John Wick

Note: This review contains spoilers for John Wick.

Before 2014, Keanu Reeves was best known for The Matrix and Bill & Ted franchises, outside of which his acting was often the subject of mockery. This reputation would do a 180 shortly after the release of John Wick, in which he plays the titular character, to the point where it felt like people, especially online, were overcompensating for his previous treatment. As for the film itself, I had been kind of avoiding watching it, possibly because of how hyped up it was, with my knowledge of the general plot coming from memes. After seeing a trailer for the spinoff movie Ballerina, however, we decided we should actually watch the John Wick movies, beginning with the original 2014 film. I wasn’t sure exactly what to expect from it, but I ended up liking it far more than I expected.

A few days following the death of his wife Helen, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) receives a beagle puppy named Daisy at her request as a way to help him move on. The next day, a Russian gang attempts to bribe John into selling them his car while at a gas station, but he refuses. That night, the same gang breaks into his house and ransacks the place to steal his car keys, during which they also kill Daisy as a form of “payment.” After burying Daisy the next morning, John seeks revenge by going back into the life he thought he had left behind as an assassin.

 

John (Keanu Reeves) receives a puppy as a final gift from his late wife.

Though the film’s plot is very straightforward, this ends up working well into its favor, as it results in some brisk pacing and keeps the focus on John. John’s skills as an assassin and his relationships with other characters, including a police officer, are made apparent through some well-crafted dialogue, helped by him actually having the skills to back up the claims with the former. While plenty of other characters in the plot have a similar level of care put into them, a standout is Marcus (Willem Dafoe), an ally to John whose complexities and history are evident based on his actions and interactions with John, making it still sad when he dies.

 

John's conversation with an officer is brief, but very telling.

Thanks to internet memes, I was already aware that the plot is set off by Daisy’s death, but after seeing it in context, the scene was genuinely saddening, not only because Daisy was still a puppy, but also because it was a final gift from his late wife, who didn’t want him to grieve alone. Due to this significance, you can’t help but root for John on his revenge quest.

One rather interesting concept the film presents is that of the Continental, a hotel that serves as a neutral location for assassins to rest and relax, as no business of any kind is allowed within its walls. Even with what little we see of it, the setting feels rife with storytelling potential, in part because of how they handle members who violate their terms of service. Perhaps as a testament to this, the hotel is the subject of a spin-off prequel streaming series, The Continental, though it has yet to leave Peacock jail in the US.

Another highlight is the action sequences, which have gone on to influence the action scenes in other movies (there’s a reason director Chad Stahelski was hired to coordinate the action scenes in the Shinichirō Watanabe anime Lazarus). The depiction of its violence, blood spatters and firearm usage is more realistic, alongside creative use of a single camera, but you can nonetheless feel the impact in every blow. John himself even takes battle damage, making his fights feel more real. This is helped by the strong acting across the board, including what is arguably one of Keanu Reeves’ strongest performances since it plays well into his strengths as an actor.

 

The movie also does some interesting things with subtitles.

John Wick is one movie that, for me at least, actually lived up to its hype due to a combination of strong acting and cinematography. In hindsight, it’s easy to see how this turned Reeves’ career around, as well as how it made him the perfect choice to play Shadow the Hedgehog in Sonic the Hedgehog 3. For fans of more contemporary action movies, especially ones that were inspired by this film, this is well worth watching at least once, even if only to see where the influence came from.