Following 2008's disappointing 'The Day the Earth Stood Still,' Keanu Reeves took a break from Hollywood filmmaking. He starred in only three films over the next five years, all of them independent productions, and none of them in the action genre that made him famous. Then in 2013 came the deliriously infectious 'Man of Tai Chi,' which cast Reeves as the villain to Tiger Chen's martial arts hero. Reeves proved that, even at 50 years old, he could still do a fight scene with the best of them, and that his trademark blank delivery was as charming as ever (see: "You owe me a life").

Just one year later, Reeves is back with 'John Wick,' another goofball B-level action movie that's so much fun, you can't help but hope this is the beginning of a new era of action stardom.

Reeves stars in the film as the titular John Wick, a name you'll never be able to forget; not because it's the title of the movie, but because the characters in the movie can't stop repeating it. One day an enterprising video editor will find success with the "John Wick Supercut," tightly editing all the many times people say "John Wick" over and over again in this movie. John Wick is a former hitman who's retired to the New Jersey countryside after the death of his wife (Bridget Moynihan, seen only via cell phone videos). Despite his cold as ice demeanor, he's still bummin' hardcore and having a hard time letting go. That is, until, he receives a mysterious package that turns out to be an adorable little puppy sent by his wife before she passed. Through the puppy, Wick starts healing emotionally, (though he still has the propensity to race driving out his rage on an empty airport tarmac.

All's well in Wick World, until one unfortunate trip to the gas station when a group of Russian thugs (led by 'Game of Thrones' star Alfie Allen doing his best not-very-good Russian accent) admire Wick's car. They'd like to buy it, but Wick isn't selling, so they follow him home, beat the crap out of him, steal his car and - gulp - kill his dog. Guess who doesn't stay a retired hitman for very long? And so, a long tour of revenge begins as John Wick fights his way through the Russian mob to find the punks who killed his dog. If it all sounds a little ridiculous, it is. Maybe even more than you can imagine. (Case in point: when the Russian mob boss asks why Wick is so angry, an adviser informs him that they stole his car and kills his dog. The mob man's deadpan response: "Oh.")

Sometimes silliness can undercut the effectiveness of an action film (see: 'The Equalizer'), but 'John Wick' wears it like a badge of honor. This is supposed to be silly. The whole film takes place in some fictionalized version of New York where generic gold coins are commonplace currency (of course, John Wick has a stashed cache of them buried under concrete in his home) and characters frequent a Flatiron hotel/society called The Continental that houses only assassins (and populated by great character actors like Willem Dafoe, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Michael Nyqvist).

But, all this wackiness wouldn't amount to much at all if the action didn't work. Directed by Chad Stahelski, a former stuntman who worked as Reeves' double on 'The Matrix' trilogy, 'John Wick' includes remarkably assured fight sequences. Despite his age, Reeves is still a capable action star, not content to let the stuntmen do all the heavy lifting. And, John Wick isn't content to just punch a dude and move on to the next guy; each death comes with an accompanying headshot to make sure they're toast.

The leading man days of 'The Matrix' are over and Reeves seems to be relishing a new Liam Neeson-esque turn to cheapo shoot-em-ups. In a way, these types of films were always perfect for Reeves, whose acting style could best be described as minimalist. 'John Wick' is a throwback to the early-90s 'Point Break', the kind of Reeves role we haven't seen much of lately, but we hope to see lots more of in the future.

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