In 2014, we were treated to the groundbreaking action flick John Wick, which has since turned a low-budget action film into one of the most successful action franchises of all time. The success of the first movie immediately spawned a sequel, which expanded on the world and lore, leading audiences to want more from this sleek action franchise. It wasn't long before a third film in the franchise was green-lit, which doubled down on the action and resulted in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum being one of the highest grossing movies of 2019, beating out Shazam! and Aquaman. Currently, the fourth film in the franchise is in production and is set to release in 2023, with promises of more action, more world-building and more Keanu Reeves. What's not to be excited about?
The action genre is packed full of many iconic franchises, and with the franchises' jaw-dropping action, and compelling world building, supported by an awesome cast, John Wick has cemented itself as one of the best franchises in the action genre. So with that, let's take a deeper look at why we think John Wick is among the best franchises in the genre.
The Action
John Wick gained its majority of success through its groundbreaking and jaw-dropping action. The film's many action scenes have been hailed as some of the best and most iconic action scenes in cinema, with the Red Circle Shootout, and Knife Room fight being among the best in the franchise.
Using many martial arts styles such as Judo, Karate, Kali and the made-up style of Gun-Fu, John Wick's action exceeds in being diverse. The franchise's action garnered most of its praise due to the amazing and fast-paced Gun-Fu, which originated with John Woo in the '80s, with films like A Better Tomorrow and The Killer. Gun-Fu is a blend of fast-paced martial arts using firearms to create a unique and cohesive fighting system. The fighting style eventually made its way over to the US with films like Bullet Proof Monk and Kick Ass, but it wasn't until 2014 with the release of John Wick that gave Gun-Fu the credit and notoriety it deserved.
The action scenes pride themselves in being grounded in reality, with director and creator Chad Stahelski working with choreographer Jonathan Eusebio to make the action as realistic as they could. While John is an assassin not to pick a fight with, he is still human, and we see him get shot, stabbed, and we get to see the famed boogeyman get exhausted from all the fighting, shooting, and running. We also get to witness John reload many times in the middle of a gun fight, with a lot of times being interrupted and having to find an alternate way to dispatch the henchmen, adding more layers of realism to each set-piece.
The cinematography of each scene is incredibly impressive, focusing on continuous shots, giving the action a chance to breathe and flow. This also allows the audience to see the action and be able to track what is happening. The 2000s and 2010s saw many action films, sporting shaky cams and a disorientating amount of editing in their action. But, instead, John Wick brought a new life to the genre and employed many tricks we see in Eastern martial arts films which results in action that has an unmatched rhythm and pace. Each action scene is ingeniously planned out, which results in action that feels like a dance, and make for a glorious watch.
The Character of John Wick
John Wick is a character fans quickly fell in love with, with his cool and slick design, his no nonsense attitude, and motive for revenge, which we can all relate to. Being the world's most infamous assassin, every one in the assassin game knows who he is and what he was capable of, which adds depth to his character and makes us immediately immersed in his story. John Wick is perhaps one of the coolest assassins in cinema, sporting a sleek black suit and killing numerous amounts of enemies like it is nothing. Making John Wick a legend in that universe was a genius decision from Chad Stahelski. Many characters would tell stories of the Baba Yaga, which will send shivers down your spine, creating some of the best and coolest monologues in recent cinematic history. The infamous line "He killed three guys in a bar with a pencil" cemented John Wick as a legend and one of the deadliest hitmen in cinema.
But, as cool and calculated as John Wick is, he still has an emotional and heartbreaking backstory, which humanizes his character. Losing his wife and puppy, leads John on a revenge mission, and brings him back into the life he wanted to escape from. Making John's backstory tragic and relatable, made us immediately sympathize and root for his character.
Keanu Reeves
As much as we can give praise to John Wicks characterization, the character of John Wick would not be as iconic without the legendary Keanu Reeves in the role. Reeves had extensive training for the role, with every firearm used in the films, as well as many martial arts training for the hand-to-hand fight scenes. Performing all the action we see in the film added a sense of realism and authenticity to the franchise. Not many actors did this at the time, but John Wick has since led to many action movies where the lead actor would perform their own stunts, such as Charlize Theron in Atomic Blonde, and Bob Odenkirk in the non-official spin-off, Nobody. When it came to dialogue, there was only one man who could pull off the effortless, no-nonsense, and sometimes cheesy, but perfect delivery of John Wick, and that was of course Keanu Reeves.
The Supporting Cast
The John Wick franchise has seen many great and surprising actors pop up in major and minor roles, with Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Willem Dafoe, Common, Halle Berry, Angelica Houston and Mark Dacascos standing out. But perhaps the most exciting addition is Reeves' Matrix co-star Laurence Fishburne, as the Bowery King, delivering an over-the-top performance that only Fishburne could pull off.
The star-studded cast adds a layer of fun and excitement to the movies, with every cast member delivering exceptionally fun and cool performances. It is truly exciting seeing these many famous faces pop up in this action-packed franchise, and there is an infectious amount of fun that the cast has with each installment in the franchise.
The World-Building
The mythology in John Wick is unlike anything we have ever seen. Introducing us to an assassin underworld with strict rules, outdated technology, and strange currency. Chapter one introduced us to The Continental, a safe haven for assassins with strict rules and harsh punishments. Fans adored the idea of The Continental so much, that Lionsgate announced a prequel series about The Continental Hotel. While Chapter one didn't delve very deeply into the mythology, Chapter two and Chapter three introduced audiences to blood oaths and demonstrated how big and important the assassin underworld is in the universe of John Wick. Chapter two and Chapter three went international, with the franchise taking us to Rome and Morocco, which both have their own Continental Hotels and underworlds. The world-building of John Wick is so unique, engaging and immersive, making us want to learn more and more about the universe with every installment.