June Film Club: John Wick

Every so often, a film comes along that doesn’t just surprise - it detonates. Released in 2014, John Wick arrived with the subtlety of a gunshot and quickly reloaded the entire action genre. At first glance this looked like a stylish little revenge thriller starring Keanu Reeves, but the film turned out to be the start of a modern myth - sleek, savage, and instantly iconic.

Let’s be clear: John Wick isn’t just about a man avenging his dog. It’s about grief weaponised. It’s about what happens when you take the last thing away from a man who has already lost everything. And it’s about what unfolds when that man just happens to be the most feared assassin the criminal underworld has ever known.

Keanu Reeves steps into the role like he was born for it, bringing a quiet intensity. He doesn’t posture or growl. He doesn’t need to. His presence alone carries weight, and when the violence erupts, it’s brutal, efficient, and operatic. Every fight, every headshot, every reload feels precise, and purposeful, combining to create a symphony of controlled chaos.

The premise is deceptively simple: Wick, retired and grieving, is dragged back into a life he walked away from after a senseless act of cruelty. What follows is a descent, not into madness, but into method. The film doesn’t just throw you into gunfights. It invites you into a secret world built on codes, currency, and unspoken rules. The Continental Hotel. The gold coins. The assassins with manners. It’s a universe with lore baked into its bones, and it hints at much more than it shows. It’s an action film with the world-building ambition of a fantasy epic.

Directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch (both former stunt coordinators) elevate action filmmaking to new heights. Long takes, wide angles, and choreography that feels like martial arts ballet. No shaky cam. No quick cuts. Just raw, fluid motion. It’s stylish without being hollow, violent without being gratuitous.

But at the heart of John Wick is something deeply human: loss. The quiet moments - Wick driving alone, watching old videos of his wife, silently choosing revenge - are what give the mayhem its meaning. You’re not just watching a man kill. You’re watching a man grieve the only way he knows how.

And it all starts here, with a puppy, a car, and a legend being reborn in blood and fire. John Wick didn’t just kick open a door. It redefined what was possible in action filmmaking. A genre classic, a cultural reset, and the beginning of a saga that still hasn’t missed a beat. Watch John Wick here