by Barron Shepherd
In the fast paced, bullet laden action spectacle 'John Wick' we see Keanu Reeves as a retired A-list hit man. John Wick (Keanu Reeves), has just lost his wife to an undisclosed illness, he receives a gift from her posthumously in the form of a Beagle puppy, along with a letter from her saying she arranged for him to have the puppy to help him cope with her demise. Initially indifferent to the pup, he eventually connects with it as they spend the day driving around in his vintage '69 Mustang.
In the fast paced, bullet laden action spectacle 'John Wick' we see Keanu Reeves as a retired A-list hit man. John Wick (Keanu Reeves), has just lost his wife to an undisclosed illness, he receives a gift from her posthumously in the form of a Beagle puppy, along with a letter from her saying she arranged for him to have the puppy to help him cope with her demise. Initially indifferent to the pup, he eventually connects with it as they spend the day driving around in his vintage '69 Mustang.
At a gas station, he encounters a trio of Russian gang members, whose leader insists on buying his car. John refuses to sell. The three follow John to his home, break in at night, and attack John kill the puppy and steal his car. Robbed of his opportunity to grieve Wick takes his revenge and It doesn't take long before the Russian gangsters wish they had crossed paths with someone else.
To portray the assassin John Wick whose very name strikes terror in the cold hearts of Russian gangsters required a 50 year old Reeves, to pull off a series of physically grueling and highly complex action scenes involving high body counts and make it all look effortless.
In preparation for his role of John Wick Reeves spent four months getting in shape and learning Judo using the practical grappling martial art and mixing in guns to create a brutal style of close-quarters combat. The result exhibits a creative simplicity that gives Reeves fight scenes a ferocious honesty. Revealing the emotional angst behind John Wick each fight scene told a story with the brutal choreography counterbalancing the stages of Wick’s grievous loss.
The mix of Judo and gun play was something I have always wanted to see put in a movie, After watching “John Wick” I have to say that is the best movie to incorporate Judo in the fight scenes that I have seen. You don't see these type of fight scenes in movies and it fit perfectly. I personally hope that judo has opened eyes of Hollywood and we see a lot more.
Judo competitor Tadahiro Nomura attended the 'John Wick' Japan Premiere at the Differ Ariake Arena on September 30, 2015 in Tokyo, Japan. I honestly hope that we begin to see more and more utilized in mainstream movies. Close Quarters, Gun play and judo!!!!!
