John Wick
Years since retiring from the criminal world in hopes of starting a normal life assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is pulled back into the fold on personal business. Affronted by his former employer and employer’s son (Michael Nyqvist and Alfie Allen) John’s inner monster is awoken to unleash retribution as only the world’s toughest hit man can. But friends can be foes in this game of cat and mouse, what of colleagues Marcus (Willem Dafoe) and Ms. Perkins (Adrianne Palicki), and what about the code that all reapers are bound to live by?
Drawing loosely on ideas of Greek mythology Writer Derek Kolstad and Directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski have painted the dark and hyper-violent world of death bringers in an oddly seductive and alluring way– bringing all the action and suspense audiences should expect, and then tipping the scales even a little more. Albeit, dialogue throughout is a bit thin and accompanying subtitles are goofy, but let’s face it, we’re not here to listen to Homer, we’re here to watch bullets fly, cars crash, and things explode, check, check, and check. Stylized action, that swings right in Reeves’s wheelhouse delivering a ridiculously high body count, you know exactly what you’re getting. And, from what we’re left with, perhaps a franchise? Worth your action dollar, John Wick is rated R.