What would you do if somebody killed your dog? Would you go on a killing-spree across New York City that involved taking down some of the deadliest people the mafia had to offer? Thought not. But then again, you’re not John Wick, the titular character in Keanu Reeves’ upcoming action behemoth, which has been causing quite a stir over the last few weeks. The final trailer for John Wick has just been released, and it’s now physically impossible not to be excited about it. You can check it out at the top of the screen.
Caught your breath? Good. It’s pretty impressive that in just one minute flat those involved with John Wick have managed to not only prove that the film will be one of the most inventive action-thrillers of recent years, but that they’ve managed to make Keanu Reeves cool again. First of all though, I think everyone needs to take a seat and ask, who would punch a dog? That seems cold even for a kidnapper. The plot to John Wick is compellingly simple. After being pursued by an old friend who has been contracted by a mafia boss to kill him, John Wick comes out of retirement to wreak vengeance on anyone who tries to get in his way. Especially once they have killed the pet dog that his dying wife left to him.
Despite its brevity, the new trailer does provide us with some new information. We learn that Wick once killed 3 men with a pencil - which, you have to admit, is a pretty impressive feat - while we also get to see Reeves going gun-crazy in a church, before he then turns to Willem Dafoe’s Marcus and reveals that he’s "rusty." The preposterously paced and intense action-scenes of the clips that have been unleashed so far suggest that John Wick is going to be a relentless B-movie thriller in the mold of Taken, while its sumptuous visuals hint that this will be masked by a style reminiscent of Drive. Whether first-time directors David Leitch and Chad Staheksli can actually pull-off such a tantalizing, cinematic combination remains to be seen.
It already looks like they’ve certainly got the best of Reeves, though. Despite starring in the likes of Constantine, 47 Ronin and Man Of Tai Chi, Keanu’s action out-put has been downright disappointing for the last decade. But John Wick appears to have provided him with a role, and fight sequences, that he has truly been able to sink his teeth into and make his own. It even looks like this could be his most charismatic and iconic character since The Matrix. But I’m getting ahead of myself. John Wick will be in cinemas on October 24, 2014, and if you want to see a longer trailer for it you should check out the footage on page two!
