WATCH: Live review - Keanu Reeves returns with all guns blazing in 'fantastic' John Wick

It's been a long time coming, but Keanu Reeves finally has another hit on his hands.

2013's notorious 47 Ronin was a colossal box office and critical disaster and he hasn't been in another major Hollywood blockbuster since 2008's underwhelming The Day The Earth Stood Still.

New film John Wick sees him do what he does best - hold a steady (some might say monotone and expressionless) centre while all the magic happens around him.

This time his character is really, REALLY peed off and not afraid to show it.

It's the badass he was trying to play in Constantine – without all the religious mumbo jumbo – and it is wonderful.

With a relentlessly brutal body count, the film is not for the squeamish, but it has energy and flair in spades.

It's a brilliant (and slightly bonkers) triumph.

So much so that Reeves was nominated earlier this year for yet another Golden Rasberry Award - but this time for the far nicer Redeemer Award - which honours former film offenders who have, well, redeemed themselves.

SCROLL DOWN TO READ THE FULL REVIEW

REVIEW: JOHN WICK (15)

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Adrianne Palicki, Ian McShane, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe

After 2013’s  colossal box office disaster 47 Ronin Keanu Reeves  is finally making a glorious return with John Wick.

Ok, sure, the role requires very few facial expressions and has minimal dialogue, but Reeves fills the screen and reignites his star power in spectacular fashion.

It’s basically the heartwarming tale of a retired brutal hitman whose puppy dies.

OK, there’s a bit more to it than that – but not much.

Back in the day Wick was the baddest of asses before he fell in love. Unluckily, his wife dies of a long-term illness – but when he gets back from the funeral a puppy is waiting for him, arranged by his wife before her death to get him through his grief.

So far, so sweet.

It all changes with the appearance of Alfie Allen.  

Lily’s brother has a tidy line going in hopeless characters who make really, REALLY bad decisions. Following on from Game of Thrones’ extraordinarily unlucky Reek, his Russian mobster here only goes and kills the puppy.

Big mistake. Huge.

John Wick’s inner beast is unleashed and pretty much kills everyone who crosses his path.

I have never seen so many people brutally shot in the head in one film in a relentless barrage of fast-paced, fantastically shot action scenes.

The directors, Chad Stahelsi and David Leitch, were Reeves’ stunt doubles on the Matrix films and also worked on the likes of The Borne Ultimatum. Combining their expertise with a love of spaghetti westerns and Hong Kong Gun Fu fight flicks, they handle the adrenalised action with exhilarating flair.

It’s brutal and eye-poppingly violent – and yet it also manages to be hugely fun

Despite Wick’s monotone presence, the film’s tongue is firmly in its cheek. A wink and a nod to the audience keep us laughing and our spirits high, even as it’s absolute carnage on screen.

It’s a simple film – but it knows what it wants to do and it does it very well.

Verdict: 4 stars