<Review by: Sailesh Ghelani>

Directed by David Leitch, Chad Stahelski. Starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Dean Winters, Lance Reddick

I enjoyed this film far more than I did Interstellar or the critically acclaimed Boyhood. John Wick is thrilling, witty, primal and wonderfully composed.

Some have called it the best action movie in years while others have derided it. I for one enjoyed John Wick thoroughly. From its opening scene as John Wick (Keanu Reeves) stumbles out of a beaten up SUV all bloodied and near death to the flashback of what occurred prior to his state of helplessness, the film is tightly woven tension.

Wick has just lost his wife (Bridget Moynahan) and is grieving. He received a parting gift from his late wife but that ‘hope’ and his prized car are both taken from him in a violent act of a spoilt son (Alfie Allen) of an underworld boss (Michael Nyqvist). But he doesn’t know who he has just pissed off. John Wick isn’t just a bereaved husband.

From then on the film is a cat-and-mouse chase with Wick looking for vengeance and his enemies trying to bump him off before he gets to them. A contract is put out on him. But an army of men seem to be child’s play for him as he dexterously ploughs through them with dry wit and ferocious flair.

The music by Tyler Bates and Joel J Richard works its way up to a frenzied thumping that goes so brilliantly well with the action scenes it’s almost like art. You sort of get the feel of the action scenes in Kill Bill (well not as arty though).

Keanu has sort of gone off the radar over the last few years. His last film (47 Ronin) and performance were yawn inducing. In John Wick he fits the role perfectly. One because the script doesn’t give him too much dialogue and two because his brooding eyes and almost-staccato delivery are a perfect fit for this movie. All the other actors including Michael Nyqvist, Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane, Adrianne Palicki and Lance Reddick are perfect additions to balance the film’s otherwise grim plot.

The tongue-in-cheek dialogue, furiously fun action scenes and ‘welfare of animals’ taken to a whole new level make John Wick a must see film.