Wait - Keanu Reeves made a movie that wasnt terrible? An action movie that wasnt terrible? An action movie where he didnt play Neo that wasnt terrible? Stop the presses. Hold the phones. Call the Academy. Weve got a winner! Okay, so maybe thats all a bit hyperbolic. But judging the movie purely on its initial reception, one wouldnt be wrong to think that John Wick represented the second coming of 80s-style shoot-em-ups: at present, the film holds an astonishing 85% on RottenTomatoes. Look, theres no denying that John Wick has style to spare; directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski, making their directorial debuts here, were previously fight choreographers on The Matrix trilogy, and the influence shows: theres a distinct clarity to the action scenes that is becoming less and less common among todays action films. And admittedly, when compared to Reeves prior output, (Seven Samurai or Man Of Tai Chi) John Wick is certainly a step up. But is it the best American action movie in a few years, as Tim Brayton of Dark Horizons puts it? Or one of the best revenge thrillers in a long time, as asserted by Felix Vasquez Jr. of Cinema Crazed? Is it really, as Jeffrey Lyles attests, a smarter than average action spectacle thats one of the best of the genre? Come on. John Wick is a fast-paced, completely acceptable actioner that just so happens to star Keanu Reeves. Elevating it as anything more than that is crazy.
