Revenge done right

Whatever you do, DON'T set him off

I had John Wick under my radar back when I first heard about it in early 2014. Sadly, I didn't have the opportunity to see it when it ran in theaters (it stayed for only two months in the theaters close to where I live). As a fan of revenge-driven tales and action movies paying homage to classic kung-fu cinema, I sprung on the first chance I got to check out John Wick and I'm glad to say I wasn't the least bit disappointed. The story starts out with John (Keanu Reeves) bloodied and wounded, looking at an old video recording of his wife on his phone. Turns out John is an ex-assassin who left the underworld so he could start a new life with his wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan). Sadly, after some time, she dies from an unspecified disease. Afterwards, John receives a 

puppy as a post-mortem gift from Helen, as a way of keeping him from wallowing in grief of her death, and as a way of having peace with himself. John eventually grows fond of the puppy, even taking it for a ride on his vintage Mustang. Making a pit stop at a gas station, John confronts several Russian gang members, where their leader Iosef (Alfie Allen) takes an interest in John's car and persistently offers to buy it. John shoots his offer down much to his dismay and drives off; unbeknownst to him the Russians follow him home, beating him up in the middle of the night and kill his puppy before stealing his car. What ensues next is John's inevitable

rampage and the beginning of the movie's body count. John Wick doesn't mess with the revenge formula too much; it does do some parts differently but it all still feels familiar. The movie knows exactly what it's suppose to be and it's here where the movie truly shines. It's clear the movie borrows several influences from anime and westerns (particularly Sergio Leone's films), finding a perfect balance between creating an image for itself and paying respect to previous classics. The action scenes are the major highlight of the film;  fluid and relentless, they're some of the most inventive set pieces in recent years. Reeves proves that age is just a number as he nimbly and briskly manages and works his way

"John Wick wasn't exactly the boogeyman. He's the one you sent to kill the f****** boogeyman".

during the movie's many fight scenes with prestige. John Wick is the kind of action movie that doesn't do anything new to improve the revenge formula or try to be different for the sake of being unique. It's the kind of movie that does it just right and nothing more; and for that, not much else is needed to make the film all the more enjoyable (besides maybe a bowl of chips and a drink). Without question John Wick will become a cult classic, and with talks of a sequel already in the works, there's no doubt it'll become the next big action franchise.

-Reviewed by Razor, 2/6/2015