John Wick

This latest Keanu Reeves vehicle finds the impossibly 50-year-old actor playing the titular widower Wick, who is coming to terms with the passing of his wife (Moynahan) when he is assaulted by Iosef (Allen) and his merry band of thugs. Luckily for us, what Iosef doesn’t realize is that Wick was a former employee of his father, NYC kingpin Viggo (Nyqvist), and remains a hitman of remarkable prowess: An entire reel is devoted to establishing Wick’s legendary reputation before the film sets about fulfilling it in grand displays of violence. A fight coordinator on the Matrix trilogy, first-time director Chad Stahelski surely respects the choreography of his profession, but the film ultimately belongs to Reeves, who convincingly embodies both the calm before the storm and its subsequent capacity for ruin. “People keep asking if I’m back,” John barks at his captors. “Yeah, I’m thinking I’m back.” Yeah, we’re thinking so, too.