I'm not a fan of Keanu Reeves, nor am I a hater. I dig Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and Point Break, don't care that much about The Matrix (and yes, I'm referring to the original.) I haven't liked much of his work since The Matrix either, particularly the recent run of kung-fu type projects. While viewing the commercials for John Wick, I figured it would be another terrible movie. However, as a listener of the "Doug Loves Movies" podcast, I've heard Doug Benson gush over the movie for months, convincing me it could be a good time.
There's not much to say about the plot, as it is effectively summarized in the commercials. Wick is an ex-mob hitman drawn back into the underworld when the idiot son of a crime boss kills his dog for no good reason. Wick is out for vengeance, and nothing will stop him. Minimal dialog, maximum head count. For those interested in spoiling the details, there's a surprising in-depth Wikipedia entry.
I enjoyed the movie because it knows what it is and keeps things simple. Had this movie been a larger scale production, it would have ended up with some stupid narration in which Wick explains every detail of what we can see. Cause that's how stupid Hollywood works these days. Fortunately, John Wick stays silent, reminding me of the 70s heroes played by Steve McQueen and Clint Eastwood. Strong, silent and straightforward. It also
reminded me of The Limey, only far more bloody and no hint of character growth.
What kept me interested between gun fights is the assassins only hotel, The Continental. Stuff like this has been done before, but it's done really well here and adds some spice to the movie. Some good stuff to work with for future movies.
First Viewing: 3+2+2+2+3 = 12