Though my opinion may be controversial, here are MY TOP PICKS for the BEST JOHN WICK FILMS OF ALL TIME.

JOHN WICK

It looks as if the filmmakers realized that the public was sick of certain movies. Most movies nowadays are full of wire work, sci-fi, etc. often topped with icing made of needless or predictable background stories that add nothing. For example the beautiful girlfriend who gives the moral speeches or the troubled teenage daughter, who aren't present here.

Nothing of that is in John Wick. John Wick adds hardly a story, no character development, no needless character or background, no misplaced drama, no misplaced humor and not too much eye candy, nothing of that. What John Wick offers is action, action and more action. In fact, it is one long action scene, with some lines and close ups added. But that is not a problem. The directors promise action and deliver. While delivering they made it look good and convincing, without trying to be more, and they're smart enough to give the movie a satisfying beginning and ending.

And for those who claim that Keanu Reeves is a horrible actor..... you are right. But his blank expression is perfect for this movie. Leave the acting to the bad guys and the delicious guest part for Willem Dafoe.

If you're tired of movies with forced drama or loaded with CGI, John Wick will be a pleasant wake-up call.

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2

A film with more head-shots than words spoken, John Wick: Chapter 2 is just about the most violent film I've seen in quite some time. But it knows exactly what it wants to do, and succeeds immensely.

Keanu Reeves isn't one of the best actors working today, and I don't think he would disagree with that statement. But he's no doubt one of the most committed actors out there. There's no more than a few pages of total spoken dialogue throughout 'Chapter 2', and Reeves has probably a maximum of 30 lines, all of which aren't necessarily delivered as well as they should be. But it doesn't ultimately matter. Sure, John Wick could be a better franchise if the scripts were of the same caliber as say a Bond or a Bourne movie, but that's not really why you go see one of these movies. You go to see Keanu Reeves kick some butt amidst some of the best choreographed action in cinema.

Chapter 2 picks up not too long after the first film ends as Wick is somewhat enjoying his life as a "retired" assassin. If the first film was about him coming back to seek revenge, this film is Wick reluctantly coming back because he owes a debt to another assassin. I don't think the filmmakers truly could have imagined this would be a franchise off the bat, but it's sure shaping up to be quite the intriguing universe. The one thing that has always struck me as appealing in this series is the way they portray the world Wick lives in. Yes, it's present day, but the world that surrounds Wick is heightened to make for more exciting action (it's essentially a world full of super assassins). But at the same time, the films are incredibly grounded with reality. It's that balance that so few films can accomplish to this particular level.

Taking the famous Liam Neeson line "I will kill you" to a whole new level, Wick claims "I will kill them all". And that's pretty much your movie. Wick doesn't want to come back, he owes a debt and is forced to return for one more kill, and then the bounty on his head reaches just about everyone linked to The Continental's database. The rest of the movie is Wick delivering killing blows to just about anyone who stands in his way in the most creative ways possible. Isn't it about time people leave this guy alone? Overall,

John Wick: Chapter 2 promised visceral action (all impressively in camera- yeah, I'm looking at you Resident Evil) and we got just that. Even if the dialogue can be clunky and the performances are over the top, it doesn't really matter. What matters is this series continues to be a pleasant surprise in an age where great action movies are too few and far between.

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 - PARABELLUM

It is 5 years since the first John Wick film - one that took me by surprise by how silly it was as a narrative, but yet how well it delivered action sequences. The second film was only 2 years ago, and it raised the stakes and went from a man seeking revenge on another group of people, into one where the world was filled with assassins, popping up from everywhere all the time. I remember ending that film feeling like it had gone too far but that the third would probably do more of that. True enough, Parabellum ("prepare for war") sees the whole world filled with assassins, and a huge administrative system around them - but yet the whole lot of them can't seem to cause John Wick too much trouble. As with the first film, this expands the world more than it can bear, and although it looks cool at times, the world makes no sense whatsoever and it hurts the film the more it relies on it (which it does as it expands it).

The simplicity of the first film is therefore gone, and the slick fun is hurt because it feels bloated in scale, and has to work to sell this unsellable world to the viewer. At its best though, the film doesn't concern itself with this and instead has nicely flowing sequences of well-choreographed violence that is well directed and performed. It is brutally violent but it is almost like a ballet to watch it. Having two cast members from The Raid films had the positive impact of having them, but there was a negative too because those films manage to deliver stakes and tension in the violence - something John Wick just doesn't manage to ever do. I enjoyed the flow and pace, but never got caught up in a fight in a way where it had me on the edge of the seat; contrast the fight with Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman, and the fights that the two are involved with in The Raid 1 and 2 respectively - their John Wick fight is enjoyable but their fights in The Raid movies had weight, danger, and risk.

The endless lack of consequence does make it hard to stay engaged with, and it needs it to be cool and slick so that we never connect it to the real world - but seeing people stabbed in a busy train station with people just walking by without reaction does make that hard, for example.

It is still slick, quite enjoyable tosh, and very well put together in terms of fight sequences, but it does feel bloated and overlong, and could have done with a tighter world - although I guess they cannot put that back in the box after the second movie took it out. Enjoyable for what it is, but it has a lot of weaknesses that detract while watching.

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4

Stuntman turned writer/director Chad Stahelski struck gold with his 2014 surprise hit John Wick. It was somewhat of a comeback for the legendary Keanu Reeves and reinvigorated the action genre. Since then it's become THE action juggernaut franchise. Now we are on number 4 and while usually things get redone with that amount of sequels, this film innovates and thrills to new heights in an absolute epic.

One of the most surprising aspects of this particular entry, is the story being written as well as it is. Something that is hard to come by in the genre at times. Not saying the others in the franchise weren't but this is easily the best story diving deeper in the high table aspects as well as John Wick's true emotions . The rich characterization is also at its best with outstanding additions like Skaarsgard, and even more screen time for supporting greats like Fishburne to compliment the magnificent Reeves. RIP Lance Reddick. It's nice to have such substance amongst the endless high octane ballistic visuals.

Speaking of ballistic, this movie goes more all out than any I've seen for insanely well crafted choreographed shootout and fight scenes. Just when you thought you've seen it all, Stahelski/Reeves prove their action minds are ever evolving. These guys were born to make action movies together.

The extremely vibrant colors and plethora of locations is also a feast for the eyes. The sharp atmospheric imagery creates the ultimate backdrop for not only the action but also just the dialogue. The sound is also top notch and perfectly compliments the intensity.

It's just an absolute sensory journey that you don't get in too many action films aside from the Wick genre.

Overall the limitless and outrageous action alone is nothing like we've seen before for the genre or just cinema in general . But also this rich unique story may only build Wick's timeless character for more films in the future which at this momentum will be welcomed.