Watched: John Wick (2014).
I feel like this movie, along with Marley and Me, are probably the reasons why there’s a website called Does The Dog Die. A dog - a cute one, too - absolutely, horrifically dies in this movie, and Keanu Reeves’s John Wick responds in the most calm way possible: by revenge-killing 77 men. That’s it. That’s the film. It’s magnificent, and satisfying, and even has something resembling a happy ending.
The best thing I’ve seen said about this film is that it is smart enough to know its action-movie heritage while still being an ostensibly original property (thanks, Neil); there is no John Wick line of novels, or theme park ride, or play already (my god, how would you even make this work on stage?). It’s smartly-filmed - there is little to no shaky-cam in this movie, and Reeves did all of his own stunts - and wickedly funny throughout.
I feel like a lot of the best action movies nowadays are rooted in other genres. Edgar Wright’s Cornetto trilogy are all comedies, first and foremost, even if the stunt work is jaw-dropping. The Marvel films are genre pieces. That leaves you with films like The Expendables, which everyone agrees are a bit shit. John Wick is an action movie, proudly asserts itself as one, and is great to boot. That’s worth some recognition.