Why John WickX does the mildly absurd premise work that well? Why is he looking Keanu Reeves mow down bad guys in the name of revenge for his murdered dog, interesting enough to spawn a multimedia franchise? Reeves at his best is undoubtedly a draw and there was a lot of sympathy for this poor puppy (obviously I wouldn’t copy his actions if someone hurt my beloved cat, but still - I understand you Mr. Wick) . And this is the draw: John Wick contains a quiet, cunning stupidity bordering on parody. This is a film that knows what it is: bloody, visceral, and self-aware enough to wink at the audience with an artfully delivered one-liner from time to time. Director Chad Stahelski (former stuntman) and writer Derek Kolstad strikes the perfect balance of pushing circumstances to the brink of ridiculousness while showing absolute reverence for the Hong Kong action movie that inspired Wick.
Although John Wick: Chapter 2 And John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum If you add the absurdity factor, there was no shortage of ironic humor in the first film. World John Wick 2014 was smaller and its goal was distilled: a recently widowed killer takes out his grief by taking down a Russian mobster (Alfie AllenIosif Tarasov), who broke into his house, stole his car and killed a puppy that his late wife had adopted to keep her grieving husband company. As such, the film’s tone is more austere, and allusions to the intricate world of Assassins that Wick once inhabited are just allusions. The posh Hotel Continental, where the killers hang out, is charming; V Blade Runner-the esque color palette suggests a dangerous cityscape; and all this mythology follows Wick like a second shadow. These touches enhance the world and add just enough texture to make it feel tactile without an awkward dump of information.
What makes the John Wick movies great?
Wick’s prowess as a death dealer is actually the best example of the franchise’s tonal balance. He is legendary in the Assassin community, unstoppable Terminatora stylish figure that inspires awe no less than terrifying submissiveness. However, the public does not see any of Wick’s bloody history; it’s all conveyed through dialogue that reads like a modern fairy tale or superhero origin story. Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyquist), Josef’s father, flatly leaves Joseph to the mercy of fate, because this boy is up to his ears in shit. But he’s still seething with Wick’s mythos, especially how Wick once killed three people with a pencil. “Who the hell is doing this?” he demands.
The pencil line, especially as it is interrupted by Wick smashing through a concrete floor to find a cache of weapons and ammunition, is darkly hysterical and makes the film’s intentions clear. The nightmarish aura surrounding Wick is the perfect mix of humorous, suspenseful and more than lightly uplifting because it’s fiction and we can do it.
Another example Wick a penchant for satire follows the film’s first real fight scene. All the shots prompt one of Wick’s neighbors to call and complain about the noise (oops!), but the cop at Wick’s door is a complete subversion. He and Wick are friendly, and when he spots dead bodies in Wick’s hallway, he easily asks, “Are you working again?” It’s an oddly playful contrast to Wick’s carnage, which was played straight out and could have gone right out of hand. Saturday night life parody.
Then there’s footage that’s just hilarious: Vic finally gets his revenge, takes place in slow motion, his black jacket hovering stylishly behind him as he approaches the cornered Josef. Stahelski and operator Jonathan Sela often Wick comes out of the shadows in noir lighting that only illuminates half of his face, which obviously represents Wick’s spiritual duality. The words “epic” and “cool” are inappropriate here.
John Wick’s gun-fu is so good because it respects the art form
True, because John Wick combat choreography is the definition of epic. Much has been done about how Wick resurrected Hollywood gun fu, but the reason Wick the action scenes are simply mesmerizing: Stahelski and his team understand that gun fu is an art form. Famous Hong Kong director John Woo gun fu originated in the 1980s and 1990s, and Hollywood began to emulate the style in the early 2000s. Instead of aiming for style over substance, Stahelski treats the martial art with the respect it deserves. The meticulously intricate choreography is wonderful on its own, but also graceful in execution, thanks in no small part to Reeves’ physical prowess. Not enough praise for his commitment to the authenticity of the stunts; Thus, the violence Wick it just hits differently. Wick is intuitive and efficient, brutal and ruthless, his actions are second nature and demand everything his body can give. He bleeds and sweats and just keeps walking with bangs falling in his eyes.
Unlike other action franchises where sequences become stale and repetitive, the wildly unfortunate scenarios Wick finds himself in remain creative, especially in Chapter 2 And Chapter 3 I mean, where else do you see a man killed by a library book (Wick is the only fictional character allowed to commit such a misdemeanor), or a rain-soaked Reeves riding a horse through the streets of New York City, pursued by armed men. on motorcycles? Vic even fights a chatty fan who keeps trying to impress him after Vic impales him with his sword. The crew’s commitment to the quality of the fight never wavers, but absurd kills (Vic demonstrating his pencil technique) or moments like Vic throwing his empty gun in the opponent’s face interrupt the action enough to make us giggle. Since Vic’s skills are well established, there is room to play.
Worldbuilding in the John Wick movies is so stupid it’s fantastic (and fantastic)
Indeed, the second and third films when the franchise openly panders to its more outlandish side. The tone rises to something lighter, as if the director is winking at the audience, and the intricacies of Wick’s killer world are slowly unraveled. Much more lurks beneath the surface than viewers might have guessed: an organization called the High Table watches the actions of assassins, how an executive board manages corporate business. Santino D’AntonioRiccardo Scamarchio), a member of the Italian mafia, forces Wick to kill Santino’s sister by invoking an unbreakable blood oath they share. When Vic breaks the rules and kills Santino on neutral continental territory, the High Table exiles him from their ranks and puts a bounty on his head. A smartly dressed high table judgeAsia Kate Dillon) even comes to clean up the mess that Vic made. The heavily tattooed High Table secretaries use rotary phones and old computers, and apparently every person on the streets of New York is a killer interested in Wick’s bounty. Oh, and John Wick isn’t his real name; he has a mysterious backstory connected to a Russian crime syndicate.
Looking at it all together Wick almost considered urban fantasy. Worldbuilding is a smorgasbord of near-madness, but too stylish for criticism. We don’t need to know why the guy who looks after the High Temple lives in the desert; he just does. Of course, John sets off in search of this man, climbing endless sand dunes under a scorching sun and a starry night sky. And when Reeves reunites with his Matrix partner Laurence Fishburne, that’s about as self-aware as you can get. Fishburne chews the landscape with gusto, demanding from the devoted Wick, “Are you mad, John?” To which Vic, the eternally tormented killing machine with a broken heart of gold, delivers Keanu Reeves’ classic answer: “Yes.” He is deadpan yet furious, summarizing the franchise’s tonal balance in one word.
So what’s next for the John Wick franchise?
WITH John Wick: Chapter 4 several factors are provided on the near horizon. We learn more about the wild world of Wick and the people who inhabit it; viciously creative carnage is a given. Legendary Donnie Yen will face Reeves in a cinematic duel of the ages. The rest of the fans can only guess, because. Wick does not obey the rules of action movies, even though the creators respect the artistic history of gun fu. Somehow, this beautifully unique balance of cartoon satire, radically inventive gore, and exploration of the psychology of a painfully sad man with no reason to live for, weaves together into one of the most enjoyable action films of modern cinema.
Source: Collider
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