John Wick (2014)
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, and Alfie Allen.
Directed By: Chad Stahelski and David Leich.
Plot: Shortly after the death of his wife, ex-hitman John Wick receives a mysterious crate. Inside is a beagle puppy named Daisy, as well as a note from John's wife, explaining how she arranged the puppy to arrive to help him cope with her death. After they spend a day together, John quickly bonds with his new dog. However, when they stop at a gas station, Iosef, the son of the Russian mob boss in New York, offers to buy John's car. When John refuses, Iosef and his friends sneak into his house that night, beat him with a bat, and steal his car, killing Daisy in the process. Now with nothing left to loose, John sets his sights on Iosef, and everyone who gets in his way will feel his wrath.
 |
| "Do I look civilized to you?" |
Characters: This movie is filled to the brim with interesting and entertaining characters, all of them acted superbly. Despite many of them only having a few minutes of screen time, they all have just enough personality and unique looks to stand out on their own. It almost feels like this is a reboot of a long-running franchise, and these characters are making cameos. It really adds depth to the world this film is creating.
 |
| "Now, as I recall, weren't you the one tasked to dole out the beatings, not to receive them?" |
Keanu Reeves is in top form as the titular character. Ever since The Matrix, Reeves has been relatively under the radar in terms of great performances. But I believe that this is the role that will reinvigorate his career. The pain and sadness he portrays in the beginning is heartbreaking, and his connection with Daisy is very believable. But when it's time for him to kick ass and take names, Reeves transforms into a terrifying and efficient killing machine. There's one shot in the movie where him and Iosef make eye contact, and you can feel the fear running through the former's blood. As for the way he's written, John Wick may not be the most interesting character, but I don't think that he needed to be. Through cleverly edited flashbacks and some minor exposition, the audience gets a good sense of his character. If the movie spent too much time developing his character, it would've slowed down the pacing of the film.
 |
| John Wick kicking ass |
Michael Nyqvist is excellent as Viggo Tarasov, the leader of the New York Russian mob. He has a very regal and controlled performance, but you get the sense that just under the surface is a rage that can come out at any second. Nyqvist looks like he's having the time of his life playing this character, making even the cheesiest scenes seem hugely important. He also portrays him as someone who wouldn't seem like that much of a bad guy if you sat down to have a drink with him. However, once you anger him, his rage quickly comes to the surface. Like John Wick, Tarasov isn't a particularly interesting character on paper, but Nyqvist's performance elevates it to a whole new level.
 |
| "People don't change. Times do." |
However, perhaps the weakest link would have to be Alfie Allen as Iosef Tarasov. Don't get me wrong, Allen does a good job portraying the character, I just didn't think Iosef was a very interesting character to begin with. He doesn't have that slightly over-the-top performance backing him up that Reeves and Nyqvist have that makes their characters so entertaining. He just comes off like a whiny and spoiled brat, and while that's the way the movie wants the audience to feel about him, that doesn't make him entertaining. However, he does get beat up a lot, so that's pretty entertaining.
 |
| "How much?" |
Writing: As I said before, on paper, this film shouldn't work as well as it does. There is very little significant dialogue and the characters aren't very fleshed out. However, the acting alone helps this play to the movie's strength. This could almost work as a silent movie, since most of the performances show off enough emotion that they don't have to spend too much time talking about their motivation. As the old saying goes, "show, don't tell". However, the writing that is there is very impressive. This is a great example of how to do effective worldbuilding in an original story. In the world of John Wick, there seems to be an organization of hitmen/women that use gold coins as currency, while also having their own hotel where they can relax without having to look over their shoulder all the time. This is all explained through visuals and casual dialogue between characters, but none of it feels forced. The script trusts that its audience is smart enough to infer information when it's not spoken aloud.
 |
| "Your membership to The Continental has been, by thine own hand, revoked." |
Production: But by far, the best thing about this film would have to be the action. Every action scene feels fresh and unique, with a good mix of hand-to-hand combat, shoot-outs, and car chases. John Wick moves with the grace and skill of a deadly ballerina, creating a mesmerizing display of skill and carnage. There's a scene where he punches a guy, realizes he's out of bullets, reloads, then shoots the guy while he's still recovering from the punch. Another scene has Wick hit a guy while driving backwards, then shooting him as he rolls over the roof of the car. These are just a few of the many entertaining and exceptional action moments.
 |
| John Wick kicking more ass. |
The look of the film is also beautiful. The use of lighting really makes the colors pop. There's one particular scene in a club where the blues and reds almost pop off the screen, transforming an entertaining scene into a gorgeous one. The music is also very well done. Tyler Bates does a good job at creating exciting and eerie backdrops to each scene. However, there weren't any specific tracks that stood out, and I don't see myself revisiting this score anytime soon. One of the most surprising and interesting elements of this film was the subtitles for when people were talking in Russian. Instead of having generic white text one the bottom of the screen, the text will appear next to the person saying it, while certain words are highlighted in a different color and font. I don't think I've seen anything like that before, and it made the movie even more enjoyable to watch.
.jpg) |
| John Wick arrives. |
Trivia:
- Keanu Reeves allegedly did 90% of his own stunts.
- Director Chad Stahelski was Reeves's stunt double in The Matrix.
- Reeves memorized the entire club scene the day they began shooting it.
Next time, I'll take a look at the first animated movie to be nominated for best picture.
Stay Tuned
No comments:
Post a Comment