantastic little moments in synch. Believe me, there are a lot of them. The clip below, featuring a small army of gangsters trying to kill Wick in his house, showcases exactly what I mean.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kavmjUrjC1A[/youtube]

While many actors would be unable to bring authenticity and forcefulness to dialogue, featuring a grown man yelling at gangsters for killing his dog, Reeves sells it completely. Sure, we live in a time where action stars are a dime a dozen, but not all of them would be capable of the emotional upheaval Keanu Reeves displays in John Wick. The film doesn't try to make you cry or anything like that, knowing such an attempt would be futile and overdone, but forces the viewer to understand the emotional weight Wick carries and has you completely sympathizing with the character. The entire time Wick is hunting down the men who robbed him of his hope, we're rooting for him every step of the way. John Wick's motivations are so masterfully written that we fully understand the hows and whys and don't feel the least bit sorry for all the men Wick puts in the ground. Like our protagonist, we know they have it coming.

John Wick's world is nasty and engaging, with a cinematic universe that could use greater time for exploration. Take for example The Continental, a hotel with its own rules; an institution where hitmen and assassins go to relax. It's campy, but works within this world. Little things, slightly off, but very intriguing, are littered throughout.

John Wick is a film that delivers, giving us a hero we wish we could spend more time with. While it may be a story we've seen before, it's surprisingly refreshing as Keanu Reeves and screenwriter David Kolstad take the best parts of the action hero movie and create their own mythology, injecting a much-needed shot of adrenaline into the genre.

Octavio Karbank is a writer and bona fide Whovian. Living in Massachusetts, you can find him on Twitter @TymeHunter and his blog www.cozmicventures.com

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