John Wick (2014)

An ex-hit-man comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed his dog and took everything from him.

Directors:

Chad Stahelski, David Leitch (uncredited)

Writer:

Derek Kolstad

Stars:

Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen

5 wins & 8 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keanu Reeves	...	John Wick
Michael Nyqvist	...	Viggo Tarasov
Alfie Allen	...	Iosef Tarasov
Willem Dafoe	...	Marcus
Dean Winters	...	Avi
Adrianne Palicki	...	Ms. Perkins
Omer Barnea	...	Gregori
Toby Leonard Moore	...	Victor (as Toby Moore)
Daniel Bernhardt	...	Kirill
Bridget Moynahan	...	Helen
John Leguizamo	...	Aurelio
Ian McShane	...	Winston
Bridget Regan	...	Addy
Lance Reddick	...	Hotel Manager / Charon
Keith Jardine	...	Kuzma

Storyline

With the untimely death of his beloved wife still bitter in his mouth, John Wick, the expert former assassin, receives one final gift from her--a precious keepsake to help John find a new meaning in life now that she is gone. But when the arrogant Russian mob prince, Iosef Tarasov, and his men pay Wick a rather unwelcome visit to rob him of his prized 1969 Mustang and his wife's present, the legendary hitman will be forced to unearth his meticulously concealed identity. Blind with revenge, John will immediately unleash a carefully orchestrated maelstrom of destruction against the sophisticated kingpin, Viggo Tarasov, and his family, who are fully aware of his lethal capacity. Now, only blood can quench the boogeyman's thirst for retribution.

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Plot Keywords:

one man army | vengeance | revenge | professional killer | professional assassin | 

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Taglines:

Don't Set Him Off!

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong and bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Russian Hungarian

Release Date:

24 October 2014 (USA)

Also Known As:

John Wick

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$14,415,922, 26 October 2014

Gross USA:

$43,037,835

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$86,013,056

Company Credits

Production Co:

Summit Entertainment, Thunder Road Pictures, 87Eleven

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital Auro 11.1 Dolby Atmos Datasat

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Adrianne Palicki's character was originally written as a man.

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Goofs

During the gun battle at the pool / night club, the gunshots are CGI. The evidence is twofold: first the smoke dissipates far too quickly - almost instantaneously. With so many shots within an enclosed space, there would be some wafting smoke. Look in slow motion to see number two: the gun blast does not match the trajectory of the shot even if there is blood spatter. An easy illustration is when Wick shoots a guy hiding behind a column, by first shooting him in the toe. The gun blast is not aligned at the foot. There are other examples. It is far less evident that there is a problem, if the blast aligns with the gun, rather than making it explode toward the target. Everyone looks at the gun fire, and then looks to see where the shot hits.

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Quotes

Harry: You've broken the rules. You've done business on Continental grounds, and management does not take kindly to that sort of behavior.
Ms. Perkins: Fuck management.

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Connections

Referenced in Rim of the World (2019)

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Soundtracks

The Drowning
(uncredited)
Performed by Le Castle Vania

User Reviews

The coolest action film you'll see all year

At first glance, John Wick sounds like a terrible film on paper but with the slickness of Keanu Reeves' performance as the titular character and the sheer brilliance in its action sequences, this marks the best action film of the year and one of the absolute best in the past decade. Following a brutal home invasion that leaves his beloved dog murdered by thugs from his past, John Wick vows revenge on the ones who have taken what he loves most. Like I said, on paper, this seems like a direct-to-DVD slopfest starring John Cena but as a film with Keanu Reeves as the lead, it marks the very welcomed return for Reeves to the genre. John Wick is insanely fun, violently brutal and an overall romp especially for those disappointed by The Expendables 3. John Wick is propelled by Tarantino-esque dialog mixed with the swagger of action stars from the 70s. Reeves literally emulates cool in this film and does it with such confidence, that we don't even doubt the character...even when he kills countless bad guys with extreme force in some utterly ridiculous and implausible situations. We don't doubt it for a minute. This is EXACTLY what you want out of an action film. It is briskly paced, brilliantly shot and meticulously choreographed and keeps you wanting more and more. The supporting cast filled with the likes of John Legiuzamo, Ian McShane, and Willen Dafoe also keeps this film very interesting. These guys don't play good guys, hell, John Wick by traditional standards would be a bad guy in any other film. Every character is more ruthless than the next and pushes John Wick to be more ruthless than they are, creating a very cool dynamic between the character and the plot regarding the idea of how far is too far? However, don't expect some revelation from John Wick regarding the morality of bad and evil. This film wants you entertained and does so with brute force, it never lets up, not even for a second. One scene in particular that will have your blood pumping is a showdown between thugs and Wick in a nightclub. This action sequence remains the best in the film and will have you grasping your theater seat because of the sheer intensity of it. Overall, John Wick is slick, violent fun that turns into a remarkable, surprising film that will catch you off guard. It is THAT good. I highly recommend this film to action buffs especially but I'm sure those who just like a good movie will love it as well.