John Wick (2014)
Director: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Ian McShane
Primary genre: Action
Secondary genre: Thriller
“John Wick” came out of nowhere in early 2015. While the trailers suggested a typical revenge story starring a now faded A-lister shooting things lacking memorable moments that could separate this film from the straight to video pile, extremely strong word of mouth and critical appraisal for its neo-noir mythology, stylish cinematography and long take action scenes gave it long standing legs. Who would have thought that this small scale flick would give birth to one of the greatest action franchises of all time?
Although this straight forward tale of revenge might initially seem as a banal action/thriller entry, Derek Kolstad’s screenplay offers an intriguing shadowy world of assassins, gangsters and rules in a modern New York City forcing the audience to decipher clues in clever visual storytelling. Playing smartly against genre conventions, it is not the death of a beloved one that brings John Wick back to a life of crime but that of a puppy, a parting gift from his dying partner and a reminder of a path that does not involve killing people for vast sums of money. This unfortunate catalyst wakes up a lasered focused titan of stoic and emotionless destruction where a mere mention of his name is enough to make hardcore mafiosos freeze. Bearing aspects which mirror Greek tragedies, every action generates more inter-connected consequences, enemies and external deus ex-machinas (both good and bad) who serve their own agenda. It is all competently told and Kolstad never derails into cheap melodramatic attempts or forced emotional manipulation adding in the process aristocratic and savoir vivre touches even in the most absurd life or death situations.
With the script constantly elevating the stakes (and thus the bodycount), a moody and hypersaturated NYC becomes a shoot’ em’ up playground for slick gun fu mayhem (e.g., a club, a spa, a shipyard, a church). Director (and Keanu’s stunt double in the “Matrix” (1999-2003) trilogy) Chad Stahelski keeps a steady momentum capturing (surprisingly) great performances from a colorful supporting cast full of memorable characters especially Ian McShane as the all mighty manager of the Continental Hotel, a safe haven for all types of contract killers.
Yet, it is his handling of the genre’s traits that demonstrate a clear understanding of how action should work within a cinematic context. Drifting away from the unwatchable fights that dominated in most of the action cinema since “The Bourne Supremacy” (2004), Stahelski opts out to create his own slick school of fighting by eliminating CGI and blending (realistically) John Woo’s gun fu with Jiujitsu/Judo techniques as opposed to glorified kung fu poses, breathtaking stunts and athletic pirouettes inspiring an army of imitators for the next decade (e.g., “Atomic Blonde” (2017), “The Old Guard“ (2020), “Deliver Us From Evil” (2020), “Extraction“ (2020), “The Killer” (2022)).
Wick’s role fits Keanu like a glove using the actor’s … minimalistic expressions to maximum effect creating a new cinematic icon for movie afficionados to be obsessed over for years to come. While certain actors have one or two at most, defining pop culture characters, Keanu has four (Johnny Utah (“Point Break“ (1991), Jack Traven (“Speed” (1994), Neo (“The Matrix” quadrilogy (1999-2021), John Wick (“John Wick” quadrilogy (2014-2023)) showcasing that when it comes to men of few words who kick ass, nobody does it better than a suave, black suit wearing Keanu. Doing 90% of the stunts himself, he carries a sense of real professionalism and craftmanship in the film which lives and breathes along with its troubled (and almost cursed) protagonist.
The pairing of Reeves and Stahelski was a match made in creative heaven leading to one of the most consistent in terms of quality, franchises, with each output being more commercially and critically successful than what came before. Stahelski’s lens clearly adore the slender, suit wearing figure of Wick across a rainy urban metropolis, a retired angel of death who keeps his cool and mutters barely a word even at the face of stacked odds against him. His composition makes great use of real locations, shot under a vivid neon like cinematography which adds an extra layer of cinematic personality that so many of contemporary actioners lack.
Despite the aforementioned praise, “John Wick” is far from perfect with a feeling of mid-way peak and a rather anti-climatic finale. While Stahelski and Kolstad limit exposition, the colorful cast requires a few more scenes to truly register considering their immense charisma. Like any other good first installment (e.g., “Alien” (1979), “Terminator” (1984), “Batman” (1989), “Batman Begins” (2005), “X-Men” (2000)), it is a prologue for greater, more expansive and thrilling things to come. However, as the first of a new action franchise, it sets up the rules, establishes a fascinating mythology and offers a compelling new character inviting enough to bring audiences back for three more adventures that explore in semi detail this rich, neo noir inspired world.
Revitalizing and rich in mythology action cinema
+Keanu is back
+Wick, what a character!
+Supporting cast
+Intriguing underworld presentation
+Novel and practical action ideas
+Stylized, visual storytelling
-Loses momentum towards the end
-Lack of serious antagonist
-Feels like a prelude for something bigger