Streaming Service: Netflix
Movie Name/Year: John
Wick (2014)
Genre: Action, Crime, Thriller
Length: 1h 41min
Rating: R
Director: Chad Stahelski, David
Leitch
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Actors: Keanu Reeves, Michael
Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki, Omer
Barnea, Toby Leonard Moore, Daniel Bernhardt, Bridget Moynahan, John Leguizamo,
Ian McShane, Bridget Regan, Lance Reddick, Keith Jardine, Tait Fletcher, Kazy Tauginas,
Alexander Frekey, Thomas Sadoski, Randall Duk Kim, David Patrick Kelly, Clarke
Peters, Kevin Nash, Vladislav Koulikov
IMDb Blurb: An ex-hitman comes out of
retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car.
Selina’s Point of View:
I think it’s finally
time to talk about John Wick.
I’m ashamed to say that
when I put John Wick on my top 20 movies to look out for in
October of 2014, I indicated that I thought it would be just another old guy in
an action flick. I still put it in my #4 slot, but it was beat by some films
that had no business beating it.
John Wick is anything but an
‘old guy in an action flick’ kind of film. It’s a masterpiece of world
building, choreography, direction, and writing. It is one of the best action
films, maybe even the best action series, of our generation. Every shot is
filmed with intention. Every line carefully laid out for maximum effect. Every
gunshot meaningful. Every nuance an opening to one more fact about a world that
was built with care and intrigue. My love for John Wick knows
no bounds.
To keep this article
from becoming a book, I’m going to stick to discussing my favorite aspect
of John Wick: the writing.
The most difficult
aspect of writing is knowing what NOT to add. Whether it’s from editing things
out, or just not writing them in to begin with, those unspoken lines need to be
intentional. What not to say is almost more important than what the actors do
say. Derek Kolstad (The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Death Battle, John
Wick: Chapter 4) is a master of this. There’s a whole scene where John Wick
answers the phone and says absolutely nothing. It is exponentially more
intimidating than anything he could have said out loud. From the moment he
picks up the phone, to the moment he hangs up, his silence amps up the tension
of the scene. Most writers would have added something. At least an initial
“hello” or a subtle threat at the end, giving in to the expectations of what
happens in a phone call. Instead, Kolstad opts to add silence as his dialogue
and it is a genius move.
On top of that, the
world-building is second to none. You only get the slightest taste of the John
Wick world in the first movie, but you can tell it’s just the tip of
the iceberg. The Continental, the coins, the rules… every subverted
expectation. You get more of it in the sequels, but that’s why the series
itself is so beloved. The writing expands the world and the characters expertly
in each flick. No one out there is writing as well, or consistently, as Derek
Kolstad. I will sing his praises every chance I get.
I want to be him when I
grow up.
Obviously, this was not
my first time watching John Wick, it may not even be my tenth time
watching. Never-the-less, I will never pass up a chance to see it, or its
sequels. If you are an action fan and you haven’t given John Wick your
attention, you need to re-evaluate your life.
Cat’s Point of View:
I was a little shocked
to realize that we hadn’t reviewed John Wick before. This is one of my favorite
action franchises of all time.
Not only is the
production star-studded, but everything is executed seemingly flawlessly. The
story makes sense – even as crazy as it is. The stunt-work and fight
choreography are out of this world. The cinematography is well done and
captures some amazing visuals. The story is also very interesting – especially
with all the lore regarding The High Table and The Continental, itself. Of
course, you need to watch through all of the films in the franchise to see all
of the layers that have been peeled back for each of those points of interest –
but John Wick is an excellent start that gives just enough to whet your
appetite for more.
Forget The Matrix (1999) and its
sequels - Keanu Reeves (Replicas, Toy Story 4, Bill & Ted Face the Music)
was born to play this titular role. I think this character is just as iconic as
Neo was. The films about technology run amok and simulations were just the
early stages of Reeves dipping his feet into high quality action waters. The
John Wick movies offer us a veteran in his prime executing 90% of his own
stunts. Reeves is a badass, and also a phenomenal human being.
Of course, there are
other heavy hitters among this cast – and the list just grows with every
subsequent installment of the story. For this first John Wick film, however, we
have Ian McShane (Hellboy, American Gods, Kung Fu Panda 4) and the late
Lance Reddick (Godzilla vs. Kong, Bosch, The Legend of Vox Machina)
setting the tone for The Continental moving forward. Willem Dafoe’s (The
Northman, Inside, Poor Things) character gives us a glimpse further into
this world of contract killers and the fine line between adversary and ally.
Alfie Allen (Game of Thrones, Jojo Rabbit, Nightwalkers) might be the
source of John Wick’s ire in the film, but we can thank his character for
making these stories possible through his bad decisions. There are
many more recognizable cast members, as well. I couldn’t’ fault any of the
performances if I tried.
I loved every moment of
this crazy roller-coaster ride…even when I was sad for the pain that Reeves’
character goes through on an emotional level.
If you enjoy action
movies and haven’t seen the John Wick movies yet, you’ll absolutely want to
start with this first installment. I’m pretty sure you’ll want to keep going. I
know I do. In the meantime, I’ll be over here crossing my fingers there will be
a 5th installment.
Rotten Tomatoes Critic
Score – 86%
Rotten Tomatoes Audience
Score – 81%
Metascore – 68%
Metacritic User Score – 8.1/10
IMDB Score – 7.4/10
Trust the Dice: Selina’s
Rating – 5/5
Trust the Dice: Cat’s
Rating – 5/5
Movie Trailer:
