Synopsis
John Wick is a 2014 action thriller film and marks the directorial debut of Chad Stahelski, who also co-wrote the film with Derek Kolstad. It consists of a simple yet revengeful storyline with intricate details and is the origin of one of the most iconic action movie series of all time, starring Keanu Reeves.
John Wick is a retired assassin and lives a quiet life. He is a widower and his wife, Helen, succumbed to an illness. Helen, in the final moments of her life, showed her love by gifting a puppy named Daisy, who served as a source of comfort and motivation to John. John begins to reconnect with life by going on peaceful drives in his 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1.
A group of Russian gangsters blows apart this peace by breaking into John’s house. They kill Daisy and steal his car. Iosef Tarasov, the gang’s leader and the son of crime lord Viggo Tarasov, is unaware of John’s true identity. Iosef, boasts of his ‘accomplishments.’ He actually made grave mistake as later revealed by his father, “He’s not the boogeyman,” explained Viggo, “he’s the man you send to kill the boogeyman.”
With nothing left to lose, John Wick is done living the life of an ordinary man. He returns to a society of assassins, an underground world of strict codes, safe havens, and honor systems. This is the world he now seeks to dismantle piece by piece. John hunts Iosef down across New York City, leading to a revenge-fueled rampage, dismantling Viggo’s criminal empire. John Wick includes a multitude of violent confrontations, with the close-quarters gunfights, tactical martial arts, and knife battles, masterfully choreographed and stylized.
In the end, John corners Iosef and kills him, which triggers a final standoff with Viggo. The fight is a brutal, rain-soaked brawl that is a mixture of clawing, hitting, and grappling. John, wounded and tired, manages to win. The film concludes with John breaking into the veterinary clinic to attend to his injuries, adopting a pit bull puppy that was scheduled to be euthanized. This act represents a cautious new start in his life.
Main Cast & Characters
Keanu Reeves as John Wick – Wick is a retired assassin who had put away his weapons when he fell in love. Reeves plays Wick as a quiet but deeply emotional character, blending grief and rage into an unyielding resolve. John’s physicality and commitment to the role, as he performed the majority of his stunts and fight scenes, adds to the character’s realism.
Michael Nyqvist as Viggo Tarasov – A powerful Russian mob boss, and John’s ex-employer. He had a layered role, and showed a blend of fear and ruthlessness, which was done skillfully by Nyqvist.
Alfie Allen as Iosef Tarasov – The son of Tarasov, he was arrogant and reckless, which leads to his casting. His violent actions set off a chain of events that serve as the film’s plot.
Willem Dafoe as Marcus – A custom sniper and assassin, Marcus is a long-time friend of John’s, who offered a contract to kill him, but turned out to be loyal instead.
Adrianne Palicki as Ms. Perkins
A fellow assassin who breaks the rules for selfish motives and reaps harsh penalties.
Ian McShane as Winston
The protagonist’s character openly integrates the audience to the complex world-building of the assassin underworld. The owner of the continental hotel, a safe zone for assassins, filled with his charismatic and McShane performance.
Lance Reddick as Charon
The polite yet strict continental concierge. He courteous yet stern character enforces the assassin world’s etiquette.
Themes and Symbolism
Grief and Redemption
At its core, John Wick focuses on grief, rather than mere revenge. The primary suffering character John Wick’s emotional dam breaks when his loved one, Helen, passes.
Companion, Daisy, his puppy, signifies, the last piece of tranquility his life held.
The loss of his pooch further signifies enduring suffering.
Strictures, Respect, and Results
This film is further enhanced by the concealed assassin society, which operates on stringent regulations. The continental hotel is a safe space that is off limits to violence. Breaking the law, as Perkins does, leads to execution. This aspect thickens the plot by developing an entire fantasy world not completely explored.
Violence as an Art Form
John Wick considers violence as thoughtless action. The mixing of firearms and martial arts into “gun-fu” creates a brutal ballet of destruction. Each fight is systematic, aesthetic, and orderly. This particular styling of violence differentiates John Wick from other action movies.
Visual Style and Direction
Chad Stahelski’s experience as a stunt coordinator gives the film a refined kinetic elegance. Each fight scene is shot with long takes rather than quick cuts or a shaky camera. This permits the audience to take in the action and artistry of the choreography.
Cool blues and warm neons take center stage as frames for the Wick’s world, outlining emotional states and transitions. In particular, the entrance to the nightclubs and the underworld hideouts is juxtaposed with John’s house, which has a warm and melancholic, somber tone. The former exudes a melancholic tone while the latter is bursting with energy.
Reception and Legacy
John Wick as a whole received positive reviews. Critics commended Reeves for his performance as John Wick, the action was considered over-the-top in a great way, and the world-building received high marks. The film was received as a breathe of fresh air when compared to the CGI filled blockbuster movies with tired plots.
Even though the movie didn’t have a great box office opening, it earned a strong following from word-of-mouth and was later gained from home release. The movie went on to gross over $86 million dollars worldwide while only spending $20 million dollars, for a budget, making it a sleeper hit.
The film’s widespread popularity resulted in a new John Wick franchise, including sequels, a prequel television series titled The Continental, a Spin-off film called Ballerina, and even a prequel which sparked a new era of Keanu Reeves as a future action star.
From my perspective, John Wick goes beyond the conventional revenge narrative, With the elegant visuals, intense yet graceful action, and the intense yet understated world-building, John Wick really reshapes the bar for the action genre. Even though the movie is action-heavy, the emotions surrounding John’s loss and grief electrifies every moment of violence.
In my eyes, Reeves crafted one of his best performances by single-handedly breathing life into his character. Reeves is become even more famous for this performance as he became the supporting character to over extravagant action sequences to which the film does not shy away from.
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