JOHN WICK

US, 2014, 101 minutes, Colour.
Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palecki, Bridget Moynihan, John Leguizamo, Ian Mc Shane.
Directed by David Leitch, Chad Stahelski.

John Wick is a violent film. It is the story of a hitman, now retired, whose wife has died and he is in grief. When he is accosted at a service station by a smug and stupid son of a Russian gangster boss who wants his car and comes to his home to steal it, he goes into action. With balletic style, he shoots all the intruders and begins another journey of vengeance.

This is a film for fans of action shows, many of the bloggers calling it the coolest film of the year! Audiences who do not like a violent plot let alone continuous violent action, would be best warned to leave this film be.

It is a star vehicle for Keanu Reeves. For several decades, Reeves has had a penchant for action films. We think of him as Neo in the Matrix series. In more recent times he has appeared in martial arts films like 47 Ronin and Man of Tai Chi which he also directed. While his John Wick is a particularly American character, his dark clothes, his lithe movements, almost balletic as he moves, aims and fires all at once with deadly success, are a reminder of martial arts.

The villain of the peace, the Russian, is played by Michael Nyqvist who made an impact in the Swedish version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and has now come to appear in a number of American films, Abduction, Mission Impossible 4. He gives a strong performance which gives a little more depth to the film. His wayward and self-indulgent son is played by British actor, Alfie Allen.

One of the interesting features is that a number of actors appear in cameo roles, including Willem Dafoe as another hitman, Ian Mc Shane as the manager of a club of hit-persons, John Leguizamo as the manager of a garage. An original feature of the film is a hotel in central New York which is not as it initially seems. The guests are all assassins who work by a code, administered by Ian Mc Shane. There is a solemn concierge who makes all the arrangements, especially for a service entitled “dinner reservations” which is key to ordering a company of “cleaners” who come in and restore a bloody crime scene back to normal.

While there is a lot of brutality about the film, there is a certain fascination with the story, the motives of vengeance of the retired hitman and the enigmatic style with which Keanu Reeves plays his roles.

1. A New York crime film? Russian Mafia? Hitmen?

2. An action film, the work of Keanu Reeves? Hitmen, vengeance, body count, balletic style? Musical score?

3. The focus on John Wick, his wife, love for her, collapse, her death? The dog in his grief? His car? Audience sympathy for him? At the garage, Iosef and his group, defying Wick, coming to his home, the attack, killing the dog, taking the car, the character of Iosef, going to the garage, meeting Aurelio, learning who John Wick was?

4. Viggo, the Russian patriarch, his henchmen and advisers, his son and warning him, yet loving him? The past, employing Wick? Wick’s visit, discussion, seemingly friendly? Viggo and putting up the contract? Contacting Marcus? Ms Perkins? The other gangland figures?

5. Keanu Reeves as John Wick, retired, his past, silent, and morose, the attack on his house, killing all the intruders, collecting the shells, phoning for dinner reservations and the cleaners coming to put the house in order? his going to the hotel? His friendship with Marcus: his coming to the funeral? Meeting Ms Perkins at the hotel?

6. The concierge, service, the rooms, the assassins at the hotel, the rules? The dinner reservations for cleaning up crime scenes?

7. Winston, at the club, the rules, meeting with John, the information, referring him to the club to find Iosef?

8. The club, the atmosphere, the members, the staff, the shootings, John not killing Iosef?

9. Marcus, lining up the rifle from the window? Ms Perkins and her attack, the discussions, Marcus killing her? The consequences? Viggo, the torture, fight, death?

10. John, tracking down Viggo, the confrontation, the cars, death?

11. Winston, Ms Perkins, her death, disobeying the rules of the hotel?

12. The line between violence and brutality in this kind of film?