The internet has
been buzzing about the news of a John Wick sequel in the works this past week,
no doubt coinciding with the home entertainment release of the sleeper action
hit. While the film itself is far from perfect, it is a role perfectly suited
to give star Keanu Reeves a bit of a comeback and highlight the directorial
debut of his former stunt double, Chad Stahelski (along with fellow Matrix
stuntman David Leitch, credited as producer). Even with a weak script in need
of serious structural work, the combination of Keanu’s cold performance and
impressively directed action sequences makes all forgivable. This may not be
the smartest revenge film, but it is the most fun to come from the sub-genre in
some time.
Centering on its
title character, John Wick is the
story of a hit man forced out of retirement by mere coincidence. Although Wick
(Reeves) was once the mob’s deadliest assassin, he gave up the lifestyle for a
woman, only to lose her as well. Days after the death of his wife, Wick is disturbed
from his grief by a group of unwelcome thugs led by Iosef Tarasov (Alfie
Allen). This entitled criminal is the son of crime boss Viggo Tarasov (Michael
Nyqvist), who coincidentally happens to be Wick’s former employer. Aware that the
only way to save his son is by killing Wick, Tarasov places a massive citywide
contract out on the former hit man. The rest of the film is riddled with bullet
holes as Wick travels through an ultra-stylized underbelly of New York City
The story is
simple. This seems to be done intentionally, however, in order to keep the
focus on the main goal of the film; coolness. Much of this is borrowed from
cinema rather than reality, which gives the film a fabricated feeling, like a
graphic novel come to life. Everything is perfectly designed to make the film
appear cool, even at the expense of logic or realism. This is apparent in the
clothing, the cars, the weapons, the settings and the effortless way that John
Wick drops over 75 villains in less than 100 minutes. The only time that this
effect is diminished is with too much dialogue, much of which is better suited
for the poorly made straight-to-video action films that scribe Derek Kolstad
has done in the past. It is the structure which suffers the worst blow,
however. The momentum of a revenge film is quickly deflated if the act of
vengeance is carried out before the third act. This should be obvious, and is
likely why Kolstad has not yet been attached as the sequel’s screenwriter.
The Blu-ray
combo pack comes with DVD and Digital HD copy of the film. The special features
include an audio commentary track and a handful of featurettes, most of which
highlight the important stylistic choices made by the filmmakers. These are
mostly superficial, with just enough behind-the-scenes facts to keep it from
just feeling like extended ads for the film.
Entertainment Value:
9/10
Quality of
Filmmaking: 7/10
Historical
Significance: 7/10
Special Features: 7/10
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