Father John (Alexi Stavrou) has been plagued by horrific visions, ones that he is unable to understand and unable to shake. When the Catholic parish of which he belonged to for years casts him out, banishes him from their grounds, he has no choice but to follow those haunting visions. 223 Wick depicts Father John’s journey through the occult; but more importantly it expresses the journey through his struggling mind.
It becomes incredibly clear to viewers in the opening moments of 223 Wick that the film is incredibly low budget. Everything about the film makes this known–including the acting, special effects, and overall quality of the film. The quality of the film starts with the aforementioned acting–and as the actors on screen struggle to convey emotion appropriately it becomes abundantly clear that 223 Wick struggles to live up to any expectations set by the filmmakers.
Again, the acting is subpar to say the least, and throughout the course of 223 Wick Stavrou has issues with his ability to convey emotion and making viewers believe the things they see on screen. Early on it was clear that this would be the case not just with the film’s lead, but with everyone involved. Each and every actor often delivers their lines in a fashion that feels silly, inorganic, and disingenuous. It’s difficult to believe a single word that comes out of their mouths, and that simply makes the film, as a whole, difficult to appreciate.
223 Wick attempts to use dark tones throughout to create a sense of ambiguity and unease–and to some degree that works for the film. It’s clear the intention of this aspect of the film, and throughout its course, viewers are able to, with some (alright, a lot) suspension of disbelief, feel what Director Sergio Myers is attempting to convey. It’s clear that Myers has a genuine understanding of how to reach his viewers emotionally through subtle changes in his film’s aesthetic–but his ability to actually do these things often fails to live up to the standards of film in general. Even with his vision, viewers never see anything truly exciting come to life in 223 Wick, having to work toward finding entertainment and meaning throughout.
I hate to be so negative, it’s not in the nature of my film reviews, but the reality is that nearly each and every aspect of 223 Wick struggled at one point or another throughout the course of the film. From the acting to the special effects, very little finds its way toward success, and throughout the majority of the film, viewers struggle to find the merit in nearly everything. I looked for those small moments that expressed vigor and sophistication to the world, but I couldn’t find them. Through all of the disappointing moments, the part that became the most difficult to appreciate was the chemistry between the actors. I know the dynamic between many of the characters was that of animosity and frustration, but the reality is that the actors often struggled to convey any of this in a genuine fashion–and there were often times when it appeared obvious that each of the actors struggled to feed off of one another. That lack of chemistry ripped 223 Wick apart at the seams–never allowing it to become whole.
I think that the narrative, while it leaves something to be desired, is compelling. It possesses some qualities that, if it had the right players to bring it to life, would have found its footing and delivered something entertaining to viewers. 223 Wick, however, never gets the ball rolling, never sees the light of day in terms of success, and struggles massively in the field of acting–ultimately diluting all that Myers and Writers Jess Byard and Melanie Clarke-Penella had developed behind the scenes. There truly is a lot of potential buried beneath the surface of 223 Wick, but it’s sad to say that the potential is never really seen by the world.
Directed by Sergio Myers.
Written by Jess Byard & Melanie Clarke-Penella.
Starring Alexi Stavrou, Sergio Myers II, Dawn Lafferty, Jack Dimich, Eric Vaughan, etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/10
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