John Wick (2014)

 ☆ ☆ ☆ ½

John Wick (2014) – C. Stahelski

This film has spawned a couple of sequels so I thought I would check to see what the fuss was about (seven years later). First of all, it seems to have helped to foment a resurgence in the career of Keanu Reeves (surname probably not necessary) – and he certainly struts his stuff as a true action hero, suggesting his Matrix moves were no put on. Second, this is ultra-violent stuff, perhaps in the mould of John Woo’s Hard-Boiled (1992)– yes, that kind of balletic violence – but Keanu’s Wick is a less charitable killer than Chow Yun-Fat’s Tequila. Wick is a hit-man after all, coming out of retirement to exact his revenge on the Russian mafia tsar, son, and minions who have stolen his car and killed his dog. Expect execution-styled violence, not for the squeamish. Third, the film is stylishly directed, like a videogame, and has some humorous moments, based on the fact that Keanu is an unstoppable killing machine (one-man army).  So, it’s designed to be a total adrenalin rush but somehow I can’t divorce the feeling that I am watching people get killed (even if they are bad amoral people or, in fact, fictional non-entities) and this results in an ambivalent response. Could this sort of film be bad for society?