By: Pierce Brenner
Staff Writer

Rating: 4.5/5

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a retired assassin turned grieving widower. Everything goes to pot when a trio of Russian mobsters (led by Game of Thrones’ Alfie Allen) break into his house, steal his car and kill his puppy, the final gift from his wife. Fueled by vengeance, John decides to get revenge on the men who destroyed the last good thing in his life.

I never heard of John Wick until about two months ago, and I, like most people, was just waiting for a crapfest; however, the trailer completely won me over. It was cool, fun and looked like it could be Keanu Reeves’ return to form. Sure enough, I was totally right. John Wick is awesome, and, other than Gone Girl, better than any movie out right now.

If you can expect one thing from a typical Keanu Reeves film, it’s action. Well, the action in John Wick is terrific, probably some of the best I’ve seen all year. Director Chad Stahelski’s background in stunt coordination is obvious, with the action being well choreographed and well shot. It’s also violent and gritty, with a great deal more blood than we’ve come to expect in this Marvel-dominated landscape. It’s a nice change of pace to see a great action movie that also lets all hell break loose.

I’m generally pretty cold toward Keanu Reeves as an actor, but if he’s put in the right role he can work towards the benefit of the film. John Wick is one of those roles. He’s a vengeful, heartbroken badass who has lost everything that matters to him- not very emotional or talkative- but very good at charming, fighting and killing. In short, this role plays to Reeves’ strengths and lets him do what he does best.

The supporting cast is also quite good. Michael Nyqvist (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Mission: Impossible- Ghost Protocol) and Alfie Allen are well cast as a father-son mobster duo, with Nyqvist playing the cool, responsible one, and Allen being hot-headed and more than a little foolish. The other standout is Ian McShane as Winston, who runs the Continental Hotel- a place where hitmen go to cool off after a hard job.

There’s also a lot of good, subtle humor as well. A lot of the best bits come from the fact that all the mobsters are so scared of John Wick. The best part is that none of it is accidental. John Wick could’ve been one of those movies that was ‘so stupid it’s funny,’ but thankfully avoids that trap and becomes a genuinely funny movie.

John Wick is a fast-paced, fun, funny and thrilling ride that almost never falters. Although I didn’t even know it existed until very recently, it ended up being a wonderful experience and one of the defining films of 2014. Let’s hope Keanu Reeves can parlay this into a revitalized career.