Throwback Thursday Review: 'John Wick'

This week I'm reviewing John Wick to tie-in with John Wick: Chapter 2, which I've actually seen and should have review up for fairly soon following the publication of this review. Reviews you can expect for the remainder of February are Throwback Thursday Reviews for Spider-Man and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl and reviews over new releases The LEGO Batman Movie, John Wick: Chapter 2, The Great Wall, A Cure for Wellness, and Get Out.

'John Wick' Review

After the sudden loss of his wife, John Wick receives a puppy named Daisy as his final gift from her. Following an encounter with the Russian mob in his slick 1969 Mustang, the thugs break into his house late at night, beat him, kill his dog, and steal his car. John Wick then tells the revenge tale of an ex-assassin pulled back into his past and hunting down those responsible.

John Wick was a film I remember catching at home rather than in the theaters and being completely blown away by the stunt work and action sequences. Unsurprisingly, it held up remarkably well. Stunt-coordinators Chad Stahelski and David Leitch stepped up to co-direct John Wick and the duo manage to string together an excellent revenge thriller. But John Wick isn't just another indispensable action flick.

The visual aesthetic to John Wick balances a subdued palette for John's normal affairs but an extravagant colorful hue to the twisted criminal world. The two best action sequences are the club and home invasion sequences that heavily feature stunt choreography called "gun-fu", a style of sophisticated close-quarters combat combining martial arts and firearms. The fight choreography is a brutal ballet, it's gruesome yet maintains a semblance of grace in how it's carried out. The "gun-fu" is absolutely incredible and the fact Keanu Reeves remains committed enough to perform a good chunk of the stunts himself makes it go the extra mile and feel all the more real.

Derek Kolstad penned the screenplay and one of his greatest achievements is the underbelly world of assassins he manages to build throughout the film. There's everything from a laundromat service of sorts that will dispose of dead bodies and clean up the mess in exchange for a handsome fee to the Continental Hotel for these hitmen where no outside business (conflict) is allowed at risk of being excommunicated or even killed.

Kolstad establishes this rich world that screams for further exploration in sequels or spin-offs but Kolstad also wisely keeps some specifics under wraps because it only makes sense that these mercenaries would be secretive about their lives. Kolstad also sets up an excellent source of motivation to get Wick back into this way of life that's simultaenously logically and emotionally grounded. The narrative's relatively simple but Kolstad provides an interesting angle for what could have been a generic revenge story.

The cast assembled for John Wick are exceptionally talented and help to elevate proceedings regardless of how complex the characters they're portraying appear to be. Keanu Reeves' performance remains a career best as Reeves channels both an unhinged violence and vulnerability to John Wick. Reeves is committed in every regard and makes an epic action hero that's not purely a reckless unstoppable force but one with a human soul.

Willem Dafoe's a charming marksman, Adrianne Palicki plays the femme fatale, Alfie Allen portrays an overconfident crime prince, and Michael Nyqvust chews the scenery as Russian mafia head. Meanwhile the remaining underworld is bristling fun supporting roles for Ian McShane, Clarke Peters, Lance Reddick, and John Leguizamo.