With ‘John Wick’ Keanu Reeves becomes the action star we can finally pay attention to
by Shimbo
On the surface, there’s no reason under the sun that a movie like John Wick should work as well as it does, but the reasons stare us right in the face throughout the hour and 40 minute run time.
As action films go, there isn’t much that hasn’t been featured in other films, but instead of an homage, John Wick feels like an evolution of those tropes you find in action-packed revenge fantasies. With a plot that is bare bones at best, the film isn’t afraid to use familiar situations and devices in a way that doesn’t distract as much as it enriches the story.
Surprisingly, the film takes an unexpected cue from Pixar’s Up in an opening montage that introduces the viewer not just to John Wick, but also his pain. Besides the fact that it mirrors that now classic montage, it manages to deliver a similar emotional wallop, something you don’t see in similar action fare.
And it’s not just an evolution of story, either. Playing the title character, Keanu Reeves undergoes an evolution of his own as an action star. Gone are the days of the wide-eyed, aloof Reeves, who seemed to stumble through action fare almost detached from the material; what remains is an action anti-hero who seems light years ahead compared to his previous roles.
If there is another star in the film by first-time directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, it would have to be the absolutely sumptuous visuals, something that sets John Wick apart from similar films, but then that’s a solid indicator of everything about the film. The use of bright colors amongst the shadows gives the film a distinct comic book feel, which fits right along with the sort of violence that is dealt out with precision and a mild gaudiness that is somehow very appropriate.
John Wick is a movie that’s been made on the cheap a million different ways, and yet taking basic characters and casting them with quality actors gives a depth and feeling that makes the film look like it cost more than it did, and in a significant way, using solid players like Willem Dafoe and Ian McShane in what are essentially glorified cameos elevates the film beyond its pulpy roots. It also serves as a throwback to late 60’s revenge flicks like Point Blank where quality actors showed up in small roles with the benefit of giving everything an added weight.
That the film was co-directed by veteran stuntmen is not insignificant, as the action and resulting violence in John Wick carries with it a fluidity and kinetic nature not seen since the days of The Matrix. They make violence look good, while also making it look pretty real. Each gunshot is delivered with a balance of fantasy and crushing reality, never feeling completely hollow as the body count rises through the roof. Couple that with a Derek Kolstad script that never takes itself too seriously, while keeping the humor as deadly as the gunfights.
What sets John Wick apart from the average hit-man or revenge flick is the way all the qualities I just mentioned are folded in so seamlessly, not unlike a well-baked cake. We’ve all had cake before, the ingredients are pretty much what they’re always going to be, but raise the quality of the ingredients, and bake with care, and what results will always taste better than what you’d find in a cheap supermarket. This is a lower-budget film that feels like it was made with three times the budget, and it works in a way it probably shouldn’t. This is the red velvet butter cream cake of ass kicking revenge movies.
In an interview this week with Indiewire, Reeves lamented the lack of roles offered to him by the studios. After John Wick, producers would be wise to give him another look. Keanu Reeves at 50 doesn’t look a day over 35, yet brings to the table a maturity and gravity that makes for maybe not the action hero we want, but certainly the one audiences absolutely deserve.
John Wick is an energetic film you’ll want to revisit more than once, if just to take in the flawless visuals, explosive action, razor-sharp wit or performances that bleed (pun intended) with the right type of cool. Do yourself a favor and make this hit man number one with a bullet.
Hashim R. Hathaway (Uncle Shimbo) is the host of the Never Daunted Radio Network, and proud father to NeverDaunted.Net. You can reach him on Twitter @NeverDauntedNet