John Wick

Instead of going to see John Wick, Bill and I went to see Big Hero 6. So I should probably head this as: 

Big Hero 6

Ha, just kidding (although based on reviews and previews, I would not be averse to Big Hero 6, but only in about 6 months once I've downloaded it can see it from the comfort of my chair in my room in my house, where I won't have to go outside in winter).

As I've told a few people, John Wick is the story of how Keanu Reeves solves his problems with violence. Usually guns, but occasionally savage beatings as well. Maybe a few stabbings thrown in there too, just for variety. While the joke would be to use one word to describe this movie, and that word would be "Whoa", the actual word used to describe this movie is "Cool." Maybe not "Cool!" like The Raid (or its sequel) but "Cool."

They do some really good action in this movie. It's not the amazingly over-the-top stuff I've seen in a few other movies, but it's still quite an adrenaline rush. Which isn't quite the surprise it could be, since this movie was directed by stunt people. As if they just took a look at their careers and said "Yeah, let's put as much of that on film as we can." Which I guess means shootouts in a wide variety of locales (homes, clubs, parking lots, churches).

I like a lot of the little stuff they did in the movie. One of the running gags is that John Wick (Reeves) is retired, but still knows everybody in the business. "John." "Clarence. Why don't you take the night off?" "Thanks." Or "Harry." "John." "Sorry about your [spoiler]." "Thanks." Everywhere he goes, he knows the people there, as if all contracts killers know all the other contract killers, and they all go to exclusive clubs who only cater to contract killers (oh yeah, and no one's allowed to do any contract killing at the exclusive clubs, despite the fact they are filled to the brim with people who are hired to kill, and whose only job is, in fact, to kill).

Also, all of these characters are played by "That Guys", so that was fun. Theon Greyjoy shows up from Game of Thrones as a prick, so he has to be careful not to be typecast. Ian McShane is the proprietor of a hotel, where Lance Reddick is the receptionist. You'll know him from everything. Clarke Peters plays another guest, and I know him from Person of Interest. Bridget Moynahan has a small role. Dean "the Vulture" Winters drops by from Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Willem Dafoe has a supporting Role. John Leguizamo shows up near the beginning. Bridget Regan is a bartender when she's not on White Collar. Adrianne Palicki is here as a hit-woman, and you may know her from Friday NightLights, or GI Joe: Retaliation, or from several stories about how hard the new Wonder Woman show will tank (it will tank so hard it never made it to air).

Anyway, they also throw in some other things. There's a cleaning crew that shows up, and is paid in gold coins, which is apparently the currency in this weird, assassin underground where everyone knows your name.

The only thing I didn't like about the movie, other than the slow beginning, is the name. John Wick. Is there any full name movie that you'd want to see? Evan and I had a conversation about this. John Wick. John Carter. Jack Reacher. They'd all be better off as single name movies. Wick. Carter (or Carter of Mars). Reacher. If we didn't have 20 years of good feelings for it, would you see a movie called Forrest Gump only based on its title? Stallone seems to have acknowledged this early, with Rocky, but then he went ahead and called one Rocky Balboa, which, in a vacuum, I would not see. Mind you, I didn't see it in real life either, so there's that.

So, complaints aside, it's a good, solid movie, filled with action and violence. Just the way I like it. I'd rate it as a theatre movie.