Y
ou can tell when great love and care has been put into a film. Seeing that vision of love can cover up a lot of failings, or make a masterpiece of a run-of-the-mill affair. The canonical modern example of this love is the Lord of the Rings series. Having just finished the books, I have my own quibbles about the translation to the screen, but the absolute dedication to quality that Peter Jackson and his crew brought to those movies is justly legendary. Their commitment to using physical models and special effects as much as possible, the mesmerizing details of the costume and set design, the obvious full-throated performances of the cast, combine to make movies that still stand head and shoulder above their fantasy and science fiction competitors now twenty years later.
What this love looks like varies from film to film, but I see it in the original Alien; in Die Hard; in My Life as a Dog; in The Grand Budapest Hotel; and now, I see it in John Wick.
I'm obviously late to the party here, having seen the first movie nearly ten years after its initial release. I've been accused of snobbishness in my taste in movies before, as I seem to write off those "big, fun, action movies", but I'd like to be clear about something -- I love action movies. But if you're going to make an action movie, you have to actually make an action movie, not gesture at the kinds of plots that you think an action movie usually has, and then cover up all the action with shaky cam, rapid cuts, close-ups, and CGI.
As much as I love a good plot, I will forgive the thinnest of stories if you have good stunts, good-looking special effects, and well-choreographed fight scenes. I understand that such things are expensive, difficult, and sometimes dangerous. That's the whole point. I want to be wowed, here. I am unimpressed by CGI monsters and A-list actors limping their way through loose combat sequences that the directors pray can get spruced up in the editing. These are not action movies, they are counterfeits, riding on the coattails of the stuntmen, cinematographers, and choreographers of old.
The John Wick movies are a love letter to action films, made by a director who is himself a former stuntman. I adore their use of long takes, wide shots, and intricately choreographed fight scenes -- they expose genuinely impressive skill and practice, and can elicit genuine appreciation for the work here on display. In the Wick films, bullets fired from guns are meticulously counted, such that the characters can be shown reloading at realistic intervals. Martial artists were hired to synthesize a new combat form for John to use that would make sense for a man who is typically holding a pistol in one hand. The stylization of the underworld, while campy, demonstrates imagination rarely seen in movies of this type these days.
This is what love looks like when poured into a film. It doesn't matter that the plot is virtually nonexistent, that the dialogue is ridiculous and that Keanu Reeves has trouble delivering it convincingly. What matters is that the cast and crew are obviously putting their all into something, and that makes it work. It's nice to be able to sink into a real action movie. It's been a while.
(There's still too much CGI though, the blood spurts, wall chipping from bullets, and fake knives all look ridiculous, come on you guys)