Image by Mohamed Hassan from Pixabay Action movies are as old as cinema itself. One of the most fun things about the action genre is how much they are defined by the time in which they are made. While this doesn’t always allow for such movies to hold up decades later, there are some that stand the test of time. And then there are others that become instant classics. If there are any modern action movies that (in my humble opinion) cemented their legacy immediately upon release, they are the John Wick movies.
Why? I guess you’ll have to keep reading to find out… 😉 [NOTE: This blog contains spoilers for the “John Wick” films. You have been warned.] John Wick (2014) The brains behind the John Wick franchise are Chad Stahelski (Keanu Reeves’ stunt double in The Matrix), his (uncredited) co-director David Leitch (Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Bullet Train), and screenwriter Derek Kolstad. Together, this creative trio helmed the franchise’s humble beginnings with a modestly-budgeted flick that was both critically and commercially successful and helped relaunch the career of its star. In some ways, I think the first John Wick movie has more in common with Nicolas Winding Refn’s low-budget drama Drive starring Ryan Reynolds than it does with its own sequels. It’s because, in my humble opinion, this movie is a great mainstream example of the “arthouse action” subgenre that stands high above most action flicks made in the last twenty years. While the directors and screenwriter are undoubtedly an essential part of the success of this movie, its backbone is Keanu Reeves as the eponymous retired assassin who is compelled to return to the criminal underworld on a personal quest for vengeance. Simply put, this movie doesn’t work without Keanu’s wholly committed performance. On the physical side of things, his devotion to nailing the gun play and stunt work makes every action beat on screen utterly believable. But I don’t want to understate the emotional work that Keanu pulls off (especially in the first act). Before even the now-infamous killing of Wick’s puppy that sets him off, the way he portrays the character’s silent grieving for the death of his wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan) is pretty impressive considering Wick’s inherent stoicism and violent tendencies. Combined with his physical prowess, Keanu delivers moviegoing audiences one of the most empathetic and ruthless killers in modern cinematic history. Fortunately, the film has more than its lead to thank for its success. To usher in this soon-to-be franchise, Stahelski and Leitch nabbed some pretty great actors to flesh out their cast. While not every supporting character is memorable, there are some big standouts. For one thing, Willem Dafoe’s one-off appearance as Wick’s old friend and fellow assassin Marcus maximizes his limited screen time to get Wick out of several jams just in the nick of time while convincing the ones hunting Wick that he’s on their side. Also, Ian McShane leaves a lasting imprint at Winston, the manager of the assassin-friendly Continental Hotel, whose scenes help flesh out the rules and rituals of the criminal underworld filled with many eclectic killers. Finally, Alfie Allen perfectly captures the arrogant and cruel Iosef Tarasov (the one who killed Wick’s dog) and ultimately upstages Michael Nyqvist playing Iosef’s father Viggo. Most fans of this movie contend that its most memorable (and strongest) quality, however, is its unique approach to action choreography (the principles of which now form the basis of the affectionately-named “Gun fu”). I don’t necessarily disagree (despite the fact that the fighting is less showy in retrospect when compared to its sequels). However, the film’s strongest quality (in my humble opinion) is Kolstad’s screenplay. At a lean 101-minute runtime, Kolstad clearly understands the genre and embraced its best qualities in crafting the eponymous lead character and the assassin-filled world in which he lived. Yet he does so without relying on needless amounts of exposition. Rather, he enhances the visual storytelling of the first act with strong dialogue to build out the world, establish the stakes, and drive the narrative without taking away from the incredible action set pieces that have come to define this franchise. Simply put, John Wick is one of my favorite action movies of all time. It’s not perfect, but it makes for a strong, self-contained story with tons of potential for laying the groundwork for a great modern action franchise. So, where does Wick’s story go from here? John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) Despite the minimal amount of anticipation for the first John Wick movie leading up to its release in 2014, its sequel got plenty of love from both critics and audiences. Not only did it gross over 170 million dollars, but a third film in the franchise was officially announced only months after its release. Needless to say, Reeves and Stahelski had a franchise-in-the-making on their hands. All that being said, John Wick: Chapter 2 is (in my humble opinion) the awkward “middle child” of this otherwise fantastic action franchise. Why? Well, before addressing the elements of the movie that didn’t work for me I want to start by highlighting what did work. Perhaps most evident is how director Chad Stahelski and his creative team effectively doubled down with making John Wick aesthetically defined by its incredibly entertaining action choreography. Every action scene, from the gunfights to the hand-on-hand combat, is improved upon compared to the first movie (which is saying something). While not always the case with sequels, I think that John Wick: Chapter 2 going bigger in how it constructed its action sequences ultimately made the movie better (despite my other problems with it). My other favorite part of this movie is its cast. While (unsurprisingly) Keanu Reeves brings his best in portraying the physicality of his lead character, I think (some of) the supporting cast outshines him in many respects. For one thing, our returning manager of the assassin hotel Winston (Ian McShane) and its concierge Charon (played by the late Lance Reddick) get more moments to shine in this movie. Their role in the story help build out the world of the Continental and the assassins that inhabit it, but its their chemistry with Reeves’ eponymous protagonist that helps ground the film in some semblance of humanity. Aside from just the returning cast, we get a great nod/homage to The Matrix with the introduction of “The Bowery King” (Laurence Fishburne). Simply put, Fishburne steals the show once he’s introduced as the theatrical but intimidating underground crime lord with a particular fondness for birds. His standoffish chemistry with Reeves offers a sharp yet enjoyable contrast to their dynamic in The Matrix, making Fishburne’s character the undeniable best new member of the cast whose presence only gets better going forward. All that being said, John Wick: Chapter 2 has a number of flaws that hold it back from matching (let alone exceeding) the quality of its predecessor. Unlike the clean and straightforward, three-act narrative of the first film, writer Derek Kolstad seemed to have an idea for a climactic cliffhanger of an ending and then wrote the rest of the story asking himself: “How do I get to that?” While this isn’t necessarily the worst way to write a story, I don’t think it worked very well with particular film. First off, I’m not a huge fan of the narrative decision to keep John entangled in the world of assassins by having Italian crime boss Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamario) blackmail him with a blood debt from his past. In a way, it undermines John’s character that was established in the first movie that would kill anyone who gets in his way. In this case, since he completed his mission of revenge from the first movie, I don’t think he would be all that amenable to being compelled to continue working (yes, even if his house gets blown up) as he would almost certainly deem it a slight to his wife’s memory. Speaking of the villains of John Wick: Chapter 2, D’Antonio just doesn’t work for me. His motive to use John as a scapegoat to blame his sister Gianna’s (Claudia Gerini) murder on him so that he can gain power falls flat. Primarily, this is due to the fact that the power structure and hierarchy of this world of assassins feels underdeveloped which makes it hard for me to fully grasp (and thus be invested in) the ramifications of his rise. Even if D’Antonio isn’t an effective villain, I was hoping for the antagonistic assassins in John’s way—Gianna’s bodyguard Cassian (Common) and D’Antonio’s bodyguard Ares (Ruby Rose)—to pick up the slack. But, they just don’t as characters despite having some decent fight scenes with them. Overall, John Wick: Chapter 2 is uplifted enough by its action and chemistry shared between the lead and supporting characters to make up for a lackluster script and disappointing villains. While the pacing of the first two acts works against it as a whole, Kolstad and Stahelski ultimately accomplished the goal of teasing a great threequel with a propulsive, action-packed third act. So, if nothing else, this movie gave us John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. That counts for something. But, at the end of the day, it’s my least favorite film of the John Wick franchise and I still overall enjoy it. If nothing else, this should tell you how worth your time these movies are. 😊 John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) Unlike my first times watching the first two John Wick movies, I saw Chapter 3 – Parabellum in a packed theater on opening weekend. Without a doubt, this enhanced my experience but also worried me that it wouldn’t hold up as well with a rewatch on the 54-inch television screen in my living room. Boy, how wrong I was. Thankfully, Chapter 2 seemed to be a hitch in the process of this creative team. With Parabellum, the franchise finds its footing by offering up the best action sequences of all the films up to this point. In the first hour alone, we get John killing a giant assassin Ernest (Boban Marjanović) with a book, fending off several assassins with just knives and tomahawks, and bringing attackers to their awfully creative ends thanks to some conveniently bucking broncos. But it doesn’t end there. During the second act, we get an awesome shootout with the help of ex-assassin Sofia Al-Azwar (Halle Berry) and her badass German Shepherds. All of this, of course, culminates in the thrilling clash within the halls of the Continental putting the tag team of John and Charon up against the private army of the High Table itself. Undoubtedly, Parabellum gave fans of this burgeoning franchise some of the most entertaining action scenes of the last decade (if not two). Therefore, part of me highly doubts that the cast and crew behind the John Wick series can one-up themselves in the fourth film. But, another part of me hopes that they will. 😊 Of course, it’s no surprise that a John Wick has some amazing action. What impressed me much more was the fact that screenwriter Derek Kolstad (in his, as of now, final outing as a writer for the franchise)—along with his writing partners Shay Hatten (Army of the Dead), Chris Collins (The Wire, Sons of Anarchy), and Marc Abrams—managed to pay off the tease of the second flick. Unlike the inadequate pacing of Chapter 2, the story of Parabellum does a much better job using the action sequences to enhance the narrative rather than drag it along. As such, the story of John on the run from the High Table and a bunch of greedy assassins keeps this two-hour-plus film moving very nicely with rare exception. But the action and narrative are not the only things that make Parabellum a great movie. As with the first two movies, Chad Stahelski assembled a stellar cast around Reeves with a great mix of both new and returning characters. Unsurprisingly, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick do well in their roles but get just some great moments to shine compared to prior films (Reddick in particular). And, to nobody’s shock, Fishburne’s fittingly histrionic return as “The Bowery King” works very well in contrast with the self-serious stoicism of the High Table representatives. But, unlike many of the supporting heroes and villains in Chapter 2, I think that all of the new additions in Parabellum fit in well here. As the lead antagonist, “The Adjudicator” (Asia Kate Dillon) feels very different from any other villain in the franchise but still germane to the bureaucratic, assassin-filled world that has been established. This kind of villain is what the franchise needed at this point to help flesh out the internal politics of the High Table as they impact the ritualistic culture of this world of assassins that John has tried to get away from. On John’s side, however, is a great addition with Halle Berry as his reluctant savior who gets him out of a tough spot while taking every opportunity to absolutely shit on her former friend. Plus, she has two awesome killer German Shepherds. What more can you ask for?!? 😊 All in all, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum might be the best film in the series thus far (the fourth entry notwithstanding). While it may not have the heart of the first movie, it easily ups the ante with the action and outpaces Chapter 2 in virtually every way. Without a doubt, it lives up to and earns its subtitle with a great tease of an ending. Reeves, Fishburne, and myself are “prepared for war.” In other words, I am very excited to see John Wick: Chapter 4 in the movie theater this weekend. Are you?!? John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) [NOTE: This blog contains spoilers for “John Wick: Chapter 4.” You have been warned.] Perhaps my expectations were too high for John Wick: Chapter 4. With the best critical reception in the whole franchise, I started to let myself believe that the fourth outing truly could live up to such hype. And while in some ways it did, I do think the quality of this movie is being a bit overexaggerated (at least compared to other John Wick films). To be clear, Chapter 4 is better than most action movies made today. Without question, this franchise stands alongside the likes of Mission: Impossible with a reputation of being the best of the best when it comes to staging, choreographing, and delivering top-notch action set pieces. That being said, one of my biggest issues with Chapter 4 is how, for the first time in the series, Chad Stahelski and his creative team struggled to top themselves. While none of the action is bad by any means, there were multiple scenes of gunfights, swordfights, and fistfights where I found myself wondering: “Is this any better than what Parabellum did?” Unfortunately, most of those scenes are in the first two hours of this just-under-three-hour juggernaut of a flick. Compared to the jaw-dropping knife-throwing battle or Keanu Reeves-Halle Berry tag-team fight with two German Shepherds in Parabellum, none of the action in the first two acts of Chapter 4 goes bigger or badder. It’s all the kinds of “Gun fu” and swordplay that a fan of this franchise has come to expect. If this was the only deflating aspect of Chapter 4, I could see myself still loving the movie because of the third act (which I’ll get to later). Yet there are other choices made that hold it back from being my favorite John Wick movie. For one thing, the decision to introduce tons of new antagonists ends up being something of a mixed bag. There were certainly a couple of standouts: Bill Skarsgård plays his role to a tee as the Marquis Vincent de Gramont, an ambitious member of the High Table who wants to claim the glory of killing John Wick. In his performance, Skarsgård deftly balances a necessary intimidation factor with just the right amount of subdued cheese to his villainy that helps his character outperform Riccardo Scamario’s Santino D’Antonio from Chapter 2 (and perhaps even Asia Kate Dillon’s “The Adjudicator” from Parabellum). The unquestionable standout of the new cast members is Donnie Yen as Caine. In playing a blind High Table assassin who shares a history with John Wick, Yen brings enough quirkiness and heart to the character so as to make him easily the best foil to Reeves’ portrayal of Wick in the whole franchise. In that respect, his role in the movie (but the climactic duel in particular) fits incredibly well. Honestly, if the studio decided to do a spin-off movie with just Yen’s character, I wouldn’t mind because he is just as entertaining to watch kill endless amounts of goons as Reeves (albeit for different reasons). The other new additions—namely Hiroyuki Sanada as Osaka Continental manager and Wick’s ally Koji, Rina Sawayama as Koji’s daughter and concierge Akira, Shamier Anderson as bounty hunter “Mr. Nobody,” Scott Adkins as German High Table member Killa—are by no means bad (with Sanada being the best of the four). Unfortunately, the amount of screen time devoted to their respective scenes (the length sequence with Killa in Berlin, to be specific) takes away precious screen time that could’ve been used to give some of the returning cast a solid farewell. In my humble opinion, Lance Reddick (may he rest in peace) is done the dirtiest. Not only does he have the least screen time of all the veteran characters, but killing off his character Charon in order to advance the plot without giving him a significant amount of presence in Chapter 4 feels lazy and cheap on the writers’ part. Not to mention Laurence Fishburne, who basically gets a cool speech to open the film and then comes it for the third act to give John Wick a new suit and gun and…that’s it. Simply put, if this truly is the last John Wick movie then both Reddick and Fishburne’s characters go out with a whimper instead of a bang like they both deserve (at least Ian McShane’s Winston gets plenty of scenes to chew on 😊). All of that being said, however, I do think Chapter 4 could still have edged out Parabellum as my second-favorite film of the series if not for the runtime. Like I mentioned earlier, most of the action in the first two hours is standard stuff for this franchise. It’s as if Stahelski wanted to save the coolest ideas for the last forty-five minutes of the movie (namely the traffic fight at the Arc de Triomphe, John using “Dragon’s Breath” shotgun shells to massacre assassins in an abandoned building, and the over-the-top staircase battle). And while this approach makes that third act arguably the best of the franchise (on par with the showdown inside the Continental in Parabellum), it does retroactively make the first two-thirds of the film less interesting by comparison. But, does the climax of Chapter 4 make up for all of these flaws? To some extent, yes. I want to be clear here: I am fine with the creative decision to “kill off” John Wick (either in actuality or to leave the door open for future entries; personally, I’d prefer the former). My issue is not with the choice itself but rather its execution. If you expect me as an audience member to watch John Wick experience several instances where he should’ve died—IN THIS MOVIE ALONE—then it feels cheap to suddenly strip away his demigod status for a duel with Donnie Yen wherein three gunshots are what kill him. I just think with some revisions to the final draft of the screenplay that the creative team behind this movie could’ve done a better job at fleshing out the core theme of John coming to terms with the logical conclusion to this path of revenge that he started back in the first movie in order to make his “death” more believable and impactful (lookin’ at you, No Time to Die!). Ultimately, John Wick: Chapter 4 is not my favorite film of the franchise. Is it the best? I don’t think so, but I get why some people do feel that way. However, I still thoroughly enjoyed watching it in the theater despite its flaws. Conclusion Which brings me back to my original contention: the John Wick series is hands down one of the best action franchise in cinematic history. While each movie has its strengths and deficiencies, the series as a whole has more than made its stamp on the genre with outstanding action choreography and stunt work, inspired cinematography, cool world-building, and bringing a solid cast of performers together to play out their rivalries and drama using weapons of all shapes and sizes. Simply put, I love the John Wick movies. I don’t necessarily love any of the individual flicks, but the balls-to-the-wall action of this franchise overall embodies what I think cinema is about first and foremost: entertainment. And these films, whichever you prefer more, are all very entertaining. What do you like or dislike about the John Wick movies? Are you excited about the Ballerina spin-off film starring Ana de Armas? What opinions of mine do you find absolutely ridiculous? Let me know in the comments below. Until next time, this has been… Yours Truly, Amateur Analyst
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Austin McManusI have no academic or professional background in film production or criticism; I simply love watching and talking about movies. Archives
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