John Wick

Greetings, John Wick is a neo-noir film from 2014 which was directed by Chad Stahleski and David Leitch. The music was composed by Tyler Bates who also had roles in creating the soundtrack for other famous movies such as 300, the Guardians of the Galaxy as well as its upcoming sequel. John Wick stars well-known actors including Keanu Reeves as the titular character, Willem Dafoe, Michael Nyqvist and Alfie Allen among other cast members. A sequel titled John Wick: Chapter Two has also been planned and is hoped to be released in 2017, which could potentially lead the way to other sequels in the future.

The plot begins with a retired assassin called John Wick losing his wife, Helen, to a terminal illness. In order to help John cope with her loss, Helen had prepared for a puppy named Daisy to be delivered to her husband in the event of her death. The puppy was given to John as a means for him to stay emotionally connected and ensure that he wouldn’t suffer through her death alone. Overtime the retired hitman and the puppy developed a special bond, forming a happy relationship until it is disrupted by a chance encounter with the son of a Russian mobster. The son is named Isoef Tarasov, a cocky and entitled young man that believes he can get whatever he wants. John and Isoef’s paths cross at a petrol station when Tarasov puts in an offer to buy Wick’s car, a vintage 69 Mustang. The retired contract killer refuses any attempts to make a deal and the two seem to part ways however John is unaware that Tarasov’s gang followed him back to his house.

During the night, the gang attempt to steal his Mustang but John catches them in the act. The gang have the advantage in numbers as well as the element of surprise and as such they manage to knock him unconscious. Despite this, he remains long enough in a state of drowsiness to see his puppy, Daisy, being killed by Isoef purely out of spite. Wick wakes to find the corpse of Daisy beside him and his Mustang stolen. John decides to pick arms once again to avenge the death of Daisy as well as to reclaim his car. Viggo Tarasov, the Russian gangster and father of Isoef, eventually learns of his son’s actions. He beats his son for his foolish actions and declares that John Wick was his ultimate hitman, nicknamed Baba Yaga or the bogeyman because of Wick’s skill in combat. Realizing the potentially dire consequences for himself, Viggo reaches out to John and extends an offer of peace in order to avoid any conflict. Wick refuses, forcing Viggo to send out a hit squad to John’s house in order to end the situation as quickly as possible. John Wick survives the attack and he escalates the matter by seeking revenge on both Tarasovs.

While the movie is not outstanding in terms of character development or original in its storyline, I did find it visually impressive. The fight or action scenes were well choreographed, more so when John was forced to fight in hand to hand combat against multiple hostiles. Additionally, I found that it was easy to root for John Wick as the protagonist while Isoef Tarasov was successfully portrayed as a dislikeable, cowardly antagonist as the writers had in mind. While I wouldn’t say that this film is an essential experience for movie goers, I did find it to be an enjoyable, if somewhat predictable movie. It is certainly worth a watch if you find yourself in a mood to watch an action film but are at a loss as to what to watch.

Plot=7/10

Characters=7/10

Special Effects=8/10

Overall=7/10

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