John Wick (Keanu Reeves) used to be a hit man for the mob. He retired when he met the right girl and left that life behind. Before she died from cancer, she left him a gift: a puppy named Daisy. That puppy was all he had left from her, and it was the only thing keeping him from going over the edge and back to the dark side. One night, some punks who wanted to steal his car picked the wrong guy to "set off" as the posters claim. We quickly learn two things: first, those punks weren't just average punks, they were connected to the Russian mob in New York City; and second, Wick wasn't just a hit man, he was the Russian's top hit man who single-handedly took out the competition. The Russian mob boss, Viggo (Michael Nykvist), calls in every available reinforcement to handle his son's blunder. His son says he isn't afraid of John Wick. Viggo corrects him saying, "You should be." Judging by the trailer, Viggo will need all the reinforcements he can find and that still won't be enough in this dark, action-packed revenge thriller.
We've seen movies like this before. Taken starring Liam Neeson in 2008 was about a retired CIA agent who's skills came in very handy in recovering the thugs that kidnapped his daughter in Europe and attempted to sell her into prostitution. Get Carter starring Sylvester Stallone in 2000 was about a Las Vegas mob enforcer looking to avenge his brother's death in Seattle. Payback starring Mel Gibson in 1999 was about an ex-marine crook who was betrayed by his wife and co-bandit taking. Some were done better than others, but they all have some common elements.
One-liners are a must. They're either funny or serious, but they are defining moments of the movie. One of them was already revealed in the trailer for John Wick when he says, "People keep asking me if I'm back. Yeah, I'm thinking I'm back."
Another common trait is really accurate shooting from the one guy we're rooting for and a lot of really bad shooting from the myriad of guys trying to kill the guy we're rooting for. I say the guy we're rooting for instead of good guy because, in movies like these, the guy we're rooting for isn't always the good guy. The better ones carefully choreograph these scenes so you are left impressed with "our guy" and not laughing at a non-intentionally funny moment in the movie at the ridiculous plausibility of his out-gunning his enemies. When "our guy" is surrounded by six combatants who are armed and ready to shoot with their finger on the trigger, he shouldn't be able to take them all out with six single shots without taking a shot himself.
Finally, really good hand-to-hand fights that are believable. Yes, these are all highly trained fighters, but they are all retired. Like the gun-fights I just described, the hand-to-hand scenes need to be just as intricately choreographed to leave us clenching our fists victoriously sharing in the glory of the moment rather than throwing our open hands in the air proclaiming, "Um, what?!"
Keanu Reeves isn't the best actor. I don't think I'm alone in my assessment of his abilities, and I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels that way. But I think Reeves also knows his place in the halls of acting greatness and chooses his roles accordingly. That being said, in spite of his acting short-comings, he has been in several movies that I and millions have enjoyed without walking away proclaiming Reeves deserved an award for his part in the film. Street Kings, the Matrix movies, the Replacements, Devil's Advocate, Speed, Point Break, and obviously Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure are ones that would fall under that category. Thoroughly enjoyable and entertaining without an Oscar-worthy performance from Reeves. However, other movies suffered with Reeves as part of the cast. Dracula, Much Ado About Nothing (fortunately a very small role), the Watcher, and the Day the Earth Stood Still are some that would fall under that particular category. I'm hoping John Wick will be more like the first list than the latter.
From the previews, I have no doubt this will be one of those well-done action-packed movies with some memorable one-liners we'll all be quoting long after we leave the theatre. It looks thoroughly entertaining though not something we'll be surprised about not being nominated for best picture, best acting, or best script. I'm predicting 3.5 stars for John Wick: worth the money in the theatre, probably rent again, but might not make it to my home collection. Am I right? We shall see.
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