Why John Wick is the best action movie in
recent memory
“IT’S A SIMPLE STORY, DONE REALLY WELL”
“Gunfights? Check. Fighting? Check.
Fighting and guns at the same time with gun kung-fu? Big check.”
“The action in John Wick is nothing short
of badass. Brutal, pulse-pounding, and that perfect level of thrilling that
makes you want to scream “That was awesome!” at the screen constantly.”
“Action movies these days are suffering
from a terrible affliction. Filmmakers these days seem to be hell bent on
shooting action as if the cameraman is constantly sneezing, and then editing
everything so quickly that you not only can’t see anything, you feel like you
might go into epileptic shock.”
“You get to gloriously see its action in
all its deserved glory. How refreshing.”
“It has an incredibly rich, fun world you
wouldn’t expect from such a small flick.”
“The sub-world it creates –accessible only
to assassins, criminals, and gangsters who have their own rules, cliques, and
currency – is as fun to watch as the action itself. It’s like being temporarily
granted VIP access to a place you didn’t even know existed.”
“It just happens to be a place that could
probably kill you in two seconds.”
John Wick: Chapter 2” May Be The Best
Action Film Of The Decade (So Far)
“From the opening set-piece involving
massive amounts of gunplay, vehicular combat, and hand-to-hand, everyone
involved strives and succeeds to make “John Wick: Chapter 2” even more bonkers
than the first.”
“In a way, the world of “John Wick” feels
very comic book-y, and that comes complete with the badass protagonist and
visual panache to match.”
“Cinematographer, Dan Lautsen, supplements
Reeves’s central performance with a stylized look that feels unique from most
other action films. The neon-colored camerawork gives an abstract surrealism
that reinforces the awesomely bizarre world of the flick.”
“Yes, even crazier than “Mad Max: Fury
Road.””
““John Wick: Chapter 2” is a delicate
ballet of violence that truly to be seen to be believed. Every headshot feels
like a shot of adrenaline, and I have no idea how Stahelski and Reeves will
ever be able to top it.”
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movies of all time
Review: ‘John Wick: Chapter 2,’ a Roman
Holiday With Shots Not Sparks
“That means almost doubling the body count
as John (Keanu Reeves, still superstoic and hyper-pliable) is once again yanked
out of seclusion, this time to fulfill a debt to an Italian mobster by killing
the mobster’s sister (Claudia Gerini).”
“John might remind you of James Bond, but
he has no interest in the honeys.”
COMMENTS SECTION
“The idea that he cares for so little, in
my mind, makes the love he had for his wife, dog, and car even more powerful.”
“so many head shots; it reminded me of a
video game”
“This seems to be the formula for every
sequel; more blood, guts, or special effects. The characters, dialogue, and
plot become lost in the spectacle. The first had a nice streamlined feel and
originality to it, like the first Terminator.”
WHAT PARENTS NEED TO KNOW, USER REVIEWS, WHAT'S THE STORY?, IS IT ANY GOOD?, TALK TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT ..., MOVIE DETAILS
“Gun Fu, Car Fu, Kung Fu, all up to 11!
Minimal BS Shakey cam, great coreography, compelling world building, cathartic
violence, gloriously escalating stakes (OMG THE ENDING) and More building of a
Badass main character.”
“Violence is extreme with head popping like
grapes from pistols and shotgun blasts and walls and floors being painted red
pink and black from spraying, pooling and jetting blood.”
“heres even a cringeinducing slow wrist
slitting suicide as well as a gloriously nasty double pencil kill. Its all
stylized, fast and comic book like which somewhat alieviates the ghoulishness.”
“Perhaps because they're a welcome break
from the nonstop violence, the witty, sometimes weirdly funny moments that
thread through the film (and the series -- the first John Wick was similar) are
all the more appealing.”
“Not more than five minutes (okay, maybe 10
in one spot) pass in between fights, confrontations, and face-offs.”
John Wick: Chapter 2 Review - JOHN WICK:
CHAPTER 2 DELIVERS PLENTY MORE OF WHAT FANS WANT, WHILE FLESHING OUT THE
PROPERTY’S MYTHOLOGY AND LORE IN FASCINATING WAYS.
“John Wick: Chapter 2 is the sequel to the
surprise 2014 sleeper hit John Wick, which impressed many viewers with its
“gun-fu” action sequences and sense of world-building reminiscent of comic book
universes.”
“top-notch stunts and camera work, fulling
engrossing the audience in the action without relying on quick cuts or shaky
cam to simulate intensity.”
“Additionally, the story is a bit
slower-paced this time around and takes some time before it gets going, as
John’s motivations are established.”
“The sequel doesn’t have as strong an
emotional hook as the first movie, but the stakes are still high enough to keep
viewers invested and never lose interest.”
“In the end, John Wick: Chapter 2 is
precisely what fans of the first movie wanted when the sequel was announced.”
“Many of the new concepts introduced to the
assassin world feel organic, and the breathtaking action will leave viewers
wanting more. Though some may wonder what else Stahelski and company can do
with the core premise, Chapter 2 presents a number of intriguing possibilities
for future installments, and it will be interesting to see where they decide to
take it.”
‘John Wick: Chapter 2’: Stylish,
hyperviolent, and almost irrationally satisfying.
“the legend has probably been “watered
down” from reality, as one bad guy ruefully notes”
“Instead of a Russian mobster, John is
pitted against an Italian killer (Riccardo Scamarcio), who has once again
forced the film’s antihero out of retirement.”
“He has a real genius for action, but not
much else. That’s where his screenwriter, Derek Kolstad, comes in.”
“It isn’t easy to explain the appeal of the
“John Wick” movies, and they are inarguably not for every taste, but there is a
purity to them that transcends their barbarity and has something to do with the
central character.”
Film Review: ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’
As in 2014's surprise hit, this elegantly
choreographed action sequel elevates its brutal confrontations to a dazzling
form of modern dance.
“The John Wick movies accomplish what Hong
Kong action flicks did a quarter-century ago, seducing bloodthirsty
(predominately male) audiences into appreciating an exquisitely choreographed
modern ballet.”
“Ironically, the John Wick introduced at
the outset of this movie sincerely believes he’s done with violence. Except
we’re dealing with Keanu Reeves here, and though he’s acrobatic enough to meet
the physical demands of the role, the actor has never in his career managed to
convey complex emotion”
“dropping 76 (or more) dead bodies along
the way”
JOHN WICK 2 FILM REVIEW: Mouthy mobster
Iosef (Allen) steals a stranger’s car, beats the crap out of him and kills his
dog, just for the hell of it. Unfortunately for Iosef, the stranger was retired
assassin and infamous underworld boogeyman, John Wick (Reeves). And now he’s
pissed.
“Like the best Cantonese Gun Fu, every
exchange of lead in John Wick is painstakingly mapped out and executed with
silky smooth precision. Reeves glides through moves with practiced ease,
rolling, ducking and grappling like a bearded ninja, only throwing bullet rain
instead of punches.”
“the plot is not without charm and as with
the action, Derek Kolstad’s script boasts a confident exuberance.”
John Wick review
“Keanu Reeves’s zonked acting style only
works in juxtaposition with funny dialogue, but this film is humourless,
violent and generic”
“this is a pretty humourless and violent
film, which grinds on and on with more and more gleaming black SUVs getting
trashed”
A John Wick 'expanded universe' –
Hollywood's most idiotic idea yet?
Transcript of Action- Codes and Conventions
“Sound affects/ music: High drum beat/
intense music, explosions, gun shots, running,screaming, car engines.”
“Use of colour/ Lighting: Lighting is
mostly scene lighting such as daylight, searchlights, and street lamps. Often
dark colours like brown and black are worn to make the characters more
suspicious but the main protagonist and heroes are often wearing white to make
them stand out from the others.”
“Setting: These movies usually take place
in cities, built up urban areas. specific locations can be something like
skyscrapers to underground tunnels, flats, warehouses, roads, police stations,
cars, casinos, the sky and banks.”
“Camera shots: There tends to be very fast
paced shots in actions films. including close ups to show emotion. Establishing
shots are important to show where the action is taking place, usually these
shots are done from helicopters. Tracking shots are also very common when there
are chase scenes to capture it and to make you feel apart of it.”
“Themes: Good vs bad, family issues,
revenge, death, car chases, gun fights.”
“Action film with a fast-moving plot,
usually containing scenes of violence, it is a film genre in which one or more
heroes are put into a series of challenges that typically include physical
threats, extended fight scenes, violence, and frantic chases.”
Transcript of Action Movie Conventions
“Themes: Good vs Bad, Family Issues,
Vigilantes vs Cops, Revenge, Getting the girl, Death, Black vs White, Car
chase, Gun Fights, Threatening”
“Visual Style: often dark colours like
brown and black to make the characters more suspicious, but the main
protagonist and heroes are often wearing white to make them stand out from the
others”
“All camera shots are fast paced and there
tends to be a lot of close up shots to show the expression on the characters
faces”
“Action movies are generally set in cities
and other built up urban areas. This generally done as when rushing past
building you get a better sense of speed and action than you would if you were
rushing through the countryside”
Film genre
“Films that are difficult to categorize
into a genre are often less successful. As such, film genres are also useful in
the areas of marketing, film criticism and the analysis of consumption.”
“Many genres have built-in audiences and
corresponding publications that support them, such as magazines and websites.”
“A film genre is a motion picture category
based on similarities in either the narrative elements or the emotional
response to the film (namely, serious, comic, etc.).”
“Films can also be classified by the
setting, theme, topic, mood, format, target audience or budget. The setting is
the environment where the story and action take place (e.g., a war film, a
Western film, or a space opera film)”
Genre
Theory: Action
HISTORY
“Away from Hollywood, Akira Kurosawa’s
Seven Samurai (1954) is possibly the most influential movie of all time,
spawning some key action and narrative practices all in a single film; such as
the slow-motion battle sequence, the reluctant hero, and recruiting heroes to
accomplish a goal.”
“James Bond (1960s – present) series has
since had a significant change in tone in the Daniel Craig era to fall more in
line with grittier counterpart Jason Bourne but played a huge role in
establishing its own conventions born out of classical storytelling. Q and M,
the gadgets, the Bond girls, the evil genius bad guy, the henchmen sharing a
name with a famous cinematic shark (no, not -nado)… Bond is also famed for some
of the more memorable and wry action set-pieces”
THEMES
“Universal themes under the bigger premises
naturally see action movies fall into the realms of sci-fi, and giving us some
of both genre’s most notable works.”
ACTION
CODES AND CONVENTIONS
“John McClane, John Rambo, John Matrix,
John Wick, John Spartan (there’s a lot of Johns); the action hero is an
everyman thrown into an extraordinary situation. Of course, they’re rarely your
average guy. Typically ex-Special Forces, assassins, NYPD, post-apocalyptic
Road Warrior (a Max) or has a very particular set of skills. ie. finding you
and killing you, to paraphrase a non-John. Often reluctant to take that ‘one
last job’, it’s when those closest to them are targeted that the springboard
for our hero to make a decision becomes primed…”
“The action movie does tend to have an
unfair reputation as ‘mindless entertainment’ – merely tapping into primal
needs of survival and protection of loved ones with a “Yippee Kay Yay” or an
“I’ll be back” just to remind us all the killing is all in good fun.”
“The antagonists can typically be
intellectually superior but no match for the hero physically. Henchmen can
provide the hero with their most challenging battle”
“Action movies don’t typically concern
themselves with any great philosophical or political message. Though often set
against contemporary political backdrops, shooting the bad guy of the day is
often as far as the message extends. After, of course, we have listened to
their diabolical plan in full.”
Directors/Cast/Crew
The
genre is home to some legendary cinematic heroes and cult icons:
“Arnold Schwarzenegger: Easily the most
recognisable action star. Total Recall, Predator (1987), Commando, Terminator,
The Running Man (1987) – the face of the action/sci-fi, and the master of
deadpan delivery while holding a massive gun.”
“Shane Black: Highly influential writer
combining stylish and clever action set pieces with humour and humility –
Lethal Weapon (1987), Last Action Hero (1993), Iron Man 3 (2013). Will be
directing 2018’s The Predator.”
“Sylvester Stallone: Action star and auteur
in his own right – prolific in helping to develop the genre in front of, and
behind the camera, over a 40 year period. Followed the conventions and cliches
from Rocky/Rambo through to Demolition Man through to the ridiculous
self-referential The Expendables (2010) movies.”
“John McTiernan: Director of seminal action
movies – Die Hard, Die Hard: With a Vengeance (1995), Predator, The Hunt For
Red October (1990), Last Action Hero.”
Notable
Works
“Con Air (1997), John Wick (2014), Face/Off
(1997), Point Break (1991), RoboCop (1987), Battle Royale (2000), Leon (1994) –
they all conform to and own the genre in such unique and interesting ways.”
Action
Sub-genres
“The themes and conventions of the genre
spill out right across cinema into many sub-genres. The crossover between action
and war is incredibly well trodden, as is action/sci- fi, action/adventure and
the action/comedy.”
“Men had over 37,000 dialogues; women had just over 15,000”
“Male dialogue
contained more words related to achievement, death, and more swear words than
the dialogue scripted for women.”
3 Ways John Wick is Deeper Than
You Realized
Let us take,
for example, the gold coins.
“Yes, these gold coins are in reference to those gold
coins, the ones you trade to Charon to travel into the land of the dead. This
is a reinforcement of an earlier scene in which John calls Charlie to get rid
of twelve dead bodies and pays one gold coin for each of the bodies taken from
his home.”
How about
color in John Wick?
“John
Wick is a masterclass in visual storytelling and effectively uses
both objects and color palettes to enhance their narrative and identify their
unique characters.”
“It is a flawless action movie that avoids shaky-cam and instead goes
for wide shots to give the audience a solid spatial relationship to the sets.
As an art film, it is an excellent one that creatively uses the tropes of
action movies on sets filled with character to introduce fully-realized people
reacting to their own tragic destinies.”
Male dominance in action films
The Strong Silent
Type
“He
doesn’t talk much; words aren’t really his thing. He never asks questions and
he doesn’t answer many, either. Nobody knows what’s going on inside his head…
until it’s violence o’clock”
“Then
he’s expressive, all right; he’ll express a dozen people to death, never saying
a word except for a trenchant quip here and there.”
“It is a
serious problem that this stereotype is so popular; it encourages boys to hone
their imagined ninja skills rather than their ability to express themselves.”
“while
I’d never disparage the noble art of ninjutsu, I personally have solved way
fewer problems in my life by assassinating them than by asking someone to
clarify their point”
The
Badass Loner
“He
rides into town out of nowhere, his past mysterious, his manner tough and
aloof. ”
“There’s a touch of violence to him, but his effortless aura of
cool makes him irresistible to the ladies.”
“This is one of those things that people keep
doing because it worked really well once. So every time someone tries to write (or god forbid,
actually be) the Badass Loner, they think they’re going to get this:”
“There is a noun in German, backpfeifengesicht, which translates as “a face
that needs a fist in it”. The above picture is why that word exists.”
Study: Stereotypes About Gender, Race, and Age Still Abound
in Film
“One of those props that ended up confusing some audience
members or being dismissed as a joke, this is actually probably the kludgiest
and most obvious piece of symbolism in the movie. I’ll give you a hint: to stay
at The Continental, a hotel filled with assassins (and other criminals?), John
trades one of the coins to the hotel manager. This character’s name is never
spoken but the credits call him Charon.”
“The
use of color in John
Wick is very deliberate. John himself is generally presented in greens or blues,
Viggo and other characters drawing John back in to the assassin life are
presented in reds, and characters who represent the hope of John’s escape from
that life (Helen, Daisy, and Marcus) generally have gold color schemes.
(Helen’s gold bracelet, Daisy’s gold tag, and everything about Marcus’s
clothes, lighting, and home decor.)”
Pretty
wild, right?
“We are cursed, you and I,” Viggo tells John, and John replies, “on
that, we agree.”
“What
an excellent debut from directors Stahelski and Leitch.”
In the
‘John Wick’ movies, the women are dead and the men are trapped
“But if “John Wick” and
its recently released sequel “John Wick: Chapter 2” are the future, the
social milieu they describe and the ideas about men and women that animate the
films have a distinctly nostalgic streak”
“he result is a feel-bad
vibe that puts us in an intriguing position. Just when Wick thinks he’s out, we
side with the movie’s villains to pull him back in, rooting for a masculine
ideal that’s as destructive as it is glamorous.”
“Gianna
is the most prominent and best-developed of the “John Wick” women who die while
attempting to make it in the male-dominated field of stylish crime.”
“hat
said, the “John Wick” movies generally suggest that for all its stylish
trappings, membership in this men’s fraternity can be more of a trap than a
privilege.”
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