This film can be summed up with the words "violent aesthetics". But this movie is not bloody. The most bloody scene was about the place where John Wick was attacked and brought down and the dog was killed. The rest are solved neatly with a gun. There is not much blood even in hand-to-hand combat.
Most of the time in the film is real violent scenes. In terms of plot promotion, he restrained and used the fewest shots to convey the fullest possible story content. I have to say that this is done quite well. I personally think that the most difficult thing to do in commercial art is "abandon".
Let's talk about the plot first, then the martial arts scenes, and finally talk about the characteristics of this movie.
The discerning person can roughly see that the plot of this movie actually gives way to the expression of the screen. Therefore, the film needs to complete the storytelling in a very short time. I have always admired the use of minimal text and pictures to convey rich feelings and content. (This is how the old man Martin, who wrote about Ice and Fire, did a good job. You can go to "Hot Night Dream")
John’s motives for his actions in the play are derived from the death of his beloved wife, life is hopeless, and the dog left behind by his beloved wife has become Life is suspense, but the bear child is killed off. John finishes dealing with the necessary matters (bury the dog, determine who the enemy is, take a bath) and start the whole process of high energy. This short sentence only took less than 28 minutes to process in the movie.
During this period of time, the movie wanted the audience to accept that John loved his wife very much, and it was painful for John to lose his wife. This dog brought him hope and became his favorite. (Ten minute plot) In
this part, Keanu has almost no lines. Most of them are descriptive shots, with details focused on: An anniversary gift from John to his wife, a simple date between the two, John lightly kissed his wife who had just passed away in the hospital, and restrained care from his friends at the funeral. After that, John began to live alone. Suddenly received the dog sent by his deceased wife before his death, John read the letter, and the very brief life details of one person and one dog: eating together and sleeping together. Here is a test of Keanu's acting skills.
In the next 5 minutes, John encounters the bear boy, and the bear boy is forced to pretend to be unable to succeed, and he will retaliate in the middle of the night. There are not many lines either. This kind of "not too many lines" and extra plot, basically tells the story with a straightforward lens. This style runs through the entire movie.
Next, let’s talk about violent scenes.
As a professional killer, John is a master of gun masters. The owner's good habit of making up the knife (heart + head) ensures that the enemy's death is thorough. Wearing a body armor to protect yourself, a straight suit is a good camouflage for all occasions. The currency circulating in the industry is used instead of any official currency. The gun used must be silenced, and you won't hear any harsh gunfire.
The play in this movie is known as "real". You can't see the kind of martial art of Chinese Kung Fu, or the very dynamic professional fights. The fighting here, hand-to-hand combat is restrained, and strive to kill with one move. Once on the bar, it is an ugly fight (John was raided by a newcomer at the hotel), and there were a lot of back falls.
Wu Zhi is Hollywood's Wu Zhi.
Tell me about the characteristics of this movie.
In addition to the above-mentioned plot is a restrained flat narrative, and strive to introduce the plot with the fewest shots so as to give way to the main time for wonderful violent shots.
Even the violent scenes are very restrained, and the design is not fancy but strives to be fast and accurate.
But the setting of the whole movie is very interesting.
1. InterContinental Hotel. This is a neutral agency in the killer world, providing accommodation and basic leisure services. The killer of dry goods on this site will be sanctioned by the hotel management. The hotel service can only be exchanged for gold coins circulating in the industry.
2. John Wick. The protagonist, the legendary top killer. retired. But was forced to re-emerge. The older generation was discouraged when they heard his name, and the new generation was brave when they saw him. The bear child died without knowing his name.
The formal background introduction of this character was carried out during the conversation between Mr. Bear and Mr. Bear, and there were shots of John returning from the rivers and lakes and taking out his work equipment buried under the basement floor at his home. Several subsequent shots have portrayed the legend of this role from the side: Although he and the Baekdo policeman are not siblings, they are also polite. You are", which shows the story behind it. When he entered the bar to hunt down the bear boy, the guard respected him. When he learned that he was here to work and was asked to go away, the guard just said "thank you" as if on the verge of an amnesty, showing his reputation. The rest, such as the words used at the front desk in the Neutral Hotel, and the compensation delivered the day after John was attacked (luxury cars, luxury cars!!!), after John settled the attack, his colleagues came over to greet and help deal with the follow-up matters, although throughout the movie Entrusted by Child Bear himself, he still did not hesitate to betray and breach the contract to help John's former friends secretly. These direct or indirect role plots that interact with John are all serving to shape the setting of "John is a top professional killer who has come out of the rivers and lakes". As Mr. Xiong said: John Wick is a man of focus.
3. The flavor of the knight. Generally speaking, one thing that is difficult to convey in the export of domestic martial arts movies is the spirit of martial arts and the culture of the rivers and lakes. However, as another film review said, this movie exudes a strange quagmire. Unlike the personal heroes in previous American movies, John also faces an absolute advantage in numbers, but not the entire world stands on his opposite side. The killer world still abides by its industry rules: You cannot kill in a hotel or you will be sanctioned. A reward can be issued for killing on the road. The whole killer world is watching John's comeback, the hotel owner is willing to provide him with additional information, and the old bartender still flirts with him. The scavenger smiled restrained at his return. The audience can completely imagine what this underground world looks like and how it works based on various details in the movie. The completeness of this setting has created such a complete world, which is different from the world we usually live in. This kind of world is like the rivers and lakes in ancient China. There are rules in the road, there are rules for doing things, the gangs are organized, and the killers are high and low. I dare say that there must be something like a "ranking list" in this killer world.
Ah...I am satisfied after writing so much.
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