The bad guys in the new action-thriller John Wick learn the hard way not to violate a universal commandment: Don’t mess with a man’s dog.
By the time the bodies have been cleared, it’s obvious an army of Russian mobsters is no match for a beagle puppy.
The title character is played by a grizzled Keanu Reeves, no longer resembling Ted’s peach-cheeked, starry-eyed excellent adventurer. Now at a wizened 50, Reeves still has Neo’s athleticism and agility, as well as Liam Neeson’s middle-age thirst for revenge.
David Leitch and Chad Stahelski are credited with directing John Wick from Derek Kolstad’s script. The directors bring a love for action and acrobatics obviously honed by their years as stuntmen. But they also bring an eye for detail and a sardonic approach that surprisingly elevates an otherwise formulaic film.
A few days after Wick loses his wife, his only consolation seems to come in driving around in his 1969 Mustang and in playing with the beagle she left him. Russian mobsters break in his house one night and brutalize him, kill the puppy, and steal the car.
Wick recovers in record time and begins the track-down that takes up the remainder of the film. When the Russian mob boss discovers the involvement of his son, he warns him about the supposedly retired Wick: “He wasn’t the boogeyman but the one you sent to kill the boogeyman.”
Wick then goes about justifying his reputation as the directors choreograph a flurry of chaotic fight scenes punctuated by novel executions or pauses for wry asides delivered through terse, laconic dialogue. The sequences take place in a succession of otherworldly settings, the kind found only on movie sets.
Leitch and Stahelski periodically pause for the small bits of “business” that make their movie more fun than similar fare, such as The Equalizer. Close attention has also been paid to the film’s acute use of sound, as it accentuates certain elements, bringing, when needed, a sense of menace, chaos or uncertainty.
While at times it seems the only person in the film is Reeves, Willem Dafoe plays a self-appointed guardian angel, Ian McShane brings flavor to a small role, and Adrianne Palicki appears as Wick’s obligatory female opposition.
And for anyone thinking of beagle adoption, may we recommend a local group: www.dfwbeaglebuddies.org.
BOO ALLEN is an award-winning film critic who has worked for the Denton Record-Chronicle for more than 20 years. He lives in Dallas.
MOVIE RATING
John Wick
***
Rated R, 101 minutes.
Opens Friday.
