Genre Guesstimation – John Wick (2014) – Encore Review

The idea behind this feature (Genre Guesstimation) is for me to watch a bunch of new movies (or ones that I haven’t seen many times) from the chosen monthly GG genre in order to expand my knowledge of movies within that particular genre.

This month’s genre has been chosen by DJ Valentine of Simplistic Reviews and we will be reviewing our favorite Reluctant Hero Movies.

Please get me your submissions by the 25th of May by sending them to reluctantdj@movierob.net

Try to think out of the box! Great choice DJ!

Let’s see if I felt that this movie would be worthy of being in the company of my others favorite movies in the genre of Reluctant Hero Movies..…

“I’d like to make a dinner reservation for 12.” – John Wick

Number of Times Seen – Twice (11 Feb 2015 and 21 May 2020)

Link to original review – Here

Brief Synopsis – A former hitman is drawn back into the world of crime after his car is stolen and his dog is murdered by Russian gangsters.

My Take on it – I wasn’t he biggest fan of this film when I saw it years ago, and avoided watching the sequels until now.

I’m quite glad that I decided to give the entire series a chance and watching all 3 films in a row enhanced the experience even more.

This is a great action film that is ale to work on numerous levels and stays entertaining throughout.

The film’s biggest asset is the choreography of the fight scenes which are so intricate and this helps make it so much fun to watch.

The fight scenes and interactions between the various characters is done so well and adds so much to this very simple story.

Despite the plot not being very deep, they still find a way to draw the viewer in to things and keep them entertained throughout.

The film’s special effects are also great to watch because they find a way to utilize them so well here in order to allow the story to move so fluidly form scene to scene.

Keanu Reeves made a name for himself as an action star in the 90’s and once again has proven how effective he can be in this genre especially when given the right material.

In addition to Reeves, the supporting cast is also superb and they help make us believe that there really is an underworld subculture that has been able to create their own crime world with rules and regulation for everything that they do.

This sub-world is create in a very intricate way and they make it all seem quite plausible and realistic that it exists.

Bottom Line – Great action film that works on so many levels. The choreography of it all is truly amazing to watch because of the way the fights all play out and how the characters interact. The plot is a simple one yet is still able to draw the viewer in to such an enjoyable viewing experience. The special effects are perfectly utilized here to make it all move so smoothly along. Reeves is able to once again show that he can be a powerful action star when given the right material. The supporting cast is also superb here and they are able to create a complete subculture of the crime world that is intricately put together and makes us completely believe that such an underworld can actually exist. Recommended!

Genre Grandeur Worthy? – Comes pretty close John Wick is a great reluctant hero drawn back into a world he wanted so hard to stay away from.

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – According to the directors’ commentary, when they shot the top-level nightclub fight sequence, Keanu Reeves had the flu, and was running a 104° Fahrenheit fever. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10) (slight upgrade from original review)