Just when John Wick thinks he's out, they pull him back in. It's the tried-and-true formula of an ultimate job/heist/assignment. A long-time bad guy leaves a life of crime in pursuit of peace and quiet, but is naturally drawn back to his old haunts and habits to settle the final score.But “John Wick” breathes joyful life into this tired premise, thanks to some amazing action choreography, stylish visuals and—most importantly—a vintage anti-hero performance from Keanu Reeves. Towards the end of the film, a dangerous Russian thug comments that veteran hit man John Wick looks like the John Wick of old.Keanu Reeves looks a lot like the Keanu Reeves of old. Elegantly handsome and athletically lean, he looks fantastic at 50 and comfortably, safely returns in action-star mode. Not that he's been gone that long — or deviated from his persona that much — but this late-stage kicking back is reminiscent of Liam Neeson's recent resurgence in films like "Taken," "The Grey" and "Nonstop."" All these years later, he's still Keanu. He exudes a Zen-like calmness that makes him at once elusive and resistant, especially in the face of great chaos. He still has a childish look on his face, but it belies his years of wisdom.He's smarter than he looks, but he's in no big rush to go out of his way to prove it to you—at least, not on screen. He just...

A character like John Wick is right in Reeves' wheelhouse because it allows him to be cool, superstitious, but deliver funny, deadpan one-liners with detached precision. (This is when the playful characters of his youth — Ted "Theodore" Logan and Johnny Uta — take a moment to emerge.) but when the time comes — and it comes often in "John Wick" — he can deliver a graceful yet powerful physicality. In the wake of the death of his wife (Bridget Moynahan) — the woman whose love inspired him to retire from his life as a veteran assassin — Vic receives an unwelcome visit to his minimalist, modern mansion in the middle of the night.Russian bad guys are here to steal his prized 1969 Mustang — and they're killing his dog. The final act is horrific in itself; Even worse, the adorable beagle puppy, Daisy, was a posthumous gift to John from his dying wife, who knew he needed someone else to love.(Moynahan's character, by the way, is barely even a person. She's an image on a smartphone video—a body lying in a hospital bed with an obscure illness. She's an idea. But her loss makes Vic sad. His behavior and every decision he makes Stays about.) Vic wastes no time in retrieving his hidden arsenal and seeking revenge. The group's reckless, young leader, Iosef (Alfie Allen), turns out to be the son of Vic's former partner: mob boss Viggo Tarasov (complicated but terrifying Michael Nyqvist), who is well aware of Vic's ability to kill.Willem Dafoe is also in the mix as a veteran sniper who may or may not be on Vic's side. Once the premise of Derek Kolstad's script is established, scene after scene takes out entire rooms full of people stupid enough to get in Vic's way.This isn't exactly a complex genre from a narrative perspective. But directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch — who work as a filmmaking team, though Leitch technically gets a production credit — are both veterans who clearly know what they're doing when it comes to this kind of balletic action.Stahelski got his break 20 years ago working as a stunt double after Brandon Lee's fatal accident on the set of “The Crow” and went on to act as Reeves' stunt double in “The Matrix” trilogy. Leitch's work includes doubling for Brad Pitt (“Fight Club” and “Mr.and Mrs. Smith") and Matt Damon (in "The Bourne Ultimatum").

Those years of experience and exposure give their film a level of confidence that you don't usually see in first-time directors. They are good at letting the intricate choreography speak for itself. They let fight scenes play out without relying on the nauseating shakey-cam or Cusinart edits that have become the aesthetic standard of late.But beyond the sheer brutality they put on display, they've also got an eye for artistry, with cinematographer Jonathan Sela helping to convey an ominous sense of underworld suspense. Early scenes are so crisply saturated that they look black and white, from the cloudy, rainy sky above Vic's wife's funeral to his head-to-toe wardrobe to his sleek, slate-gray Mustang.As Vic begins to sink back into the world of crime he hoped to escape, other scenes find their inspiration –the secret deep green, members-only cocktail bar or the red of a Russian bad guy's shirt. Matching dress.While the body count is numbing and repetitive, “John Wick” is actually more powerful in the aesthetically heightened, particularly detailed world it portrays. It's New York City in the here and now, but Vic, his fellow assassins, and various other evil types occupy their own parallel version of it, with its own special rules that seem almost whimsical.They have their own currency: gold coins reminiscent of pirate doubloons, which can be used for goods and services, or thanks to a favor. They frequent an upscale, downtown hotel and bar called The Continental (Lance Reddick of "The Wire" is the incongruously polite manager), a safe zone where protocol dictates that peace prevails and that killing is grounds for dismissal.The politeness of it all provides a fun and welcome contrast to the relentless carnage. You can check out whenever you like, apparently, but you can never check out.