John Wick (2014)

What do you get when you cross Chuck Norris and the Winter Soldier? You get John Wick. The genius of the movie is they set up the emotional drive for John. It’s a simple revenge story but introduces a world John has been in for decades. There is a perfect balance of action with sprinkles of levity to bring your heart rate down a bit. Every character feels like an important piece. There isn’t a big waste on gun fodder, but there is plenty of focus on those close to John. There are even moments that show how serious and respectable this assassination organization is in this world. But can we please get some Fs in the chat for the doggo? He was a happy good boy and Theon decided to kill it. It is a star-studded cast and a great start to an action franchise. It felt slow at some points but overall was a wild ride. Plus, seeing all the training Keanu did for the film pay off was such a spectacle to watch. Just sucks he gets stormtrooper aim when it comes to a big central character. This whole thing keeps it simple and shows a killing machine doing his thing. I highly recommend it if you are a fan of action movies.

Story - 18%

Characters - 20%

Pacing - 16%

Spectacle - 20%

Entertainment - 18%

Total score: 92%

Grade scale:

90%-100% = must watch

80%-89% = solid, but could be better

70%-79% = Not terrible, watch if the characters or story interests you

60%-69% = only watch for completionist reasons

0%-59% = just skip it, I find the positives and they don't exist here