Alfie Allen

In John Wick (2014), Alfie Allen plays Iosef Tarasov’s unpleasantness so directly that further explanation would only slow things down. It is a narrow part, but he makes it count. We laughed at the contrast with Michael Nyqvist’s weary Viggo Tarasov, whose restraint is particularly funny beside Allen’s excess. Neither performance lets the humour make the danger harmless, and their scenes offer a welcome interruption to the fighting.

Atonement (2007), directed by Joe Wright, belongs to the period of smaller parts: Allen appears as Danny Hardman. It is a sharply acted film, but not one on which we would base a case for him. Theon Greyjoy in Game of Thrones (2011–2019) gave him the extended role that established him internationally. Across eight seasons, with David Benioff and D.B. Weiss as showrunners, there was room for sustained changes in his physical performance. He conveys much of Theon’s inner life through his eyes and body language, making the way he holds himself worth watching.

In John Wick, Chad Stahelski’s clear, patient action staging and Keanu Reeves’s performance remain the main reasons to watch. Allen is valuable because his broad playing suits the film, without making a simple supporting role seem more complicated than it is. His willingness to be unappealing gives the character what the screenplay needs. The central pursuit has too little variation, however, and supporting actors can only do so much to relieve the repetition. A more elaborate performance from Allen would hardly repair that problem.

Jojo Rabbit (2019), in which he plays Finkel for Taika Waititi, also makes use of him in a comic ensemble. That is worth remembering before assuming that he needs a tormented character to be worth watching. We would welcome more parts that let him use his physical precision without requiring quite so much suffering. Start with John Wick for the shorter evening; choose Game of Thrones if Allen himself is the reason for watching.