Keanu Reeves might not possess the sheer bulk of cinema’s other legendary action stars such as Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sylvester Stallone and Dwayne Johnson, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t one of the best to ever punch a hapless henchman in the face or gun down a series of faceless goons in epic and spectacular fashion.
Point Break, Speed and The Matrix are without a doubt three of the most entertaining action classics of the last 30 years, but Reeves somehow added even more excellence to his repertoire when he first suited up as John Wick. On paper, the idea of a revenge flick motivated by a retired hitman spurred back into action by the murder of his dog is pretty flimsy as far as plots go, but the finished product was an altogether different matter.
Longtime stunt performers David Leitch and Chad Stahelski stepped behind the camera to helm John Wick, and put their decades of experience to phenomenal use, crafting a balletic combination of fistfights and shootouts brimming with visual style that once again saw the leading man reinforce his action hero credentials.
Just like that, a franchise was born, with the fourth and fifth installments still penciled in to start shooting back to back at some point this year. Third outing Parabellum, meanwhile, which cemented the brand as a major series by earning over $326 million at the box office and continuing the hot streak of critical acclaim, is proving to be massively popular on Hulu this week, cracking into the Top 10 most-watched list and showing us that there are few things that deliver comfort food for the eyes quite like watching John Wick do what he does best in highly accomplished set pieces.
Published: Feb 22, 2021 03:25 pm