10 Best Revenge Movies Of All Time

The Chinese spelling of kung fu is gung fu. In John Wick, Keanu Reeves practices an alternative, 'gun fu'. The stylised killing, the precise pacing of gunshots, the relentless rolling combat scenes are all redolent of the greatest martial arts movies. That being said, ever more inventive ways are found to despatch the legions of Russian gangsters as Wick works his way through an entire gang, with a body count only exceeded by the two sequels.

The revenge motivation here is that gangsters steal Reeves' car and more importantly, kill the puppy that his recently deceased wife bought for him. Early in Reeves' career it would have seemed unlikely that he'd wind up as one of the premier actors in the action genre, having made his name in comedies and a handful of arthouse flicks. The Matrix turned that around and now with John Wick, Reeves has two bona fide franchises to his name.

To his credit, Keanu looks perfectly at home trading stylised martial arts moves as if he'd spent a lifetime studying them. Credit must also go to the fight choreographer, Jonathan Eusebio, who trained under Bruce Lee's number one student, Dan Inosanto, in Jeet Kune Do, the style Lee conceptualised and developed. Eusebio's meticulous choreography found its perfect foil in Keanu Reeves.