John Wick

     There is no way that you can rank the best action films of all time without John Wick being in the mix. It was the dark horse that came out and blew everyone away and essentially started the Keanussance that we are currently in. If we are being honest with ourselves, Keanu Reeves has always been a prominent figure in cinema with epic classics such as Point Break, Speed, and the Matrix trilogy, but this character and film is what launched him into absolute superstardom as one of the most badass characters of all time. I have not really tackled any action films up until now, and I realized that there was no better starting point than John Wick because it essentially revolutionized the genre. Let us take a look, shall we?

            First and foremost, Keanu Reeves is John Wick. There is not another actor in the world that I can picture playing that character. The two have merged into one incredible badass and Reeves just does a phenomenal job with the character and with bringing him to life. Without Reeves, this film does not reach the level of impact that it has. Honestly, I can go on and on about how great Keanu is in this, and justifiably so, but a lot of credit for this film also needs to go to everyone involved behind the scenes because everything from the writing, to the stunt coordination, to the cinematography, the direction, the music, it is all amazing and works amazingly well. One of the things that first caught my eye when watching this was how fluid everything looked. I have gotten used to watching action films that use an overwhelming amount of shaky cam to try to simulate excitement, but this does not do that. It uses a steady cam and transitions through its shots beautifully. Despite the steady cam, everything is still exciting because the fight sequences are just phenomenally coordinated and the actors and stuntpeople do a tremendous job with the execution. Also, and this may seem insignificant, but the accurate reloads on the guns is just a nice touch. We have all been there when we watch action movies where we have thought to ourselves “alright, there is no way he has any bullets left”, so to see the characters reload as often as they do is a subtle but excellent addition.

            Behind the scenes features aside, this film also just nails character introduction. The introduction to the John Wick character is one of the best bits of storytelling ever. A simple story where not a lot of details are shared, but just from that simple story you understand how dangerous and feared the character is. Everything about that scene is perfect and the late Michael Nyqvist did a tremendous job delivering it. It gives me chills every time. The rest of the story is practically irrelevant because this is mainly about the action and the kills, which is just about my only complaint that I have regarding the film. Thankfully, that issue is patched up in the sequel, but I cannot disregard it here. All things considered, this is still one of the most gorgeous looking action films and it launched an amazing franchise that has given us three quality films and one of the most memorable characters ever created. Highly quotable, highly entertaining, the film is a delight. Official Rating: 4 Stars.