John Wick

If John Wick is the best looking action film in recent memory, it's also bolstered by a phenomenal cast of actors who, be they in parts big or small, manage to craft three-dimensional characters out of stock archetypes.

An almost zen-like exercise in wholesale slaughter as abstraction.

Emotions matter little. Story matters less. Morals don't register at all. But the rhythm of the killing creates its own irresistible machine music.

John Wick works because of its sleek, artisanal dovetailing of style and sincerity.

Its saving grace is the sheer operatic excess of the bloodletting.

Just when you have all but given up hope for Keanu Reeves... there comes the hyper-stylised revenge movie John Wick. And you remember what you loved about him in the first place.

Unrefined, stilted, and rough in places, the film’s leanness and coherent action can’t make up for the fact that Keanu Reeves is close to wooden and doesn’t offer much as an actor.

Another aspect of John Wick that is worthy of note is its world-building. Written by Derek Kolstad, the story is full of little details that leave us wondering about this uncanny universe.

The action is undeniably exciting and unconventional, but what really drives the picture is the emotional weight of the story and Reeves' morose performance.

As you would expect from former stunt coordinators, the action scenes are dynamic and that might be enough, but the emotional thread that motivates Chapter One is exceptionally constructed, justifying much of the rage and murder.