The technical promise JOHN WICK shows is rapidly eclipsed by mediocre writing
Director: Chad Stahelski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Mikael Nyqvist, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters
Rating: 15
Running time: 101 mins
Release date: 10th April 2015
JOHN WICK’s premise is as follows – a former hit-man (played by the reliably inert Keanu Reeves), seeks revenge after he’s wronged, not once, but twice. If this sounds familiar, then brace yourself. The film’s narrative is dogged by clichés and derivative plotting. The story is free of surprises, red herrings, or twists and character motivations function purely as expositional trigger points. JOHN WICK IS an unfortunate textbook example of what happens when a promising, first time director opts to film a second-rate script.
Stuntman-turned-director, Chad Stahelski, however, engenders a curious style, notable for its visual flair. The film has a blue-grey metallic sheen to it and backgrounds are often cluttered with vivid imagery. It has an adult graphic novel feel, while avoiding the hyper-real excesses of a SIN CITY or SUCKER PUNCH. Inventive camera work sets scenes in subtle fashion. A solemn bird’s-eye view of bunched umbrella tops in rain; an establishing tilt zoom to a sniper position, all belie its loud, brash nature.
Stahelski’s choice of soundtrack is well measured and knowledgeable. He compiles an impressive array of hard rock, electronica, and industrial tunes, which blend into the mood and rhythm of the action scenes. Due to his background as a stuntman, his command of the violent set-pieces is adroit, contributing personal experience to the choreographed violence on display. One long take scene in a Nightclub is particularly impressive, reminiscent of the slicker Hong-Kong actioners of the 80s and 90s. Keanu Reeves rolls back the years to his turn in THE MATRIX: ducking, diving, and meting out his brand of justice to the pounding of the bass.
Yet the film’s malformed narrative is a train wreck. The plausibility of its skeletal script is tested early on. Of all the people Losef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) – the wayward son of a mob boss – could have decided to rob, he picks a lethal hitman, Wick, who was employed by his father before he retired. Furthermore, Wick takes a trip to the correct cut-and-shut car operation to find out who stole his car. It’s all just too convenient to be believable. This kind of lazy plotting toys with, and ultimately breaks, the suspension of disbelief. It’s an insult to the audience’s intelligence.
Sadly, the script is also blighted with awkward dialogue that descends into parody at times. Decent character actors like Willem Dafoe and Dean Winters are wasted talent here, lumbered with inconsequential, two dimensional bit parts. The acting does not flatter the writing and vice versa. Keanu Reeves is typically flat and robotically stoic, demonstrating no range of emotion, making it difficult to invest in his predicament. Alfie Allen is thoroughly unconvincing as the antagonist minor. He’s miscast, most likely due to star power gained from a reoccurring role in the popular HBO series, GAME OF THRONES. Mikael Nyqvist’s Viggo Tarasov is a commendable try even though as an arch-villain he fails to convey the menace his role requires.
What technical promise JOHN WICK shows is rapidly eclipsed by Kolstad’s mediocre writing. The film lacks ambition, often resolving loose ends in an abrupt, care-free fashion. There’s little here that hasn’t been done better elsewhere. The unresponsive Keanu Reeves continues to baffle in yet another unfulfilling actioner where nothing is said about very much. John Wick’s world is one where blood is cheap and friends are non-existent, it’s a film that courts a trendy cynicism pervasive in modern actioners, boring long before the credits roll.
Verdict
