(film review) - John Wick

In film, sometimes the best stories are the ones that are the simpliest.  I can't think of any to hand, but if push comes to shove and of late, maybe Mad Max: Fury Road.  For the spectacle that it is, from what I understood from the story of that particular movie, Max is in a situation and he needs to get from point A to point B. Meets someone along the way who wants to go to point D and he's not too sure about them, but decides to travel with them to help them while they both desperately try to escape an ever engaging and relentless force chasing them.
John Wick, well, not quite like that but simple enough with even less moving parts to the story.

The general synopsis is, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a retired family man.  After his wife contracts a terminal illness and leaves John a dog to remember her by, John is soon confronted by Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen), the son of Viggo Tarasov, the head of the Russian crime syndicate in New York. He offers to buy John's car but John respectfully declines.  Iosef then actively finds John, breaches his home, beats him up, kills the dog and takes the car.  From that point on, John is forced to go back to his old ways and seek revenge for not only taking his car....but for killing his dog.  You see this in the trailer and it really couldn't get any simpler.  And who would have thought how exciting and entertaining that premise is?

It is difficult not to spoil this movie, well if it can actually be spoiled, because there isn't any twists and turns. There isn't anything too riveting or anything to really spoil, other than a man going on a mission to seek vengeance on a dead dog...I mean, it really is THAT linear and considering the circumstances, that dog WAS really cute.  However this movie is executed (Get it?) very well and does exactly what it says on the tin with finesse.  This movie also works very well with the lore and world it creates making you want to know more about this world and how it works.  How the cogs turn and how vast it may expand.

A neo-noir action thriller directed by Chad Stahelski that gives you nothing but fight scene after fight scene after fight scene after brutal kills after fight scene after more brutal kills after even more brutal kills and with most, if not ALL kills ending with a headshot or two.  I mean, I am missing one element from this movie which I will hold close to my chest as a spoiler, but it's nothing big at all, but kind of explains Keanu's character and  provides a little effectiveness for this review, I guess. 

In essence , you could look at this as a superhero movie or comic book movie although it is very grounded in reality, does come across as a graphic novel.  This movie is written very, very well, especially if you like colours and style.  If you like a simple revenge flick where 1 man takes on an army of people (almost like Judge Dredd in a Tower taking on many foes to get to the end boss), then this movie is definitely for you.  Or Raid, did you watch Raid? Blimey!