When John Wick was released last year, I was really intrigued. The critics were for the most part warm to the film, noting it featured terrific stunts and a driving, hard edged plot.
Sounded like my cup of tea!
Though I tried hard to catch the film in theaters, my free time remains very tight and there simply was no chance to catch it. The inevitable wait followed as the film left theaters and, eventually, made it to home video. Yesterday, finally, I got a chance to see it.
And for the most part, I wasn’t disappointed.
John Wick is indeed a hard charging, lean and mean action film. The plot is incredibly simple: John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is an ex-assassin and general bad-ass who left behind his life of crime for the love of his life. Unfortunately, his wife succumbed to one of those trademark Love Story-type movie diseases that kill you slowly yet leave you looking absolutely beautiful. In anticipation of her eventual death, Mrs. Wick has a puppy delivered to her husband after her passing. The puppy punctures Wick’s sadness (and possible suicidal feelings following his wife’s death) and gives him a small amount of joy in a dark time.
Unfortunately, while out to get gas for his screamin’ 69 Mustang (oh the troubles that might have been avoided had Mr. Wick opted for a Prius!), the car catches the eyes of a trio of unsavory Russian mobster types. They approach Wick and ask him how much he wants for the vehicle. He tells them he isn’t selling it. The leader of the group, unaccustomed to not getting his way, then says something profane in Russian and Wick surprises the man by responding in kind…in Russian.
Later that night, Wick’s house is broken into and Wick is beaten and his puppy killed. This is done to rob him of his Mustang.
As the saying goes, these guys messed with the wrong man. What follows is Wick’s journey back into his old environs where he takes revenge on the man (and, eventually father of the man and his one-time boss) who robbed him of his car and killed his puppy.
The best thing about John Wick is that the movie doesn’t waste time. As mentioned before, this film is a lean machine, propelled from one set piece to another with almost no filler. The action sequences are for the most part terrific, with my personal favorite perhaps being the confrontation between Wick and Ms. Perkins (Adrianne Palicki), a very adept femme fatale assassin.
The film builds on and on, reaching its climax and conclusion and leaving at least me hoping to see more (word is, a sequel will be made).
Having said all those positive things, the movie does have a couple of problems that, frankly, irritated me.
First up, it seems awfully coincidental and hard to believe the people who initially assaulted John Wick so soon after his wife’s funeral happen to be related to the man Wick worked for up until his retirement…and neither knew the other! In terms of coincidences, that’s a pretty big one to swallow.
My second issue is with the fate of the already mentioned Ms. Perkins. Without giving too much away, I thought the filmmakers missed out with her character. She deserved far better than the fate given within the film. At the very least, there should have been a re-match, right? If not in this movie, then perhaps in the sequel?
Anyway, apart from these two issues, I thoroughly enjoyed John Wick. No, the film isn’t Citizen Kane or The Godfather. No, it won’t scare away any other Oscar contenders, but it is a pure escapist action/adventure film that delivers on the goods. Recommended.