How can a low-budget film John Wick turn into a major franchise? Isn’t that interesting to know? In this article, I will explain How Mr. Hot and Handsome Assassin have won millions of hearts.
The protagonist of the Franchise, John Wick movie series is a reputed professional assassin who has earned himself a name in the dangerous world of assassins. He has a long and violent career but left everything once he married his wife Helen and settled.
The protagonist, John Wick, is played by Keanu Reeves, an iconic Hollywood movie star with a huge fan following! The franchise started in 2014 without real ambition and was planned as a speck of dust of an action movie.
Keanu Reeves took this underdog of a movie and turned it into a diabolical franchise that just got more creative, meaner, and bigger with every chapter. Trust Mr. Reeves to create action mayhem in the most parodic way possible!
John Wick: Things That We Know So Far!
The movie series is based on a comic book mini-series, which has been used to establish the plot of the movies. It is a catalyst for creating a plot that seems inspired by other Hollywood hits such as Death Wish and Taken.
We already know that John Wick is a retired hit-man with a reputation as one of the most violent and professional assassins. He became settled and soft after he married his wife, Helen; however, she died due to an unnamed illness.
Wick managed the unprocessed grief of his wife’s death as she left behind a puppy, Daisy, to give him company. However, some men, including Iosef Tarasov, invaded the home of John and murdered his wife, fulfilling the purpose of stealing his car.
If you are asking, how many John Wick movies are there? I will be discussing them. It led to Wick coming out of his retirement and pursuing Iosef Tarasov, the son of Viggo Tarasov, Wick’s former employer.
The foundation of the John Wick films is this. However, there are other factors that we have been made aware of regarding the character who speaks less but is quite loyal to all people, objects, and animals.
Who is John Wick?
Born on September 12, 1964, in Pohorje, Wick’s original name is Jardani Jovonovich, but later he adopted the name “Jonathan Wick” or “John Wick.” His parents died at a very young age leaving him all alone.
He was then adopted by a friend of his father, who later became his mentor. Later, an organized crime group, Ruska Roma, recruited Wick in New York City. With this group, Wick was introduced to the criminal branches of the city and across the world.
John Wick was trained in firearms and weapons use, martial art, infiltration, thievery, escapology, and tactical driving. He is mostly older than most of the people he is fighting with, yet he recovers faster than them.
Skills And Abilities
As a trained hitman, Wick is in his top form as he is athletic and has efficient physicality with fine reflexes, optimal stamina, agility, durability, strength, and speed. Two of the most significant opponents John has ever faced are Caine and Zero, who came close to his prowess.
The assassin is multilingual and is fluent in English, Hebrew, Italian, American Sign Language, Russian, Cantonese, Indonesian, Japanese, and Arabic. The diversity in language helps him to interact with his friends and foes alike!
Wick also has a detailed knowledge of physiology and human anatomy, so he can apply first aid and basic medicine, as it is seen that he used doctor’s stitches on his wound.
He is a skilled horseman, easily riding in the Morocco desert and through a city, evading his enemies. A vintage Mustang 69 is the car John drove even when he was retired, and as a hobby, he raced tracks.
You can see his expertise in the car chase with Chidi, portrayed by Marko Zaror, where dozens of men were hired to kill John along with Chidi. The trained assassin was well aware of combative situations, the use of appropriate weapons, the use of the environment, and his surrounding objects.
Shortcomings
John Wick, an ex-hitman, is overconfident, which can be highlighted as one of his shortcomings. He considered his reputation enough for his enemies to be aware of it, and his overconfidence can be seen when he interacts with “The Bowery King.”
Revenge and anger are other weaknesses of John, who can pursue people based on his anger and revenge, which sometimes can be dangerous for his life. At times, he cannot control his anger leading to some naivety and actions that he might regret later.
Immortality is another weakness of John Wick. Even though he has high durability, he can be killed. He can also die from illness, old age, or injuries.
Clothing
John Wick wears tactically designed suits so that he can be fluent in his movements while he is fighting during the missions.
Equipment Used
There are a lot of weapons used by John Wick when he goes out on missions. He is fluent in weapon use and knows guns, rifles, knives, etc.
The primary sidearm that John uses is Heckler & Koch P30L, a semi-automatic pistol fitted with a custom-made compensator. His backup sidearm is a Glock 26. He is also well fluent in using a Walther P99.
Wick also used Glock 17 for a brief time, but he discarded the arm within a very short period. Another backup pistol used by Wick is the Glock 34. Further, Wick has also received Kimber Warrior and TTI Pit Viper, two significant weapons from The Bower King.
He is known for his expertise in knives, desert tactical arms, stealth recon scouts, machine guns, axes, Nunchaku, and Wakizashi.
John Wick
Chapter 1 of the John Wick series shows a withdrawn John Wick suffering from losing his wife, Helen Wick, who cannot deal with it. At the beginning of the film, he is not connected with organized crime, and yet it finds him.
A Russian gangster Iosef Tarasov assaults John at his home after the ex-hitman refuses to sell his prized car at the gas station. Apart from the physical assault and stealing of his car, Iosef, and his goons kill his dog, Daisy, and John loses it.
The dots are connected when it is revealed that Iosef is the son of Wick’s previous boss, who called John to leave his son alone. However, John refused. High Table and the people serving it are John’s actual opposition.
From the time John refuses, the action cinematography shines through. The action scenes are beautifully choreographed, and it almost looks like a dance. The film’s camera work is not relatable to modern action cinema; instead, it is a more poetic approach to the action scenes.
John Wick Chapter 2
The films were getting stronger concerning the script and the actions! The franchise’s second film follows John through his vengeance and sees him get his revenge by retiring again with a new dog that he adopts.
Yet, the world of organized crime does not leave John alone for very long! Santino is a part of the organized crime world and demands John pay the debt they both made through a deal. The Continental Hotel is an important element in the film as it is a place for safety.
Yet, the hotel and its owner Winston help John in many ways, yet assaults and conflicts for John continue. Santino turns and places a bounty on John’s head, leading to hitmen worldwide coming at the ex-hitman.
The films have created a pattern where the actions are presented in a parody, yet they are respectful action films. John Wick is a good action movie parody, yet the fight scenes, pace, and entertainment reflect more depth.
John Wick Chapter 3 – Parabellum
The film just picks from the second film, and John is an “excommunicate” because he killed Santino. He reaches out to the director in this film, so the audience is exposed to a further hierarchy of the assassination world with every film.
Authorities at the High Table are angry at Wick and will try their best to kill him. This film represents action based on violence but with a visual treat. Halley Berry appears in the film as Sophia, who helps John fight others.
The Elder is the one who is in charge of the High Table, and finally, John meets him. He expresses his desire to retire, and yet he is asked by the Elder to kill his longtime friend Winston. Zero, another assassin and an Adjudicator, is responsible for whether John kills Winston.
It is where a twist comes when Winston is asked to kill John, who shoots but not to kill. John is rescued by one of Bower King’s minions. The film is quite electric, and it has become one of Hollywood’s most loved movies.
John Wick Chapter 4
The anticipation of the film before March 24, 2023, shows how significant the film franchise is and how people have fallen in love with the ex-hitman with a soft side to him. He has a sense of morality shown in snippets in the John Wick 4 trailer.
Chad Stahelski directs the film with a John Wick 4 cast including Keanu Reeves, Bill Skarsgard, Donnie Yen, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Ian McShane, and others. The film sets the stage for the revenge John has decided against the High Table once and for all.
Most shootings occurred in New York City, Germany, Japan, and France. The locales contributed equally to the beautifully designed action sequence. The film is a box office success. And is one of the most popular action movies to be appreciated in a long time.
What Does The Future Hold For The Franchise?
The future of the film is shining, considering chapter 5 has already been planned. The most important part of the franchise is that Keanu Reeves came back into the mainstream.
The film has irony, comedy, and action; what can be better than the convenience of all types of emotions for the audience? The film franchise is a true representation of action choreography where the action sequences are one of the coolest.
A visual treat to look at, John Wick is special with hand-to-hand combat, which is intimate and explicit. The kind of action shown in the film is valuable concerning mainstream cinema.
Is John Wick Just An Action Film?
Nope, not by a long shot! John Wick is not just an action film. The film is the softest and gentlest take on a man’s unprocessed grief and pain. The relationship between John and the puppy is peaceful, and emotion is involved.
There is an ethical perception of the man who sees the murder of innocents as something punishable. It is ethically correct, and his feeling toward taking revenge might be something that many viewers agree with.
Wick’s character is a typical man, which has developed with relevance to realistic events and the reaction of a man who can change the system. Standing up to the authorities who are exploiting power for their benefit is something that John does.
Killing a puppy and creating it as the reason for all this violence might initially seem manipulative. Still, in the long run, the movie shows us what we would do if we loved some of our loved ones. Or if we suffered from unprocessed grief.
The film was created with a lot of passion, and initially, it was just considered an action film. Hence, the first film had little depth. However, with each film, the franchise has done better by integrating the complex relationships of John and how he deals with them.
Conclusion
When researching John Wick, I realized most people would react the way John did after losing their loved ones to illogical events. I consider him a victim of situations, and the world has a habit of picking people up when they are down.
John Wick, as a franchise of films, will keep you grounded. Yet when you see it, you will realize that there is more depth apart from the action sequences. The way they have shown loyalty and word of mouth in the film creates a naive perception of the character.
Comment below to let us know which chapter of John Wick is your favorite and why!
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