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Who would have played John Wick better than Keanu?

posted 8 years ago by joyork
93 replies | jump to latest

I've just watched John Wick for the second time and I enjoyed it just as much second time round as the first. I love revenge/justice type films and I think this was well executed, if you pardon the pun.

My main gripe about the movie, however, is the lead actor. I didn't find him to be particularly convincing as John Wick.

Maybe he's too skinny or un-menacing or not psychotic enough. The best bit was when he stabbed the guy and stared intently as he watched him die. Other than that I found Keannu to be slightly weak as the main role... particularly as the reputation and legend that is John Wick the character was built up magnificently all the way through the movie.

I'm racking my brain to think who would have been perfect for the role and have come up with these suggestions:

Jim Caviezel (Mr Reese in Person of interest - just the right amount of menace/professional hitman/one man army about him, and despite being 4 years younger than Keanu actually seems older)

Tom Cruise - what he lacks in muscle he makes up for in psychotic nuttyness. Just needs to channel his inner Thetans and kapow!

Any other credible suggestions?

[–] ShallowAl69 8 years ago

Jeffrey Dean Morgan?

[–] townroad2003 8 years ago

Did you catch walking dead last episdoe Jeffrey Dean Morgan is only on for roughly eleven minutes and steals the show. I do miss him playing John Winchester on supernatural.

[–] 8 years ago

[deleted]

[–] rdix-95468 8 years ago

Who?

[–] dougj71 8 years ago

How about Matt Damon?

[–] Dark_Sithlord 8 years ago

Tom Hardy.

[–] monetteb6 8 years ago

Jimmy Fallon

[–] iSkyWalKing 8 years ago

Nicolas Cage, Abe Vigota and Rowan Atkinson ... but not many.

[–] jriley555 (7048) 6 years ago

austin pendleton

[–] David_Blue 8 years ago

Jim Caviezel.

But I think Keanu Reeves was excellently cast and did a great job. I didn't mind that he's skinny; that's why the character has to rely on guns and on occasion his car: he's tough but not better than everyone at everything.

#‎BringF4Home

[–] TamPalm 8 years ago

No one.

"If it doesn't make sense, it's not true." -- Judge Judy

[–] carl-528 8 years ago

Agreed, Reeves is perfect for the role, the fact that he's not the best actor on the planet means he's always going to look and feel edgy, he speaks little, he's a presence and what he does is the least amount possible for the maximum effect.

[–] lingstar1 8 years ago

Ben Foster or Ryan Gosling. Both are young enough and have that kind of edgy, quirky crazy that the character needs. Plus they could handle the physicality the role demands. But - that said - I did think Keanu did a phenomenal job in the role.

"I should never have switched from Scotch to Martinis." - Humphrey Bogart

[–] TheGreatBenderina 8 years ago

I like both your suggestions, especially Ben Foster - that guy can bring the crazy/hard af to a character very believably. But I, too, like Keanu in this and didn't feel the need to re-cast.

[–] DracTarashV 8 years ago

Maybe he's too skinny or un-menacing or not psychotic enough

And those are just some of the reasons why Keanu was perfect for this role. Wick is known for being a stoic assassin with deadly skills, not a menacing appearance. (Perhaps Keanu didn't bother bulking up for this role, but let's not forget that his character was retired.) Overall, I think Keanu does a very convincing job, even in the more dramatic scenes that require some, you know, "real" acting.

Hey there, Johnny Boy, I hope you fry!

[–] HotRod_SC 8 years ago

I actually think it was a great detail that Keanu didn't look menacing enough: otherwise the Russian kids wouldn't have dared to f&$( with him had he looked like Dolph Lundgren or some other big vicious bastard.

now this is acting: http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2458172160/tt1528718

[–] Edd-79 8 years ago

Bruce Willis

[–] prchic79 8 years ago

Tom Cruise?! Plz tell me you're joking.. I like T.C. but him be as bad ass as Keanu was in this?? No f.g way.

Jeremy Renner could have been good

[–] FizzyGillespie 8 years ago

He already played a hitman in Collateral. He did fine. Plus his work in both Jack Reacher and Mission: Impossible show he can kick ass when he needs to.

That being said, I liked Keanu in this.

[–] Renovatio (2990) 7 years ago

Good call.. Cruise in Collateral shows us he could pull it off...

I still prefer Keanu, he was perfect for the role, but Cruise would have been a good choice as well...

You need a proper star in this kind of role for it to be as big as it has become... I think Denzel could pull it off, although he seems to prefer playing older these days... He did so recently in The Equalizer, which was a very different character but sold the action parts well...

Other actors, who wouldnt be as popular but would be good:

Vigo Mortenson would be great.., Check out the character he plays in Eastern Promises... Solid...

Vincent Cassel could pull it off if you made Wick european...

Sean Bean would be awesome, watch him in Cleanskin, so good... added bonus is that people would genuinly wonder whether or not he'd make it to the end... he seems to die in every film... haha

[–] ecarle (14979) 6 years ago

I think a big part of John Wick working is that Keanu Reeves was in the role.

The framework of the film was great to start with...but Keanu GETTING to be the lead meant: he got a comeback. We were rooting for him to succeed in the part and he did. And the movie was the hit he needed for ages (though The Matrix will always be his franchise star making best. The first one.)

He was good for the role: tall, bearded, fit and....as always with Keanu ....rather cute and boyish to contrast with his murderous skills. And also polite when necessary. Coming up to the hotel desk clerk with his clothes bloody and tattered:

Keanu: Do you have a dry cleaners in this establishment?
Clerk: Sir, no dry cleaners could handle that.
Keanu: I thought not.

The Matrix(and Speed before that) were bona fide star vehicles for Keanu Reeves. It was good to see him over a decade later getting a hit being violent again.