'John' a Wick-ed, action-packed tale of stylish revenge
Just when we thought we'd had quite enough of retired cops, hitmen and special-ops agents forced back into active duty to mete out justice, Chad Stahelski's "John Wick" shoots us between the eyes with an old-fashioned revenge tale directed with tongue-in-cheek humor, choreographed with bone-breakingly realistic stunts and edited on Red Bull energy drink.
Keanu Reeves stars as Wick, a retired assassin for the Russian mob. His blissful retirement comes to a tragic end when his wife (Bridget Moynahan) succumbs to Ali McGraw disease from "Love Story," leaving behind only a cute Beagle named Daisy to remember her by.
A sadistic Russian creep named Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen, attempting to top Andy Robinson's chortling psychopath in "Dirty Harry") and his two stooges drool over Wick's vintage 1969 Steve McQueen-grade Boss Ford Mustang.
When Wick refuses to sell the car, the thugs arrive at Wick's upscale home to steal it. They also beat him up, then commit the most unspeakable act ever put on film: they bludgeon to death his lovable, whimpering puppy.
So when the wounded Wick says, "It's personal," you know he means it.
What follows could have been just another routine action-revenge thriller with Reeves whupping butts and shooting bullets for two hours.
But Stahelski, who started out as a fight choreographer and second-unit director in such films as "The Matrix" and "The Bourne Legacy," creates a fascinating neo-noir universe, a disturbingly dark and violent place that captures the essence of an adult graphic novel, even though Derek Kolstad's cagey screenplay is all original material.
Iosef's dad, the vicious New York Russian crime boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), can't believe his son would be stupid enough to kill John Wick's dog. (Apparently, everyone in New York City knows Wick, including cops.)
"You think he's the boogie man?" Iosef asks his father.
"No," Viggo Tarasov tells him, "John Wick is who you call when you want to kill the boogie man!"
"John Wick" adopts the nonstop, up-close-and-personal, unrelentingly brutal violence from Gareth Evans' "The Raid: Redemption" with quick cuts and shady characters being shot in the face at point-blank range, almost to the point of action overdose.
Ian McShane plays the mysterious Winston, the boss of the art-deco Continental Hotel, a haven where patrons are expected to respect house rules and not kill or torture anyone on the premises.
Good luck with that.
Willem Dafoe emits inner conflict as Marcus, an assassin who must choose to be loyal to his buddy John or act on Viggo Tarasov's lucrative contract offer to kill him.
Another assassin, the slinky and sassy Ms. Perkins (Adrianne Palicki), has no problem using feminine wiles to snuff out the fiery Wick.
Reeves, on-screen for most of this movie, cements his arc-challenged character with sadness mixed into anger as he returns to the life he quit.
The actor, a long way from his first action hero in 1994's "Speed," anchors "John Wick" with a laconic performance flush with raw physicality and intensity.
Adorned with a shiny suit, sharp-toed shoes and matted, unkempt hair, Reeves moves like a greased bullet through this action film beaming with vibrant life, even though it mostly deals with death.
“John Wick”
★ ★ ★ ½
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe, Alfie Allen, Ian McShane, Bridget Moynahan, Adrianne Palicki
Directed by: Chad Stahelski
Other: A Summit Entertainment release. Rated R for drug use, language and violence. 96 minutes