‘John Wick’ Review: Keanu Reeves Returns To Classic Action

Keanu Reeves ventures back into the action scene in the 2014 film John Wick, emphasis on action.

John Wick DVD Review

As a former assassin, John Wick (Reeves) is brought back into his former craft with a vengeance due to a former associate of his. The movie packs a punch with veteran actors such as Willem Dafoe, Ian Mcshane and John Leguizamo.

After the death of his wife due to a disease that is never revealed, Wick receives a puppy from his wife posthumously, along with a letter stating the puppy is to help Wick get through her death. On a trip to the gas station the next day, Wick and his dog are encountered by a group of Russian mobsters who are interested in buying Wick’s 1969 Chevy Mustang. When Wick refuses, the mobsters follow him, break into his house and assault him. Then, they kill his dog and steal his car.

When Wick tracks his car to a chop shop owned by an old friend named Aurelio (Leguizamo), he says that the car was there, but he refuses to work on it, because of his awareness that the car belonged to Wick. When Wick inquires who stole the car, he states that it was the son of an old associate, Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist).

When Viggo calls and tries to seek peace with Wick, Wick refuses it, without stating a word, and hangs up the phone. Viggo, trying to protect his son, puts a $2 million bounty on Wick, and enlists the help of Marcus (Dafoe), an old friend of Wick’s and a fellow assassin.

John Wick is a movie that knows what it is, an action film, and doesn’t venture too far in essential areas that are necessary for any film, such as a great story, or character development. Nonetheless, the film is so focused on old-school action that you can give it a pass. What character development it has, is shown through the action scenes. By far, the most fleshed-out character is Viggo’s. Initially seen as an enigmatic antagonist, it is revealed throughout the movie as almost the opposite. Viggo throughout the movie clearly shows respect for Wick, and only is trying to kill him because of the mistakes of his son, as a father, and many can respect that. Additional credit goes to Reeves for playing not only a good action character but a character that is possibly a notch or two below his character in The Matrix, Neo.

The special features on the Blu-ray version include a behind-the-scenes look at the choreography for the fight scenes, the various settings utilized in the film, and a commentary on the movie done by the directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. It also features trailers and an insight on the movie “assassin’s world.”

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Article by John McFarlan