The dog wasn't just a pet, it was supposed to represent John having a normal life, but when they killed the dog, they took away his one chance of peace and happiness.
You can almost look at it as they killed/kidnapped his only kid, kind of like 'Taken'..the one thing he had left of his only love, which he was STILL grieving.
@@luxorcephrenSE23Yeah. It started off with John Wick getting revenge on a group of Russian Bad guys for killing his dog until it later changes in the sequels where he's now figuring out a way to survive from being hunted down by many bounty hunters and get his name off of the bounty hunt list.
@@luxorcephrenSE23if you watch John Wick and didn't get a story then you truly didn't understand the film. Even each movie felt like an actual chapter of a book
Personally I don't think Reeves gets enough credit for being as versatile actor as is apparent in the huge differences in the hit characters he's played so far. I thought he did very well in Ronin as well.
Minty. I subscribe to many channels and I ALWAYS enjoy yours. One hallmark of a good channel is consistency and your “formula “ does this well. Much thanks for another informative interesting and entertaining presentation!
@@Laugh1ngboy Car was important. Wife's note states that Daisy was to be something for him to love BESIDES his car. So yeah, while the car is secondary, it did also have special meaning to John.
My favorite part is when the buddy shop guy slaps the mob boss son and the mob calls and says “did you slap my son” Auto shop guy “yes sir I did” Min boss “can I ask as to why?” Auto shop guy “well sir… they killed John Wicks puppy and then stole his car” Mob Boss “oh.” Best part ever
@@epicgenealogy8853 Jeezo, Al Pacino is brilliant in The Godfather, one of the greatest acting roles in movie history. I'm sure that exec ate his words later though...
Viggo's speech to his son about John and why wronging him was a mistake is one of the most powerful examples of exposition done right. Tells you all you need to know, keeps some mystery alive and ends on a note of suspense and excitement.
I loved that scene. It made me laugh out loud as his pure fear of what was about to go down was so palpable. Not only has his son fucked up. His son has just killed every single person they know. It's all over, and he absolutely knows there's nothing he can do to stop it. Brilliant.
That scene is home to one of my favorite small film details of all time. When he pours the first two shots, the one he punches that Greyjoy boy so hard he throws up, it's not the top shelf bottle. Afterwards he then proceeds to pour himself the good stuff. Not only does it show just how scared and pissed he is but it also shows just how amateur and unaware his son is.
That scene is fantastic, but even better I think are the two phone calls just before and after that scene. The first one is where Viggo talks to Aurelio from the garage, asking him why he punched his son. When told why, he simply replies with "Oh". That has to be the most information packed into a single syllable in movie history. That one syllable speaks volumes about the entire situation, about John Wick and his reputation (and by extension his past), as well as Viggo's relationship with him. The second one is where Viggo calls John to try to dissuade him from going on the rampage he knows is coming. John never says a single word. After he hangs up, Avi the henchman asks Viggo what John said, to which Viggo replies "He said enough." And that right there is information packed into no syllables at all. Taken together, those three scenes are the highlight of the movie for me, showcasing amazing script writing, directing and acting. The minimalistic approach really resonated with me, which is something the sequels increasingly failed to live up to. In essence, the world that the first movie _hinted at_ was for me much more interesting than the world the sequels painted in intricate detail.
It wasn't just that they hurt his dog. It's that he took it personal, because it was like they killed his wife again. The dog was a living memory of his wife.
Yeah, it wasn't just a dog to him. It was the last piece of his wife that he had left... it was the thing she said would keep him human and grounded. Killing the dog was symbolic of killing what was left of his normal life.
*_The Puppy dying IS THE WHOLE MOVIE. Without it, the movie is just a guy having too much attachment to a car which is replaceable. The Puppy dying is the heart of the movie, as John perfectly puts it to Viggo when he is captured and tied to a chair: That whole speech cannot exist without the Daisy dying (It would make no sense for Wick to say those things of his car, even if his wife had given it to him)_*
Agreed. I hate that shaky cam BS, along with the style of having hundreds of different camera angle cuts. The style of a single camera take that follows the action just flows so much better.
AMEN! That shaky cam BS of the early 2000s was the worst idea they could've came up with. You can't actually see the action. It's blurry and vague. And the fact that it's supposed to represent the chaos of the situation is a lame excuse. What good is is representing the chaos if you can't even see WTF is going on. It's like watching a fight with you're own eyes... We don't stand there like bobble head dolls shaking all over the place. We stand still and gawk at the action.
The original John Wick is a nigh perfect standalone film. I always felt that Wick died at the end of the first movie and that 2, 3, and 4 were his journey to heaven, fighting his way to be with his wife again.
A lot of people don't realize that the puppy, CRAWLED TO HIM before it died. Not many people catch the little bloody paw prints that lead over to John's unconscious body when he wakes up.
I think people liked this movies not just because of Reeves, the dog, or the story. But because of the firearm handling. When this movie came out, the firearms community raved about it! The weapons handling is spot on. Unlike Dirty Harry, Rambo, or the rest of Hollywood films, this movie shows actual firearm handling, reloading, abilities, and carry. This is because Keanu Reeves took up 3-gun competitions in preparing for this film. He like 3-gun so much, that he continues to compete to this day.
It's all around a good movie franchise. Few of the side characters really feel like side characters. And when one dies, we mourn them almost as much as Daisy.
I agree, every time he has a weapon it is operated as in real life. He actually runs out of bullets and throws his gun. I watch all of them all the time and watch the gun manipulation Keanu does and it is amazing. Go to RU-vid and watch reeves training he is a badass with guns.
@@DjJokerrdid you miss the part where they show the tailor making bulletproof suits? I’m pretty sure the combo of protective clothing + decades of training is what keeps him relatively safe. Not to mention they show him getting wounded and dealing with that, too. 🤷🏻♀️
When they killed his dog... oh man I was raging hard. I can completely relate to his need for vengeance. You never screw with a mans best friend (and last gift from his dead wife) unless you want a war... and that is exactly what they got.
One of my favorite movies. Some of the most accurate depictions of violence, in the sense of real techniques being used on screen. After seeing the entire series, I love the hitman underworld they've created. So Good!!!
The John wick franchise is truly one of my top, most favorite movies and movie franchises. There’s so many layers and so much to the movie with so many incredibly interesting characters that John interacts with, and the storyline that. It keeps you going with wanting more. I truly hope there’s at least one more movie left to do so. It rounds it out to an even five. And of course it goes without saying Keanu Reeves is my all-time top, most favorite actor in Hollywood that I enjoy and admire I would even go so much to say probably one of the finest human beings alive.
I was asked who is the greatest villain/monster in the last decade. I answered John Wick, he has killed more people than most movie maniacs and he killed families to retire.
as brutal as the puppy's death scene might be, it connects the audience with John Wick's pain and loss of the only living anchor to his wife's love. She saw something in him that no one else did, giving him redemption, and as John says 'you took that from me!' Taking this scene out and only having his car stolen really would not make much sense as a revenge movie.
Minty, you talk about John Wick like he's some kind of boogeyman, he's not... he's the guy you call to kill the f***ing boogeyman 😆 my favorite line out of the entire movie 😆
I had a beagle that was like a child to me. He died shortly before John Wick came out. A friend saw the movie before I did and told me what the motivation was. It took me 8 years to be able to watch these movies. The murder of the beagle was a very hard scene to watch, but man oh man did it make the rest of the movie (and all the sequels) work. It was actually cathartic in a way. It gave me that outlet for the anger and rage that I felt over the loss of my own dog. The fact that the term “going John Wick” is now ingrained in our culture when referencing a response toward anyone hurting a pet makes me very happy.
One of the best franchises ever. 4 was a perfect ending and I hope they have enough sense to leave it be because nothing is worse than watching a perfect franchise try to squeeze one more drop out of a complete story (looking at you Bourne).
Removing the killing of the puppy would’ve been a huge mistake as it is one of the consistently readdressed plot points and for animal lovers justifies and keeps you rooting for John’s killing spree. The whole series surprisingly becomes very dogcentric with multiple main characters having dogs they love who also aid them in combat.
What I liked most about the John Wick movies is not the fast cuts during fight scenes! You get to see the whole fight. To make things look more extreme movies started to do quick cuts making it hard to figure out how the fight is really going, but it makes the hits look hard. For instance maybe a person can not kick so high, so they show the start of the kick then zoom into the face & see a foot hit really hard to the face! Do quick cuts like this make it hard to figure out what is really going on with the fight. Love that John Wick brought back full fight scenes like Bruce Lee!
I myself wouldn't own a pet but I understand the bond and added fact it came from his now deceased wife. Which made it okay for him to kill everybody in his way.
I have to say my two cents about the "just a dog"-thing. To me, it was never "just a dog", it was a type of reincarnation/reiteration/personification (take your pick) of his wife. They don't just take his dog but they re-take his wife from him.
Keanu Reeves is my favorite actor. I named my first son Neo. The first movie and VHS I watched/owned was Bill & Ted Bogus Journey. I even look similar to him and have been told many times. He's proved himself to be an amazing actor and person in general.
The John Wick Franchises is not your average "Hitman movie" at all. It will show that they're new rarest breed of men exist in this world that they invisible perfectly blended in. The 1% Introverts, like me (Sigma's) from the 99% Extroverts (Normal People)👊🏽🐺🐺
As many times as I've watched the john wick film series (which is a myriad amount) I've known almost nothing about its history or production so thank you mark for a brilliant and much appreciated in depth look into one of my favorite movies
The killing of the dog is the reason I sought this movie out. Eighty or so bad guys getting killed because they killed my dog (or ANY dog) I could relate to.
how many times has a film that became really popular was dumped by a variety of short sighted, money orientated studios? This franchise is right up there with the mission impossible films in that they just kept getter better.
Man these movies remind me so much of Chow Young Fat movies like the Killer and Hard Boiled. Keanu is one of my favs of all time. He is so cool and so different! As far as the plot the whole thing is over the top which is what makes it fun. And remember they killed his puppy AND stole his car!! LOL
I think one of the main reasons this movie did so well was because it was not only a think outside the box kind of action film but also because it was probably the most original idea Hollywood had come up with in recent years.
Have heard Marcus "the lone survivor" Luttrell was part of the inspiration someone came on to his land and killed his dog Luttrell chased them down for hours outside of the Houston area and caught them and they were arrested the cops asked why he did not just kill them on his land and he said he had killed enough people
As a cinema worker when this came out, it was one of the hardest films to describe to anyone that hadn’t seen the trailer. I mean would you see a film when you’re told it’s about a man going after the people you stole his car and killed his dog?
Like they really thought taking the dog out would make it better like all that killing in rampage was done because of a car and not a dog his ex-wife left him before dying Like that is a stronger motive than they took my car No you took the last thing my dead wife gave me before she died
"The Package" also features a Wick character (Tommy Wick) so the writer likes to self-insert a LOT. It's also worth noting that despite the initial John Wick doing meh at the box office, each subsequent release has earned WAY more money than the previous installment. In fact, each movie released has surpassed the one that came before it. In a world where sequels operate under the law of diminishing returns (pound for pound), Wick is working backwards to that and doing the opposite. Making MORE money with each sequel. There's no surprise why they keep releasing them and now have a spin-off series as well. This franchise is a license to print money right now.
I never thought the dog was hurt irl but it still was hard to watch the scene. Let this movie be a sign to all of those non pet people THAT is how much we love our animal companions
If you haven’t watched the first episode of The Continental, please do. I can’t say anything without spoilers other than ‘Pick up your fingers!’. I hated John Wivk upon first watch and it was because of the puppy. I lost my dog years ago and loved her dearly, like she was my child (I have one of those too). I had a very visceral response to seeing Daisy dead. (My girl died of a fall down the stairs, she had gotten old). But I came to love the movie as I remembered when I got her, she was barely a pound, and some guy cut me off while I was taking her to the vet. I didn’t have anything like a dog seatbelt yet, nothing. She slid off the seat and hit the dash because I slammed on the brakes. I did in fact chase that guy fine, fully intent on whipping his butt. He at first looked at me like I was crazy because I was yelling about a puppy. Then I went in my purse to get a box cutter, lol. Thank god I don’t have a gun. He backed up, said sorry and ran into a store. I got my puppy after my mother got sick, she later died and my girl kept me sane. Through college, bad boyfriends and birth of my daughter. She was everything. Yeah I get it John Wick. I’d have messed someone up over my girl too. Now I have 3 kitties (hurts too much to get a dog, still) Would I John Wick someone for hurting my kitten girls? Absolutely.
This movie kept count of the bullets, and showed on-screen magazine changes. And Keanu trained to an extreme and can pretty much do all that gun-fu stuff in real life. The long fight scenes were filmed without cuts.
I had always assumed that he doesn't go on a rampage because they killed his dog, but because he is grief stricken over the death of his wife, with the dog being an excuse and a deflection. But, okay, I suppose, maybe he just really loved that dog.
It was actually about his wife, the last vestige of whom was represented by the dog. The proof is in the 4th movie, when John Wick says that he wants his epitaph to be "Loving Husband."
The dog was the last straw. He was devastated over the loss of his wife, then his car, but that puppy was the one thing that he was still willing to live for. When the dog died, he wanted to die as well…. But not without taking all those responsible out first.
@@stefandriesner5026 Yeah, I guess so. I suppose as I watched I assumed that, despite taking out a lot of Bad Guys, this does not necessarily make this character a Good Guy. He is, after all, an assassin for hire and murders a lot of people as the movie unfolds. Hence, I ascribed less than noble motivations to his actions - a murderous rampage to distract himself from his grief, thinly veiled as revenge for the dog. But, yes, the dog is indeed that which remained of his wife, which the Bad Guys took away from him.
@@allthingsnerd.4484 It does indeed have that last straw feel about it. He seemed to be only just hanging on to his desire to leave his past behind, and that dog was the final thread. I had never quite realised that he may have *wanted* the rampage to end in his death, hence it escalates and escalates to ever more lethal encounters. Good point - that's a nice motivation. If so, is there a point in any of the movies where he changes his mind?
I wouldn't call it a deflection. It's more that they removed his only outlet for his grief. That the outlet was a gift from his wife, a puppy offering unconditional love AND they stole his car just piled on top. Once you remove his anchor and destroy the few things he loves he really has no reason to hold back but you see him trying to throughout the movie each time anyone ask him if he's back.
