{"id":47242,"date":"2025-04-11T12:00:16","date_gmt":"2025-04-11T16:00:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=47242"},"modified":"2025-04-13T19:29:57","modified_gmt":"2025-04-13T23:29:57","slug":"john-wick-2014-action-packed-april","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2025\/04\/11\/john-wick-2014-action-packed-april\/","title":{"rendered":"John Wick (2014) [Action Packed April]"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A retired assassin comes back to the front underworld he left behind in order to avenge his dead puppy, a gift from his deceased wife, in John Wick, one of the greatest modern action films ever made.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It’s been talked about for years, analyzed to death, and has spawned sequels, spinoffs, a television series and a video game. But none of them can quite capture the greatness of that very first installment.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>As is the case with most any great franchise, the first is always the best. But in the case of John Wick, even the weakest additions are fantastic outings, all thanks to the amazing foundation that was built by the first film. Introducing us to just enough tantalizing details of this world that runs parallel to our own to keep you intrigued and hooked, and without falling into some of the pitfalls that often sink an action movie before it has a chance to shine, John Wick, and its titular character, are enthralling from start to finish. You simply can’t turn your eyes away from the screen, and the fact it has staying power still left in it 10 years on is a testament to how wonderful the film is.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>With Chad Stahelski in the director’s chair making an absolutely stunning directorial debut after years of taking bullets and falls for the stars as a stuntman, and Derek Kolstad penning a fantastically tight and well thought out script, John Wick managed to change everything we thought we knew about the action genre. And all for the better, too.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Bringing Keanu Reeves out of a bit of an acting slump speckled with direct to DVD outings, romantic shlock about magic mailboxes, and *shudders* 47 Ronin, John Wick thrust him back into the spotlight and finally cemented him as one of those \u201cHollywood favorites\u201d like he always deserved. Supported by the always fantastic Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane and John Leguizamo, and featuring the late Michael Nvquist and Lance Reddick, both gone far too soon, the stellar cast only helps amplify both the story itself and the depth of the characters and world in which it’s set. This cast would only be expanded upon with future installments, but nothing beats these initial characters and how they bring us into the salacious and dark lives they live and breathe, even beyond the scope of the film.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Utilizing a cool toned finish to illustrate just how cold this world is for both the viewer and John himself, and with sweeping shots of the city interspersed with tight angles on action sequences, the cinematography is just as much a character as every part of the film. And with amazing stunt and fight choreography ranging from flashlight lit hallways to nightclubs and even car chases that feel like a fistfight, were introduced to a character who can be both quiet, and terrifyingly filled with rage when the time comes for it.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Launching a franchise that was a breath of fresh air into the otherwise by the books and tired genre of action, John Wick is here to stay, and I couldn’t be more thrilled. Keanu Reeves is a beloved star and a wonderful human being, and I will go see any film he decides to make, in this franchise or otherwise.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I just hope that his knees can handle it.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A retired assassin comes back to the front underworld he left behind in order to avenge his dead puppy, a gift from his deceased wife, in John Wick, one of the greatest modern action films ever made.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12],"tags":[58],"class_list":["post-47242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-action"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/30"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=47242"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47243,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47242\/revisions\/47243"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=47242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=47242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=47242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}