Movie Review: John Wick


At age 50, Keanu Reeves proves he's still "got it" in John Wick, a film that's low on plot but keeps the action moving consistently throughout. There seem to be an influx of "retirement movies" recently, where a retired agent or bad guy will come out of retirement to fulfill a certain goal, and John Wick in the genre; in this case, however, it's a certain string of events that provoke John into returning to his hitman days.

John Wick's (Reeves') wife has just passed away, and one day he receives a special delivery: a puppy, sent from her when she knew she was getting sick. John treasures this puppy, since it's one last connection to his wife. While at a gas station one day, John runs in to some thugs, who are coveting his vintage automobile; one of the thugs asks "How much?" and John says it's not for sale. The thugs don't like that, and later break into his house and steal the car, among other things. However, they had no idea that John used to be a hitman, and in fact worked with the mafia kingpin father of one of the thugs, and they soon find out they chose the wrong guy to beat and rob.

Yes, see this film. Reeves is fantastic in this movie, harkening back to his Matrix days with his action skills. Adrienne Palicki, Willem Dafoe, John Leguizamo, and Ian McShane have supporting roles in the film, as well, and the movie takes place in a very grey NYC and in the New Jersey area. Bridget Moynahan also has a very brief role, in flashbacks, as Reeves' deceased wife. A lot of the action scenes are some of the best I've seen in a while, particularly one that takes place inside an exclusive NYC club that's for mafioso-type people only, which actually has a "no 'business' allowed" policy on its premises. If you're looking for an action film to see, John Wick is definitely my choice, and it makes for an entertaining hour and forty-five minutes.

John Wick is in theaters today, October 24th, and is rated R with a runtime of 101 minutes. 4 stars out of 5.

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