John Wick movie review & film summary (2014) | Roger Ebert (2024)

Just when John Wick thought he was out, they pull him backin.

It’s the tried-and-true formula of one last job/heist/assignment. A longtime bad guy leaves the life of crime in pursuit of peace and quiet, butnaturally gets dragged back to his old haunts and habits to settle a finalscore. But “John Wick” breathes exhilarating life into this tiredpremise, thanks to some dazzling action choreography, stylish visuals and–most importantly–a vintage anti-hero performance from Keanu Reeves.

Toward the end of the film, a menacing Russian mobster remarksthat the veteran hit man John Wick looks very much like the John Wick of old.Keanu Reeves looks very much like the Keanu Reeves of old, as well. Elegantlyhandsome and athletically lean, he looks fantastic at 50 and is comfortably,securely back in action-star mode. Not that he’s been gone that long–or deviatedthat much from his persona–but this later-stage butt-kicking does call tomind Liam Neeson’s recent resurgence in movies like “Taken,” “The Grey” and“Non-Stop.”

After all these years, though, he’s still quintessentiallyKeanu. He radiates a Zen-like calm which makes him simultaneously elusive and irresistible,especially in the face of great mayhem. There’s still a boyish quality to hisface but it belies the wisdom of his years. He’s smarter than he looks but he’sin no great hurry to go out of his way to prove it to you–at least, not onscreen. He just … is.

A character like John Wick is right in Reeves’ wheelhousebecause it allows him to be coolly, almost mythically confident, yet deliver anamusing, deadpan one-liner with detached precision. (This is when traces of theplayful characters of his youth–Ted “Theodore” Logan and Johnny Utah–take amoment to surface.) But when the time comes–and it comes often in “John Wick”–he can deliver with a graceful yet powerful physicality.

Soon after the death of his wife (Bridget Moynahan)–thewoman whose love inspired him to retire from his life as an expert assassin–Wickreceives an unwelcome visit to his minimalist, modern mansion in the middle ofthe night. Russian bad guys have come to steal his prized 1969 Mustang–andthey kill his dog in the process. The latter act is horrifying in itself;what’s even worse is that the adorable beagle puppy, Daisy, was a posthumousgift to John from his dying wife, who knew he’d need someone else to love.

(Moynahan’s character, by the way, is barely even a person.She’s an image on a smartphone video clip–a body lying in a hospital bed,suffering from an unspecified disease. She's an idea. But her loss provides Wick with amelancholy that lingers over his demeanor and every decision he makes.)

Wick wastes no time unearthing his stashed arsenal andseeking revenge. It turns out that the group’s reckless, young leader, Iosef(Alfie Allen), is the son of a former associate of Wick’s: mob boss ViggoTarasov (a sophisticated but scary Michael Nyqvist), who is fully aware ofWick’s killing capacity. Also in the mix is Willem Dafoe as an expert sniperwho may or may not be on Wick’s side. Once the premise is established in thescript from Derek Kolstad, it’s scene after scene of Wick taking out entirerooms full of people who are foolish enough to stand in his way. This is notexactly a complicated genre from a narrative perspective.

But directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch–who work asa filmmaking team, although Leitch technically takes producing credit–areboth veteran stuntmen who clearly know what they’re doing when it comes to thiskind of balletic action. Stahelski got his break 20 years ago when he served asa stunt double following Brandon Lee’s deadly accident while shooting “TheCrow” and went on to perform as Reeves’ stunt double in “The Matrix” trilogy. Leitch’swork includes doubling for Brad Pitt (in “Fight Club” and “Mr. and Mrs. Smith”)and Matt Damon (in “The Bourne Ultimatum”).

All those years of experience and exposure give their film alevel of confidence you don’t ordinarily see in first-time directors. They’resmart enough to let the intricate choreography speak for itself. They let thefight scenes play out without relying on a lot of nauseating shaky-cam orCuisinart edits, which sadly have become the aesthetic standard of late.

But beyond the exquisite brutality they put on display,they’ve also got an eye for artistry, with cinematographer Jonathan Selahelping convey an ominous sense of underworld suspense. Early scenes are so crisplydesaturated, they look black and white, from the cloudy, rainy skies overWick’s wife’s funeral to his head-to-toe wardrobe to his sleek, slate-grayMustang. As Wick begins to re-immerse himself in the criminal world he’descaped, other scenes pop in their vibrancy–the deep green of a secret,members-only co*cktail bar, or the rich red of a Russian bad guy’s shirt underan impeccably tailored suit.

While the body count grows numbing and repetitive, “JohnWick” actually is more compelling in the aesthetically heightened, specificallydetailed world it depicts. It’s the New York City of the here and now, butWick, his fellow assassins and other sundry nefarious sorts occupytheir own parallel version of it, with its own peculiar rules which almost seemquaint. They have their own currency: gold coins reminiscent of pirates’doubloons, which can be used for goods and services or just as thanks for afavor. And they frequent an upscale, downtown hotel and bar called TheContinental (Lance Reddick from “The Wire” is the unflappably polite manager),a sort of safe zone where protocol dictates that peace prevails, and wherekilling is cause for dismissal. The courtliness of it all provides an amusingand welcome contrast to the non-stop carnage.

You can check out any time you'd like, it seems, but you can never leave.