John Wick (2014)

Never steal a Mustang from a guy whose name makes mob bosses go quiet on the phone. That’s the plot. That’s the whole plot. A spoiled punk takes John’s car and does something unforgivable to his puppy, and the next 101 minutes are Keanu Reeves filing a very loud complaint. The nightclub shootout is a ballet with a bass drop. The Continental, a hotel where assassins pay in gold coins and agree not to work on the premises, is the best idea in the movie, and it barely uses it. The weak spot is the last stretch. Once Viggo runs out of henchmen, the movie runs out of gas and ends in a rainy fistfight that looks like every other action movie’s ending. It only pulled $86.1 million worldwide on a reported $20 to 30 million budget and still launched a franchise. A 7.6 because the action is clean, mean and kinda beautiful, and the story fits on a napkin. $933 says you pet the next dog you see and quietly promise to defend it.

What works: Keanu’s stunt work, the Red Circle nightclub fight, and the Continental hotel’s strange assassin etiquette.

What doesn’t: The final showdown is a generic rainy fistfight, and Viggo stops being scary once he runs out of people to send.

Who it’s for: People who rewind fight scenes to check if the actor really did that himself.