REVIEW by Richard Rivera

 

John Wick is a man in mourning—a former hit man who departed from his evil ways for the one he loved. When the remaining precious things in his life are taken by an immature gangland brat, Wick exercises his righteous indignation by going after his enemies in the way they fear most.

 

While John Wick is part morality tale and more violent video game than movie—although written for the screen and not a graphic novel—John Wick is blunt force effective storytelling largely due to Keanu Reeves’ performance. As demonstrated in the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still, Reeves has undeniable on-screen presence. He is the one you watch despite the wickedly good supporting performances by Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane, and an excellent but brief appearance by John Leguizamo.

 

Director Chad Stahelsky shapes the film with breathtaking action sequences, outstanding cinematography, and stylistic touches straight out of Vanity Fair in creating an elegant film noir that keeps you engaged and on the edge of your seat.

 

As the body count mounts and Wick moves closer to his goal, director Stahelsky also defies the stereotype of Wick being a two-dimensional character by showing he is capable of compassion and empathy when he chooses to let certain people live. We see that he is a driven, but far from an indiscriminate killing machine.

 

This movie is not for the faint of heart. Wick (Reeves) mesmerizes as he spins, weaves, and whirls as a dervish of death that is unrelenting, violent, yet not gratuitous. If anything it demonstrates that the character is all too human—he bleeds—and that in his indefatigable way he seeks to create justice in a world that has little, but which is also the world that people like him have perpetuated, and are now forced to live by.

 

 

 

June 12, 2015

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