John Wick (2014)

Written by John Chard on April 5, 2016

Woof!

Keanu Reeves is the John Wick of the title, a grieving one man army who gets tipped over the edge when gangsters kill his dog. Carnage ensues.

The paying public do like a good revenge flick, there have been plenty this last couple of decades, and they do go down well. Once the set-up has been staged - Wick grieves at the loss of his loved one - gets some small joy via a pet - only to have that snatched away from him, then the film becomes a joyously unstoppable actioner.

Wick, in good hands with a moody and beefy Reeves (face fuzz strange, though) strong in presence, cuts a swathe through the gangland eastern blockers. And that's pretty much it! Characterisations are thin on the ground, it's a bit nutty and of course preposterous, but boy is it fun. There you go, a box office winning actioner without pretensions. Enjoy. 7/10