John Wick (2014)

I have never been a huge fan of Keanu Reaves -- at first, for the obvious reason (Encino Man), and later, for two related reasons (he only has two expressions: blank-faced or morose). While this "certain set of skills" served him well as the cyperpunk hero Neo (who was either conflicted or just perpetually puzzled, you decide) in The Matrix trilogy, it does little more for him as John Wick, the "retired" Russian mob enforcer. The story setup works to humanize him well enough, but the ensuing many dozens of slaughtered enemies will do little to hold the attention of the female demographic. (Not a good "date movie," fellas. Also, because animal lovers may be traumatized if they are not forewarned, his puppy is killed off-camera, which in large part lights Wick's fuse to rampage.) My youngest son wanted to see this movie because his YouTube-sourced opinions convinced him it had the best martial arts scenes ever. Another reviewer here claims Wick has better scenes than anything with Neeson, Damon, or Statham. I disagree: Anything with Jackie Chan or Jason Statham or Liam Neeson or Matt Damon is kilometers ahead of John Wick, which incidentally further offends me by masking its murky martial arts moves amid dark cellars and compounds. Virtually 99% of this movie is shot at night and in the dark, 99% of its minions are dressed in black, and 99% of the people die -- and perfunctorily at that. To me, the most interesting three minutes in the movie are three scenes where he dialogs with three women, because each in her way nimbly transcends the inescapable Russian macho ethic of "I shoot you before you shoot me": Wick's dying wife, a female assassin, and a bartender ("I've never seen you like this before -- vulnerable"). I'm glad I've seen John Wick, and I may keep thinking about the key characters for a while, but I will always be happy to watch the Transporter, Bourne, and Taken movies, again and again. Enjoy! 3.5 stars. (8-8-2017)