With the franchise’s highly anticipatedback-to-back fourth and fifth installmentson the way and Keanu Reeves’ reinvigorated star power continuing to rise every day, it’s fair to say thatJohn Wickhas been one of the most unexpected Hollywood success stories in recent years. The original 2014 movie, directed by Chad Stahelski and an uncredited David Leitch, could’ve easily been dismissed as a run-of-the-mill revenge thriller, but a few key aspects made it a modern classic that launched a lucrative unprecedented hard-R action franchise.
Obviously, without discrediting the contributions of the rest of the cast and crew, the success ofJohn Wickcan mostly be attributed to Reeves himself. His committed performance as a grieving hitman is a cut above the usual surface-level pathos found in action hero performances.
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Not only did Reeves dedicate himself to the nuances of a solitary killer silently mourning the loss of his wife; he also fully dedicated himself to the physicality of the role. Inthe average Marvel blockbusteror direct-to-video Bruce Willis actioner, the editors have to cut around when the actors are swapped out for their stunt doubles. InJohn Wick, the editors could linger on action shots for as long as they wanted, because Reeves was the one doing all the fight choreography and elaborate gunplay.
Aside from the promise ofseeing Reeves in the role of a legendary hitman, one of the elements that madeJohn Wickstand out to moviegoers when it was released in 2014 was the boldness of killing off an adorable puppy in gruesome fashion. The fact that the movie’s inciting incident is the cutest dog in the world being shot dead launched a word-of-mouth marketing campaign more effective than any ad space money can buy.
Studio executives reportedly wanted to swap out the puppy for John’s family. Instead of seeking vengeance for the death of the pet his late wife left him, John would’ve sought vengeance for the death of his entire family. This familiar setup, already seen in dozens of generic, predictable vigilante thrillers, would’ve taken away everything that made theJohn Wickscript unique. The death of that adorable beagle tells the audience that there’s no line this movie won’t cross andit’s going to be a brutal ride. Killing John’s whole family would tell the audience they’re in for two hours of the same movie they’ve seen countless times before. Thankfully, the filmmakers fought to keep the puppy’s death and the rest is history.
Above all,John Wickis an action movie. What fans are looking for when they buy a ticket for an action movie are spectacular fight scenes, shootouts, car chases, explosions – they want excitement and suspense and danger. Directors Stahelski and Leitch’s background is in stunt work – they’d previously worked with Reeves as stunt coordinators onThe Matrixmovies – so they had that department covered. Their experience, paired withReeves’ commitment to getting it right, ensured that the action scenes inJohn Wickwould be much more beautifully staged, shot, and realized than the action scenes in most of the other thrillers getting churned out by Hollywood.
In addition to drawing on their history as stunt coordinators, Stahelski and Leitch brought a sumptuous visual style to the table. When they were visualizing Kolstad’s script, the directors took inspiration from all kinds of existing classics, from spaghetti westerns to anime. Primarily, with the high-contrast lighting and gloomy palette, the movie draws on film noir. The nightclub where the iconic shootout takes place, “The Red Circle,” is named after Jean-Pierre Melville’s gritty neo-noir masterpieceLe Cercle Rouge, a major influence onJohn Wick’s stylized realism. From John Boorman’sPoint BlanktoJohn Woo’sThe Killer, Stahelski and Leitch’s disparate reference points gaveJohn Wicka unique look to distinguish it from its factory-line peers.
WhileJohn Wickwas never guaranteed to be a long-running franchise that managed to contend with the Avengers at the box office, the stage was set for a number of sequels to follow. Derek Kolstad’s script isfilled with masterful worldbuilding. The worldbuilding never gets in the way of the plot – it’s only ever there to help the plot move along – but it establishes a much wider fictional universe, as John is shown to be part of a global network of assassins with its own hotel chain. Concepts like the Continental were so exciting and new that audiences couldn’t wait to explore this world further.
Ultimately, there’s no special ingredient that makesJohn Wickan imitable template for a relatively low-budget movie that launches a high-grossing franchise. Stahelski, Leitch, Reeves, and co. all just set out to makethe best movie they could– the only sure-fire way to get through to a wide audience.John Wick’s intimate portrait of its tortured lead character (and the murder of his puppy) made him an antihero that audiences could root for and, as a result, they wanted to see more of his adventures.
