John Wick

It's hard to find anything bad to say about John Wick. The action is beautifully choreographed, the setup is surprisingly emotional for an action flick, and Keanu.... What more is there to say? If you love action or even just like it you will be in for the ride of your life.

The only word that keeps coming back to mind when reviewing this movie is: exhilarating. The fun factor this amazing action film has is probably the highest of any movie this year. I could not stop myself from having a blast!

First and foremost, being also the first thing you notice, "John Wick" is self-conscious of what it is and doesn't, for not even one second, take itself more seriously than it should. Fortunately this doesn't shut out the place for character connection and empathy. People often think the two of these things exclude themselves, but that is not what I think and this movie is proof of it. It has such a genuine sense of fun and humor, so much so that you are often laughing WITH (not AT) the movie at the preposterousness of everything and at the same time feeling genuine tension for the characters you're rooting for. I know it sounds ridiculous, but every single f***ing kill by John Wick feels exciting and liberating, it was incredible how much I was rooting for him. To this contributes some stunning, fast-and-furious level action scenes that benefit amazingly by the practicality involved. Hats off to the director and the special effects guys for staging such a flawless string of adrenaline-pumping scenes, in particular to the director for the highly energetically stylish direction that never feels as a gimmick or out of place, yet instead makes everything all the more enjoyable. Furthermore this is one of the few movies in which sound actually stood out and contributed in making the film a great success. Keanu Reeves is perfect for the role and brings to the screen so much charisma I could not help but root for the guy. He is surrounded by a great cast too that has very fun moments on their own. If all of this wasn't enough, "John Wick" has some great original ideas and plays with them in the best way possible.

Despite having a blast in the theater and wanting to maybe see this movie again in a year or so, it isn't original, stylish or innovative enough to say: "we've seen this plot before, but not quite done this way". Yes it has its brilliance, but it is kind of cheesy, even if in a good way, and predictable. It doesn't rank up to a higher standard of action movie because of its straight-forwardness. It does have some stakes, but all in all there isn't really an overwhelming set piece or twist that makes it highly remarkable.

Obviously, that is not what it's aiming for and because of that I could recommend this movie to anybody, just go and have the best action entertainment fun in the theater!

JOHN WICK is a rare example of Hollywood getting things spot-on when it comes to creating the near-perfect action film. JOHN WICK is a relentless, pulse-pounding thriller that has plenty of similarity to the Liam Neeson classic TAKEN, albeit with a more simplistic (and also more emotionally intense) plot line. This is the kind of lean, pared-down film-making that's all about intensity and momentum. It sits well with classic international fare like POINT BLANK, SLEEPLESS NIGHT, MEA CULPA, THE MAN FROM NOWHERE, and THE RAID films.

JOHN WICK isn't a perfect film; some of the dialogue is sloppily, some of the writing is too broad, and occasionally the music is intrusive. However, when it gets things right, as it frequently does, you can forgive all of these minor niggles and sit back and enjoy the ride. The clever decision was made to employ a martial arts expert as director, so the emphasis is on realistic, superbly choreographed action sequences, and they're hard-hitting and plentiful. The nightclub set-piece is the obvious highlight, but nearly all of the action here is spectacular.

Keanu Reeves has been in lots of average or overrated films over the years but this stands as one of his very best, alongside SPEED. His dry, laconic turn is light years ahead of his other recent action flick, MAN OF TAI CHI. The supporting cast is basically unnecessary, but Michael Nyqvist, Willem Dafoe, and Alfie Allen all put in decent turns. In the end, though, JOHN WICK is all about the action, and quite simply it rocks. Bring on the sequel!

Ultra-violent first entry with lots of killings, thrills , noisy action , suspense , and crossfire . In this original John Wick (2014) , an ex-hit-man comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his dog and took everything from him . With the untimely death of his beloved wife still bitter in his mouth he seeks for vengeance . But when an arrogant Russian mob prince and hoodlums steal his car and kill his dog , they are fully aware of his lethal capacity. The Bogeyman will find himself dragged into an impossible task as every killer in the business dreams of cornering the legendary Wick who now has an enormous price on his head . In this first installment John Wick , blind with revenge, and for his salvation John will immediately unleash a carefully orchestrated maelstrom of destruction against those attempt to chase him and with a price tag on his head, as he is the target of hit men : an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail and a murderer woman everywhere . The legendary hitman will be forced to unearth his meticulously concealed identity and to carry out a relentless vendetta . Now, only blood can quench the boogeyman's thirst for retribution . Don't Set Him Off! . John Wick isn't the Boogeyman... He's the guy you send to kill the doomed Boogeyman. Revenge is all he has left. You want peace, prepare for war . Don't Hunt What You Can't Kill. Tick Tock, Mr. Wick. Everyone Is Waiting. For John Wick . Every Action Has Consequences. This Friday, Wick is Back . Its the World Vs. Wick. Every Action Has Consequences.

Thrilling and nail-biting first outing with violent combats , kinetic energy , very high body-count and struggles in a comic-book style . It's an action-packed film with an interesting mingle of suspense , martial arts , gun-play , killing rituals with weird codes and bloody combats . The plot is simple and plain , as John Wick being forced into action to exact a relentless vendetta and steadily butchering his merciless enemies , while inching ever closer to the long-awaited bloody reunion with the boss killer . This is a bone-chilling thriller with non-stop action , including impressive fighting with a lot of blood and gore . It's a mindless but enjoyable for thrillers and martial arts aficionados of the old style , but adding some new technical being made by means of digital computer generator as well as expert stunts . Abundant fist-fights and lethal struggles in which arms and body parts are slice off here and there and limbs are slit open everywhere or blasted apart . Of course , highlights of the film are the impressive and groundbreaking Keanu Reeves' fights with lots of blood dropping here and there . Keanu Reeves is nice as John Wick , the expert former assassin , in which drenched in blood and mercilessly hunted down, he can surely forget a peaceful retirement as no one can make it out in one piece . He's well accompanied by a familiar cast -some of them to appear in the subsequent sequels- including as follows : Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki , Toby Leonard, Daniel Bernhardt , Bridget Moynahan , John Leguizamo, Ian McShane and the two fine actors recently deceased : Michael Nyqvist and Lance Reddick .

It packs colorful , though dark cinematography by cameraman Jonathan Sela, mainly shot at night . As well as pulsing throbbing musical score by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard. The motion picture was professionally directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch . These craftsmen have made this adrenaline-fueled action franchise, ¨John Wick trilogy¨ formed by the following ones : ¨John Wick I¨ 2014 by Chad Stahelski, David Leitch with Michael Nyqvist , Alfie Allen , Willem Dafoe , Dean Winters , Adrianne Palicki . ¨John Wick: Chapter 2¨, 2017 , in this second installment , after returning to the criminal underworld to repay a debt, John Wick discovers that a large bounty has been put on his life , played by Riccardo Scamarcio , Ian McShane , Common , Claudia Gerini , Lance Reddick , Laurence Fishburne , Tobias Segal , John Leguizamo , Bridget Moynahan. ¨John Wick III Parabellum¨ in which he returns with a $14 million price tag on his head and an army of bounty-hunting killers on his trail, after killing a member of the shadowy international assassin's guild, the High Table, John Wick is excommunicado , starred by Halle Berry , Ian McShane , Laurence Fishburne , Mark Dacascos , Asia Kate Dillon , Lance Reddick , Tobias Segal , Anjelica Huston , Saïd Taghmaoui , Jerome Flynn . And in production : ¨John Wick: Chapter 4¨ with Keanu Reeves , Donnie Yen , Bill Skarsgård , Laurence Fishburne , Hiroyuki Sanada.

John Wick is one of those few movies a year that seemed like it would be absolutely terrible, but when you finally sit down and watch it, turns out to be incredible. Not only is it one of the most fun films of the year, but it's so much different than the action films we have today. It doesn't try to be inventive or over-the-top, it just plays to it's strengths.

I have never been a huge fan of Keanu Reeves. Even in The Matrix, which is a great film, his acting falls pretty flat to me. He hasn't showed me anything that can make him a true thespian on screen. But as John Wick, he's perfect. The role doesn't call for anything more than just being a likable bada**. Wick is a man dealing with the death of his wife and retirement of his past associations with assassins of sort. He finally feels like he get's closure with his wife and then it's all ripped away from him by the very gangsters he was once affiliated with. He goes on an absolute killing rampage. To say the body count adds up is an understatement. Wick goes to great lengths to find the people who took everything from him, but it's not exactly easy for him. Being someone who just came out of retirement means you may be a little rusty, well Wick is definitely that. That's one of the many things I appreciated about this film. It never seemed like he was blowing through these guys without danger. Sure he effortlessly kills plenty, but he also struggles with a few as well.

Killing a cute little dog would tick off anyone, so I don't blame the character for being mad, but I'm not sure there needed to be this many deaths. There are plenty of innocent security guards who die at the hands of Wick. At times, it just felt like a little too much for a revenge film. But I really loved all of John's interactions with people from his past. They all seem to be as surprised that Wick is killing again, as we are that this film turned out to be good. I thought it was a nice touch that the police officer simply let the fact that there were a bunch of dead people in Wick's apartment, go. Alfie Allen plays the main villain, and it seemed as though his storyline is very similar to that of Game of Thrones. He's constantly under-appreciated and so he wants to prove himself, but ends up doing something terribly stupid. It was also nice to see Bridget Regan from Agent Carter briefly pop up.

But besides the fact that the script was pretty weak and the body count was pretty high, the film is just awesome. The 'Drive' sounding music and score to go along with the breathtaking action sequences made for one helluva ride. Keanu Reeves should stick to these less demanding and fun action roles. Just don't try and do too much.

+Stunts & action

+Score/soundtrack

+Reeves makes it believable

+Villains aren't stupid

-Body count

-Weak script

8.4/10