John Wick is a cool movie.
Action typically isn’t my thing, but there’s something about John Wick, something about its style, its world, and the layer of emotional depth it brings to its character, that I can really get behind.
The story is simple: John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is having a really bad week. (Everybody can relate to that.) First, his wife died. On her deathbed, however, she bought him a dog, something physical and alive through which her spirit could live on and Wick wouldn’t have to “grieve alone” (as he later puts it).
After taking a day to release his frustration (drifting and stunt-driving at an airstrip), John Wick stops at a gas station to fill up his vintage Mustang. It just so happens that the belligerent Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) is at that very same gas station at that very same moment and takes notice of Wick’s car. He wants it, and he asks John to name a price. But the car isn’t for sale.
This won’t do for Iosef, who tails John back to his home, breaks in with his crew, beats him senseless, and not only steals the car but also kills Daisy (that’s the dog). Unfortunately for Iosef, he didn’t realize who he was dealing with.
You see, it turns out that John Wick was once a ruthless and feared hitman, who worked for Iosef’s father, Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), a Russian crime lord who rules over New York City with an iron vault full of blackmail. Viggo, gravely disappointed with his son, knows John will not let this wrong go unavenged, and, when it’s clear Wick cannot be called off, puts a two million dollar mark on his head.
John Wick (the movie) is a curious beast in this day and age: It’s an action film with intelligence, humor, and one of the most intriguing and original film worlds of the last few years. If there is a succinct way to describe the film, it’s “comic-book noir.” The film is overwrought in a deliberate way, and, despite being incredibly violent and bloody, never loses its sense of fun.
A lot of that has to do with the way the fights are choreographed and shot. There are no close-ups or shaky cam going on. The action happens in medium and wide shots with still, extended takes that capture the grappling and the gunplay without reveling in it all. The violence, which is frequent and bloody, just happens, which fits with the character of Wick, who is accustomed to these situations, never frantic in the middle of a battle.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about John Wick is its world, in which nothing is stated directly. There is a vast criminal underworld operating just beneath the surface, encompassing all of (at least) New York City; however, we are told nearly nothing about it. There are no frustrating scenes of characters spewing boring exposition. There characters say just enough to clue us in. We see all as John Wick sees it: with familiarity. Everything is implied, yet somehow the universe seems real and alive, thanks in no small part to the stellar army of character actors the filmmakers have rounding out the cast.
Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Lance Reddick, Willem Dafoe, and many more bring depth and mystery to characters who often have no more than a few minutes of screen time. Yet each actor is essential to building the layers of intrigue that sets the film apart, and Keanu Reeves brings a sensitivity to the character of John Wick that makes him more than just a one-dimensional killing machine (although, make no mistake, he does a lot of killing).
That being said, John Wick isn’t a perfect film. While it’s always a fun ride, the story is pretty boilerplate. It’s throwback-noir revenge tale, which is fine; it’s a tried-and-true format. But, again, you can anticipate nearly everything that happens story-beat-wise just based off the set-up. However, the story is not what anyone should come to John Wick for. The world within the story, the action, and the wealth of top-tier actors are the major draws.
John Wick is a great action film which, despite its drawbacks, is well worth seeing if you’re looking for something fun with a layer of intelligence sorely lacking from many films of the genre today.
-Stephen Jones
