Movies: John Wick

(Drivebycuriosity) - Former friends can become fierce foes - and revenge makes it worse. This is the story of "John Wick" (imdb). The movie shows how of a former associate of New York`s Russian mafia begins fighting them after a severe insult.

"JW" is a fast paced action movie, bloody & violent. But what can you expect when you have to deal with the Russian mafia. The movie reminds me of the films by John Woo and Luc Besson ("Leon: The Professional"). There is not much plot behind it. You can see that director Chad Stahelski has a kick-boxing background. The Hollywood newcomer focused on well choreographed and sleek action scenes. There are many quotes from other films and I had the impression to watch a condensate of hundreds of action movies. Although many scenes are hilarious they are well done and furious. And it was really fun to watch how one lonely guy roughs up the Russian mafia. I also enjoyed the many cool shots from nightly Manhattan & Brooklyn.

Keanu Reeves shows that age has treated him well. He looked fit and tougher than I remembered him, I guess he had exercised a lot for this role. Michael Nyqvist, as the czar of New York`s Russian mafia, radiated the necessary evil serenity. It was fun to watch Adrianne Palicki as the "bad pussy" and William Dafoe, who looked more weathered than ever, is getting more and more cool over the time.

If you like contemporary action cinema you might get your kick from "John Wick".

PS The image above is "Chikatsusei Maunkinshi (Golden Wings Brushing the Clouds Incarnated from Earthly Wide Star)" by Shiraga Kazuo. I took the pic @ Art Institute Chicago