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Keanu Reeves is back in full fighting form in the hugely-anticipated action thriller “John Wick” that has already reached fever-pitch high at www.rottentomatoes.com generating a 100% score in their Tomato Meter and with a 98% audience score.

“John Wick” stars World Stunt Award-winner Keanu Reeves as a retired killer-for-hire forced back into action by a brutal Russian mobster and hunts them down with the ruthlessness that made him a crime underworld legend. The movie is a stylish tale of revenge and redemption set in a brilliantly imagined New York City.


Derek Kolstad who penned “John Wick” describes Reeves’ character bearing a lot of contradictions and complications, a seemingly ordinary man who harbors extraordinary secrets.   Kolstad found his inspiration in some of his favorite film-noir classics. “When I was a kid, I watched a lot of movies,” he explains. “My favorites always had a revenge motif. And I love the antihero. So I wanted to explore what would happen if the worst man in existence found salvation. Would it be true to his core? When the source of his salvation is ripped from him, what happens? Do the gates of Hades open?”


And so began the extraordinary journey of John Wick, the only man to ever walk away from a shadowy world of elite professional killers and survive, only to be sucked back in by fate.  “John’s the kind of guy who walks into a room and has everything laid out in his mind like a chess game,” says Kolstad. “In the underworld, he’s a legend, and he’s been away long enough that the young up-and-comers have heard the name, but don’t necessarily believe all the stories.”


Reeves’ impeccable action pedigree, which includes the groundbreaking “Matrix” trilogy, two chapters of the blockbuster “Speed” franchise and the daredevil adventure “Point Break,” has justifiably earned him iconic status in the action world. Reeves signed on to headline John Wick, working closely with the writer to refine the story. “Basil and Peter Lawson of Thunder Road brought the script to me with the idea that I would be a part of such a great collaboration,” the actor says. “We all agreed on the potential of the project. I love the role, but you want the whole story, the whole ensemble to come to life.”


Reeves was already confident the duo had the skill and creativity to stage John Wick’s groundbreaking action sequences better than anyone else. “Hearing Chad speak about the material and how he thought he could visually bring it to life was revelatory,” Reeves says. “He and Dave were interested in making each character unforgettable. They had given thought to the themes of the movie, the double life, the hyper-reality. They've been closely following the film since day one and trying to bring out all the emotion that is in this piece.”


As a film-making team, Stahelski and Leitch were the ideal choice for “John Wick,” according to Reeves. “Chad and Dave are experts in terms of this genre,” the actor notes. “The dialogue is hard-boiled but it’s also got the humor of graphic novels, the kind of amazingly original imagery and framing that we've come to associate with them. It’s a unique vision. I thought it was exciting and really cool to see all of these influences and experience and craft come together.”


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