Movie Review: John Wick

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Similar to Taken and The Equalizer, John Wick is another good, satisfying action-packed, badass, stylish revenge action film. The film starts off at a fast pace and never stops. Many would ask: Who is John Wick? John Wick is a man of few words. The film doesn't spend much time on Wick's backstory or character development. It lets the action to do the talking. Every single action sequence in the film shows who he really is - his effective and efficient marksmanship was excellent. It shows he's focused, committed, persistent and ruthless when in pursuit of a target.

John Wick is a retired professional legendary ex-assassin for the Russian mob. He's "The One" that mob bosses normally hire to execute other assassins. He helped a Russian mob boss to control a city and then retired later after falling in love with a woman. After his wife died of illness, he's all alone without any meaning or purpose in life. However, his wife bought him a puppy to get over his grief. Unfortunately, some thugs come to his house, beat him badly, kills his dog and steal his car to sell for money. What a huge mistake. The irony is the one who did this is actually the son of the Russian mob boss whom he helped to build his empire. What follows next is obvious, to take one body after another until he gets what he wants - revenge.

As mentioned earlier, the story is simple, straightforward and predictable. There's nothing much to say about the dialogues either. However, the execution of the action scenes was splendid. The gunfight action scenes are exaggerated but feel authentic at the same time. This is one of the few action films where people actually aim at their target before they shoot. The fight scenes are well-choreographed and well-filmed without the irritating shaky-cam techniques used by many action films nowadays. The film is honest and it doesn't strive to be something more than what it is.

The film also have some fascinating world-building concepts as well. There are rules and ethics in this world of organized crime and assassins...everything in this dark world comes with a price. It's a secret society where all assassins can go to rest and relax in a luxurious hotel where they trade using only gold coins for payment or exchanging information. There's also a policy which strictly states that no "business" is allowed within the premises of the hotel or face severe punishment afterwards. This might feel like I'm spoiling plot details, but rest assured, the reason why you should watch this film is not because of the plot, character development or dialogues, but for the cool, stylish action. It's the action that does the talking. It's silly, but fun nonetheless.

It's a pure, honest action entertainment. Action junkies would certainly love this one. If you want good and slow drama buildup, decent acting with catchy dialogues, then watch The Equalizer. But, John Wick has a nice mix of charm and doesn't disappoint. Remember, John Wick kills an entire army of Russian mobsters, all because his dog was killed and his car was stolen. Don't mess with him. Period.



Rating: 7.5/10



Viggo (Russian mob boss): I heard you struck my son today.
Aureilo: Yes, sir, I did.
Viggo (Russian mob boss): May I ask why? (asking in a frustrating manner)
Aureilo: Well, sir, he stole John Wick's car and, uh, killed his dog.
Viggo (Russian mob boss): ...Oh. (shuts his phone off. LMFAO...)

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