You're not suppose to know these things about the character at the start, it's structured like this on purpose, you went into this movie as blind as everyone else. That's part of what makes this movie so good, it trusts the intelligence of the audience to piece things together as the plot unfolds. John's world is mysterious.
He knows MORE about the character/world than people who saw it in theaters because he's heard pop culture references about it. Lol he's acting like it's a Marvel movie where everyone knows all this shit about the characters already. Like nah bro we all had to figure it out too.
@@MikeB12800 The end of the video where he doubles down on his original take and says the only bad part of the movie is how they didn't spoonfeed you the characters and world?
Facts. What's scarier -- a guy Telling you how terrifying he is, or other people Being Afraid of how terrifying the guy is? Show don't tell, but if someone tells a story while showing fear, that's another level
Marcus was never trying to kill John nor did he have any intention of fulfilling the contract. When he said it was an open contract, that's when he agreed to take it. He was always his friend and wanted to keep an eye on him.
Mistake: Willem Defoe is using a right handed rifle, then it's left handed then right handed. He didn't kill the girl because like others said no business on hotel grounds. The dog he rescued was going to be put down the next day that's what the clipboard said. This was the origin story that's why you learn as you go that's the whole point. The next movies show even more. Oh the coins, those are a social contract not real currency like you think of as money. Everyone knowing him is to show how good he was before he retired. One last thing, the bouncer wasn't talking about his weight loss he was telling John how many guards are inside the club.
@@harish123az Ah, but just as in a court of law, she was no longer an eminent threat. If he had killed her as she was crawling away down the hall, it would have been John facing the firing squad and not Perkins.
@@pinkfire2344 Meh, he could always claim she attacked him while he was tying her up (just like she actually attacked the manager later). Pretty sure they would not look deep into the death of someone attacking their guest while sleeping. They were so embarrassed they gifted him a car, i see absolutely no way they will kill john wick just because he killed someone who attacked him in the continental They have rules but they are not stupid enough to enforce them so blindly without context
@@harish123az They already understood that she attacked him. Hence why she's later punished for that. But that right there is the point. It's not John's responsibility to enforce the rules within The Continental's walls. Even as we clearly see Winston has great respect for John in the beginning, there are lines no one is aloud to cross while there. The hotel's cameras saw her break into his room, and they saw her crawl out. Had he done more than he did at that time, they would have known that too. Not to mention there was also a witness. So...yeah. He made the right call in the moment. If anything he should have found her outside Continental grounds to finish their "conversation".
The thing with the rifle wasn’t the hand of the rifle changing. But I’m guessing it was a filming mistake on what amounts to a b-roll shot. The shot it from the opposite side of him, and realized that if they left it that way, it would have looked/felt like they “crossed the line”, which makes the audience a little disoriented. It’s easier to flip the shot in post than to reshoot. But that simple fix with something that almost nobody would notice. This was far less of an issue than it would have been if it was left the way it was shot.
Nobody knew anything about John Wick going into this, besides the movie trailers which is why the beginning was as intriguing as it was. You can tell he had a past from the start, and as soon as Vigo gave the background everyone got their first glimpse as to how badass the Boogeyman was
John’s been out of “the game” for five years. That is a lifetime in those circles. All of the old-timers know him well because he was infamous until his retirement. He was “the best.” The whole point is that the new, young gangsters don’t recognize him… which they regret later. We learn about his past at about the same rate that they do.
John Wick and Jason Bourne are two of my favourite action movie franchises mainly because you don't know how devastatingly efficient the main protagonists are at the beginning. With John Wick you only realise how dangerous he is when Vito gives his history and with Jason Bourne I sat up and said "wait, this dude is DANGEROUS" during the diner scene when he explained that at the altitude they were at he could run flat out for five minutes, he remembers all the licence plates of the cars in the car park, knew where the best place to hide a gun was in the truck, where all the exits where in the diner, and finally the weight of the guy sitting at the counter and the fact he could handle himself in a fight. That made me start to realise you were dealing with a top level trained operative, not some basic special forces guy.
tbh I don't blame movie watchers for the impatiences. Alotta movies these days spoon feed the audience. so when they see a flick that doesn't hand u the whole plot in the first 15 mins its strange to them.
@@IMaximusDMI When Charon asked him on the phone if he wanted to make dinner reservations (the same language used to get the cleanup crew out to his house) it was implied that the expectation was that John was going to kill the intruder. The finer point is that while John would have had leeway to do so (as implied by the question itself) he still respected the rules enough to choose not to. It's also a key plot point to facilitate Marcus' death, but that's another discussion.
@@ryanchristopherson374 That doesn't necessarily mean killing an intruder is okay by the rules. John had rapport with many people in the continental, Charon seemingly included. Its possible he was offering a clean up service to cover John from getting in trouble. While John had a gun to Perkins' head she felt threatened enough that he would kill her to give him information. Although that too doesn't necessarily give credit to your theory either. John was already retired and seemingly had nothing to lose. i.e. John killing a man in front of Winston in Part 2. The rule straight from Winston's mouth is "No blood on continental grounds." Seems like there is no room for misinterpretation there.
Fun fact, when he asks Kevin Nash's character at the door to the club that he had lost weight, it was code..... and a test When he responds over 60 pounds, he means there are over 60 gunmen in there protecting the boy Thats the reason he lets him go Heard it on a Kevin Nash interview a while ago, completely flipped the script on that scene for me
Keanu Reeves trained to run live fire 3 gun courses (pistol/rifle/shotgun) in order to film this movie. The filming was dangerous because of all the blanks and Keanu wanted the character to look like he really could win a 1 v 30 gunfight..... So he learned how to win a 1 v 30 gunfight :P Check out "Keanu Reeves 3 gun course"
I think he could have killed her in self-defense without breaking the rules. Charon (the concierge) asked if he needed a "dinner reservation" (clean-up crew). He let her live because she gave him information.
@@dr.burtgummerfan439 I suppose he could have. - But not doing so, John shows respect to the Continental and Winston. And he also avoid what ever punishment Winston would have deemed fitting for breaking the rules. They will clean up, but they will also need make it clear that they will not tolerate that sort of behavior.
Yep you don't conduct business on hotel property. Can't count the number of times it was said. Don't talk....Listen. The hotel is like an assassins guild.
Fun fact: the dog at the end had paperwork on the cage showing it was about to be put down so it's basically him and the dog both getting a second chance.
In case no one else has mentioned it, Keanu trained HARD for this role and did all (or nearly all) of his own stunts. That's really him doing all that as Wick.... 🤯
nobody who watched it first knew who he was. That's literally the point of it all. Same goes for everyone knowing him. That isn't bad character developement
EVERYONE knows who John is and respect the hell out of him. In his past, he must have been the most lethal and professional killer. Like he doesn't enjoy what he does but took pride in doing it so well. James Bond thought the same way. The coolest thing about John is that we always see character introductions like his but from the VILLAIN'S perspective. In other movies, a villain is talked about as being this uncaring unstoppable killing machine, and it makes you empathize with the main character, because how would YOU feel if you were being targeted by a villain like that? But in this movie, the HERO is the uncaring unstoppable killing machine. You actually feel sorry for the villains because you know they're screwed. You can tell how badass John Wick is by Vigo's "oh..." Then Vigo describes what John did for him and the rest of the movie proves Vigo's point. John Wick is a villain of the bad guys. Their worst nightmare. BABA YAGA.
What I found most interesting is this: John Wick is a legend in this underworld...but a mob boss's son has never even heard his name. I find it somewhat interesting because Wick only "retired" 5 or 6 years before this (confirmed by the conversation with the female bartender) so did the kid live in some isolated bubble until then. Not a single friend or bodyguard or criminal associate ever shared a single story of the "boogeyman" even as a myth? You don't get a reputation like Wick's without someone spreading the story is all I'm saying.
interesting fact the Front desk clerk name is Charon in Greek mythology he was the one who ferried the recently deceased to the other side. In this case this is why he is the first person you see at the Continental Hotel crossing from the regular civilian world into the world of assassins.
14:00 - People in John’s world have a sort of understanding with the cops, they usually keep their business away from the general public. Don’t bother the dragon if he’s just burning fire in his own cave, not the village lol
The recognition is essentially the fact that John is the Michael Jordan of the contract killing world. EVERYONE within that world knows him, and his legend.
Have you ever watched an action move and just sort of zoned out? We all have, it's because the structure is so rote that we sort of check out and only come alive during the action sequences. John Wick is the response to that. They tell the story in a different way, very similar to the structure of a mystery or thriller where the audience is expected (and usually rewarded) for their diligence as an outside observer. What I love about this film is that we learn who John Wick is at the same time as Josef, which makes his "done fucked up" moment even more rewarding.
The beauty of this movie is how it doesn't tell you everything in the first five minutes. You have to put the pieces together as you watch John get his revenge. That's the whole point. Every one seems to know John by name because he has a highly regarded reputation in that world. You learn this as you watch. You will find out more about John Wick in the other 2 movies. But this one is my favorite.
i think one fact that no one noticed about the movie is the amazing use of lighting. The prime example is the nightclub scene. In scenes where only John is present and is in control if the fight, the room has a bluish hue. However as he descends deeper into his old life the lighting changes towards a shade of red, and often the light is a purple-mix of red and blue to indicate his new life mingling with his past as an assasin.
If you still don’t know why he didn’t kill homegirl it was because you can’t kill in the continental (The hotel). If you do than you do like she did at the end🔫
he also has a certain level of respect for other professionals. he could have killed Francis, but chose not to. in the second film he doesnt fight to kill Cassian, but rather defend himself/ escape, "Professional Courtesy" as the say in the movie.
@@justinbriley2531 - Actually, from what I heard, the one BIG reason why John let Francis go is Francis gave John information on how many enemies he would be facing while inside the Red Circle (being the guard near the enterence, he would know how many entered). Most people miss this (me included on my 1st viewing). If I remember correctly, the actor himself (that played Francis) and somebody else (I think mentioned in the commentaries) confirmed it too (I will have to go back and double check that). The whole "You've lost weight" the subtitles and then the "over Sixty pounds" (with Sixty bolded), but you clearly hear him say kilograms. This was code speak, especially when you see some things are bolded for no real reason (thus, a code or double meaning). When converted, 60 pounds is just over 27 kilograms. So Francis is telling John there are at least/over 27 henchmen inside the building, thus, giving John valuable information on what he will be facing. John thanks him by sparing him with a "why don't you take the rest of the night off". John killed about 28 people in the Red Circle (with I think 1 or 2 henchmen still alive) so Francis's information was indeed accurate.
Aurelio's is my favorite scene, there's so much detail there. Aurelio knows whose car that is as soon as it rolls into the shop. When Wick first walks in, everybody working there notices and looks. When Aurelio punches Ioseph, all the people working there stop what they're doing and pick up tools as weapons. You see Victor look around and realize that Gregori is about to make a big mistake so he diffuses the situation and they leave. Similarly with Francis. He's not talking about losing weight. He's telling Wick that there are 60 bodyguards in the building. If you notice as well, there are two overall philosophies of life in there. Marcus tells Wick that his wife's death is just a day like that in a sea of other days (random) while Viggo leans more towards destiny and fate. They don't play up those themes as much in the story, though. And yeah, you're not supposed to know who John Wick is at the start. That's a big part of the magic of this movie. You find out as you go along. Similarly with the whole world. You discover that those gold coins have something to do with the Underworld payment system. Using them in situations (like the hotel) convey specific meaning. The hotel itself is pretty cool stuff... a hotel for assassins. The main problem with the Wick franchise is that the first movie is *so* good because of the way they introduce Wick. You can only do that once. The rest of the movies are OK but are just more shooting and fighting (just action flicks). I've watched the first movie many times. I've only seen the others once each.
Fun fact: Keanu Reeves spent months training with real weapons and technique experts using real guns so that all of the gunplay in the movie was realistic and done properly. Because of the training, he’s a pretty good competition 3-gun shooter IRL. Usually in action movies, actors spend a few hours getting weapons training. Keanu wanted to do it right
It is incredible how people today expect all the information they want to be spoon fed to them at the beginning of each film. I feel like the fault is definitely not theirs. I feel like an entire generation of kids has come up with almost nothing but lazy writing that expects nothing from an audience but their cash. They do not know what to do with a story that unfolds for them because they have never seen one before...every movie they have seen is so formulaic, and all the details explained by incessant exposition. It has gotten to the point that they actively dislike any story that is not told to them in the way they expect it to be...Rome literally believes that the mystery of John Wick is a "con" to the film, instead of one of the BEST parts of the movie. I wonder what Rome would think of the Lumet classic 12 Angry Men...where you never even find out the names of the main characters? I feel like he would just hate it because it is so far outside the box of the way stories have been fed to him his whole life. Or maybe he would love that one...I don't know...it is just really sad to me that he identified the mystery as being a bad thing in this movie...so sad. ✌
@@mikelarsen5836 I don't think so...I think he just has no experience with varied types of storytelling. All that anyone has ever done to scare him is jump scares...almost no films really do anything but that nowadays. Probably the most non-linear storytelling he has eve been exposed to is Tarantino, so how could he appreciate something like Memento. I just think that the storytellers of today do not expect much of their audience, so the audience does not know what to do when a story takes patience to appreciate. ✌
Agreed. When my friends and I discuss this, they think I'm crazy and don't believe me when I say the simple Japanese anime they've been watching since they were tiny tots has created this. Most popular Japanese anime titles over narrates, constantly explains, and quadruple checks that the audience really, really knows All the information as soon as possible, instead of allowing the relevant information to unfold through the mental work of watching, listening, and thinking. Then, Hollywood not only realizes that younger audiences don't like difficult plots, complex characters, sparse dialogue; they hire hacks to put out movies and TV shows to illustrate the point. It's not the fault of the viewer that they're not challenged. How can you know something no one's ever taught you?
I'm 47, but still could have enjoyed a bit more lore infilm. While it leaves room for your imagination, for many people it is just too obtuse in its concepts for them to know WHAT to imagine. That's all just gravy, though, as these movies are really slapstick action of a high order.
The point of everyone knowing who John is was intended to emphasize his reputation and standing in the criminal underworld. It told you everything you _needed_ to know about him at this point in the story. It's the classic "ultimate badass with a mysterious past" trope.
Of every person I know who's seen this movie and every yt reaction I've seen of John Wick, you are the ONLY one with those complaints. Congratulations on being the first I guess.
Keanu did amazing in this performance. He's very talented in 3 gun shooting. One thing I later found out, if you watch the action scenes he counts the shots fired and reloads after the magazine is empty. He never takes more shots than the magazine for the particular weapon he's using will hold.
Everyone knows John because prior to his "retirement", John was among the best assassins in the world. As the sequels will explain, he is known and feared worldwide. He is perhaps the most dangerous man in the crazy hitman world of these movies. I really liked your reaction. The trick to really enjoying John Wick movies is to sit back and relax; the facts will come around.
I love how John stay calm and composed no matter what's happening. It's crazy that John is at his most intimidating while he's tied to a chair. "You can either hand over your son or you can die screaming along side him!" P.s You definitely need to watch part 2 and 3 now bruv.
Fun Fact: John keeps track of his ammunition and every gun used in the film was tracked for rounds used so John (I think this is in a later film) picks up a gun that’s already been used, uses it for exactly the ammunition he knows is left, and then swaps it. Meaning he was counting not just his ammo, but his opponents’. He also reloads his own guns several times throughout all the films. Keanu and the directors wanted it to look and feel as real as possible.
The whole reason why John didn't kill Perkins in the hotel is because there are rules and the main rule is no killing on Continental grounds. That's why Perkins was executed towards the end of the movie. Also... The Mustang is bad ass, but I would rather have the Chevelle he was "loaned."
Gold is an element. There is no country on earth where u can pay with gold, its not a real currency. Maybe u can pay with nuggets in a gold digger region in one of their camps or villages.
Yes but in the world of John Wick, those coins are worth more than their monetary value. Essentially the coin is a marker that is worth one service or favor whether that's disposing of a body or renting a hotel room. They have no set intrinsic value tied to the material.
@@robertbretschneider765 googling "is gold a currency" the top response is this: Under a free market system, gold is a currency. Gold has a price, and that price will fluctuate relative to other forms of exchange, such as the U.S. dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen. ... However, it is highly liquid and can be converted to cash in almost any currency with relative ease.
@@robertbretschneider765 Historically a lot of currencies were backed by gold. Up to a certain point in history you could go to a bank and exchange money directly for gold. The market has evolved since then but most people still think of gold as a currency. It is considered a currency on the stock exchange I believe.
You spoke over several of your questions. The character development occurs over the several films. If you want to know everything up front read books and skip films.
I liked that they introduced the character of John Wick the way they did. Seeing the real fear and respect of each character made me think he'd come by his reputation honestly. That he was not a man to be trifled with. And all of that before he really got going on the action. Loved that the movie allowed me to make intuitive leaps instead of hand holding me though a description. Even at the end there was a sense that despite all we'd seen, he could still dish out more damage. It's a bit like horror movies. My favorites are the ones where you don't see what is attacking people. It leaves it to your imagination and that makes it so much more scary.
I love the fight choreography in this movie. I think all these people knew him from his old world and he was legend for being so badass and doing that job that no one else could do. In the second movie, it dives deeper into the Continental and assassin world.
One of the things nobody ever mentions in these reaction videos is the fact that John has more coins than Viggo does. And Viggo is a crime boss. Edit: the only place you find more information about John Wick is in the sequel movies.
There is actually a lot of Christian symbolism in the films, which has led me to believe the bigger story here is John is a character trying to fight his way out of hell
27:19 That is a KelTec KSG. A 12 gauge pump action shotgun that has two individual magazine tubes that holds a total of 14 rounds. Ever since I played Black Ops 2 as a kid I wanted one, and seeing it in this movie (after finally buying one) was so cool to me.
Here are some things that aren't commonly noticed during first-time viewings, and are sometimes missed even later on. I'm mostly only going to cover what's featured in this first film. . John's wife had a terminal illness, and judging by what's shown in the movie, it was likely some kind of extremely aggressive brain cancer. As is established throughout the movie, nobody was stupid enough (except for Vigo's clueless son) to mess with his new wife. Because this movie would've still been the result. . You can't kill, or even fight, on the grounds of any of the Continental Hotels...not even in self-defense. Violating this rule carries a death sentence. . The coins they use are a strictly private currency unique to this particular criminal underworld. They don't appear to have a set monetary value, and are more like physical representations of "favors" than actual money. The underworld of the JW films also use conventional money for many things, such as paying out on contracts. . John Wick's character is slowly established, by all the characters who know him, as the most prolific assassin in their world. It's a mythos carefully constructed through the course of the movie. You're meant to wonder at the beginning, as they build up your sense of sheer awe at the baddassery of this guy with the answers they dole out little by little. . When John asked Francis about his weight, he was giving him a chance to walk away by handing him some info. Francis conveyed the number of guards in the amount of weight he claimed to have lost, 60 pounds. Obviously there aren't going to be 60 guards, and Francis is foreign, so he should've used kilograms, which would then be 27, and there were about 27 guards. So, John let him go. This was also another expression of the fact that John has a history with everyone in the underworld. . John's "friend" played by Willem Dafoe, specifically took Vigo's contract so that he could protect John. That's why when he later started taking out Vigo's men, Vigo eventually figured it out and that's why Dafoe got killed. . The dog John takes at the end was set to be euthanized. . Keanu Reeves trained like a motherfucker with guns and martial arts instructors for months on end for not only this movie, but the following three as well (JW4 isn't done yet, but it's coming). While he's not a trained killer like JW, Reeves is now one of the more deadly sons of bitches in the world. There are clips of some of his training, and the way he goes through the shooting course is...a little terrifying. He already had a great deal of martial arts experience from the Matrix franchise, and he added to those skills for these movies. . The directors of this movie were stunt-workers on the Matrix movies with Keanu. One of them was even Keanu's double. As a result, the two of them had a very clear mastery of how to make action look the best. And the familiarity between Keanu and his stunt-buddies made nearly all of it flawless. Turns out they're also just actually damned good directors and storytellers, because they filmed the movie very well, and wove an amazing and rich world for their story to take place in. . One final thing. It doesn't really get mentioned until later in the franchise, but the organization of the underworld is called The High Table. They are the ULTIMATE criminal power in the world. Something that will come up a lot is the reference that various criminal enterprises are "under the table". It's a double entendre, playing off the real-world notion that some jobs are done "under the table" to avoid taxes or other legal considerations, and that the group which controls all such endeavors is called The High Table. So, all organized crime is "under the table".
I feel they keep certain things vague on purpose to keep some intrigue to the lore and movie universe. It slowly unfolds as the movies progress. We also don’t know about John Wick going in. We are able to infer things as they give us little clues in flashbacks and character interactions. Great Great review!!! I love how you take time to talk about your review at the end. Many others don’t, they just react and we don’t know at the end how they actually feel. Really enjoyed watching this with you. Keep up the awesome work. Cheers!
there is a trail of blood that implies the injured dog crawled to john wick before dying from its wounds. the thugs also boast that they "f**ked up his dog", not that they killed it. i don't think their plan was to kill anyone, they are just idiots.
Yeah, they are like kugerrands (sp) but its supposed to be a special currency that only people in the business have. Also as it is gold its untraceable
The coins are a bit of a mystery. If they have actual money value, or if they represent favor among other assassins / wet-workers.. Their "value" has been assumed to be anywhere from 10,000 to 100,000 each. Guessing that John exchanged a coin at the desk for a room, one coin for entry to the club in the hotel, and offered a coin to babysit Perkins for a couple of hours puts them on the lower end of the scale... --- Added: The John Wick house is out here on Long Island in a town called Mill Neck. Very beautiful place indeed.
Some info: Keanu Reeves really is an armsman and very good with firearms. All the stuff he does with guns is accurate. If you watch him, for every different gun he uses, the number of shots are how many would actually be in the magazine. He doesn't have the neverending-bullets, and actually pockets the empty magazines.
The number one rule at the Continental Hotel is no killing on the property. That's why John didn't kill Perkins when she tried to kill him. If you break the hotel rules the hotel manager can either kill you or have you excommunicated. Hence why Winston had her killed near the end of the film
Ha! Not watching normal rptv with ads I didn’t know he was in Allstate commercials…. But hearing that, that *is* pretty cute for detail. Am I mistaking the face for someone else or isn’t he a sort of similar character (handy suit type) in one of the superhero film worlds?
20:00 The knife Wick used just before this scene is a Microtech Troodon. Made in USA. Very high quality. OTF. Microtech knives hold value and do appreciate. Base cost is around $300. I have a Microtech Exocet, small but CA legal, I think it was $250. It's a great fidget knife.
The old guy that leads the clean up crew is David Patrick Kelly, who also played the antagonist in the 1979 movie ‘ The Warriors’. He was the gang member who tapped three beer bottles together on his fingers while saying “Warriors! Come out and play-ee-ayee!”
Its golden coins, untraceable and used by everyone in the circle around the world. The fact that its pure gold means it only has it’s worth in weight and everyone is made exactly the same. Basically it’s hitman currency
If you see the direction John wears his watch is another small detail military style inside the wrist so when he is shooting he can see the time without needing turn his wrist. Also if you count the reloads it’s exact number for each gun model
Best analogy ive heard for the cop at the door Was. When a dragon is cleaning up his own cave, you dont ask why. You just be thankful hes not burning down the neighbourbood.
There’s a lot of subtle details you kind of have to have that mind set. For example whe the body guard told John how much weight he lost he was saying how many bodyguard where inside the building and that’s why John let him go. When he friend shot into the hotel at John’s pillow he shot in the direction from which the girl was entering the room
Same, LOVED the reloads especially as I started (at first unconsciously) counting rounds and then started a bit here and there on purpose. As I didn’t all the time I don’t know if/when they didn’t do it in correct/reasonable numbers but I do recall them on at least one occasion running out and reloading at proper magazine capacity. Also, as have said a number of places on this film, as ex-military I loved how instead of the standard of action films purely killing on basis of target-of-opportunity John fights by threat-assessment which shows he's both skilled and actively thinking through this fights…. Measured in choices rather than panicked.
@@nikkiplatt316 That is one thing that Keanu and the directors wanted to have in here, realism. Even in later movies, you see that he is not only counting his own shots, but the shots of others and when picking up a weapon from someone else, will only shoot as many bullets would be left in a weapon based on what has already been shot in the scene so far. Keanu is a skilled marksman and have even done a few 3 gun competitions. He runs those courses regularly as part of his dedication to training for this. He has said in several interview how he wanted to make something that was as real as possible, within reason, of course.
@@Mx.RumpusParable That is one thing that Keanu and the directors wanted to have in here, realism. Even in later movies, you see that he is not only counting his own shots, but the shots of others and when picking up a weapon from someone else, will only shoot as many bullets would be left in a weapon based on what has already been shot in the scene so far. Keanu is a skilled marksman and has even done a few 3 gun competitions. He runs those courses regularly as part of his dedication to training for this. He has said in several interview how he wanted to make something that was as real as possible, within reason, of course.
Every question you have will be answered in the second movie. Keanu doesn't use a double for any of this, he is actually that bad ass!! Here is a little clip of him at a gun range. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-r3MnDvxElf0.html He is probably one of the most amazing human beings in every way possible!
I wouldn't say that theres a ton of character development through these movies and its a rare example where it doesn't really need to develop because it throws us in AFTER everything is developed. What we see here for the first time is what John's world has been fearful of for years: The Boogeyman snaps and comes for those that have wronged him. As with previous comment watch the sequels too and know that more John Wick movies are being made.
Everyone goes in blind…. That’s entirely the point. He’s a guy who just loves his wife and got attacked with his dog killed… and then he’s constantly throughout the entire film is displayed over and over to be famous and known for who he was and who he’s assumed back; He’s constantly shown to be a legend in the assassin/illegal underworld. With who, just how far, in how many different circles of it, the emotional transition he males from the normal-world strive for vengeance but not wanting “to be back” to changing his life to being part of that world again. He is also shown to be meticulous in not harming innocent bystanders while pursuing his enemies. He knows Russian which is a common mafia language in this movie's world…. It shows him being covered in (primarily Russian gang) tattoos where even if you don’t recognize them as Russian their meaning is clear… His method of fighting by threat-assessment vs. the standard action film form of target-of-opportunity displays his skill level/knowledge and never being out of control even during the most dangerous/fast fight scenes. There is a Massive amount of character development on the kind man he’d shown in his life with his wife, how she knew at least a good feel of his past but accepted it, the transition he goes through, what his past was like in his “old job/life” he returns to, his personal values and priorities in how to treat others, and so on. I’m unsure how anyone doesn’t get this beyond, as others have phrased it, being now used to films spoon feeding rather than allowing natural and/or unfolding exposition in a film. All the examples you showed of people knowing who he was were from inside The Continental which is a single building specifically for people in his line of work that he’s stayed in frequently when in that job…. As the front deskman himself states: that it’s nice to see him again/they’re always honored to have him. John asks him when the place had changed its interior decorating and asked if it was still “under the same management”… the people in the building are all the kinds that do the same kind of job or related work. Out of Anywhere or Any group of people to know him the seems in The Continental makes the easiest and most normal sense that people would all know him, defer to him, etc. In real life if you stay somewhere and work in a limited field for years people start to know you… even if, like me today, you just go to the same cafe regularly and they automatically know your order … and John is established from minutes in after his wife is buried and the dog is received to be built up as a legend in that world. I’m at a loss how any of this is even mildly confusing.
You can when you’ve been attacked. Self defense is still okay. That’s why Charon, (the concierge), asks if he needs a “dinner reservation”, (body cleanup.)
James, I saw ALL the John Wick movies in the theater as soon as they came out. You just can't beat Keanu Reeves in this role. They are amazing films. And the very complicated world they create for the assassins is also a thing of artistry.
Hey there! I'm Russian and I would like to share a couple of thoughts regarding the quality of Russian in the movie because it's a complicated matter. What I mean is they speak with absolutely horrible accents like they're not even trying to sound Russian. For a common person in Russia it would be super hard to understand what they're saying. From the grammar point of view everything is correct. They even got the swearing on point. But! There's one thing that makes every single Russian who is watching this movie dying of laughter. They have fucked up John's nickname. They are referring to him as "the Boogieman" but for some reason they are not using the Russian word for it. We don't have a character like Boogieman in Russia but we have a similar one. We call him "Babayka" (spelled Бабайка). But in the movie they call him "Baba Yaga" (spelled баба Яга). This is hilarious and ridiculous at the same time because first of all "Baba Yaga" is an old witch who lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs. The word "baba" actually means "old lady". Yaga is her name. So basically there's an old witch who lives in the woods and her name is "granny Yaga". I understand "baba Yaga" and "Babayka" (баба Яга & Бабайка) sound similarly yet the meaning is totally different. So seeing a badass hitman who is killing people left and right with the name "grandma Yaga" is funny as hell.
Technically we find out 'John Wicks' real name in a later movie but it isn't necessarily Russian. It is Slavic, could be Croatian or Macedonian, and some of the pronunciations are also not 'Russian' but since they learned them phonetically I can understand why accents would be off.
@@leonardchurch7675 well, they call him a son of Belarussia. Belarussia has two official languages one of which is Russian. But if we're talking about accents then it wouldn't matter if he's Ukrainian, Czech, or Slovakian. Eastern European accents sound alike and these guys don't even mimic them in any way :) but it's a movie so whatever I guess. Guns are shooting, Keanu is a badass so money already spent well.
John Wick is basically a retelling of Greek Myth. The hotel concierge represents Apollo (god of Light and Guidance), Winston is Zeus (keeper of peace and law), Viggo is Ares (god of War) etc. Each character can equate to a god or goddess of the Greek Pantheon.
33:53 if you look closely on the paper that was stuck to the cage you can see that there is stamped "To be put down" which means John Wick saved the dog not stole him
The currency is specifically made for the assassins of the High Table. The High Table are the syndicate that sends John on his missions or used to. Bruh, watch the 2nd one. It gets crazier in the 2nd, personally it's better than the first. Also Keanu Reeves made himself a competition ready style shooter. He can literally run an entire course with a handgun and a shotgun in 13 seconds. He like that for real.
Kevin Nash who plays the doorman says the reason John didn't kill him was mutual respect and when he said "You've lost wait" and he replied "60 pounds" that was him telling John how many people were in the club.
Saw this OPENING NIGHT. People seeing it for the first time called the "Who that Nobody?!" repsonse of "That nobody is John Wick". Just could not be any other line!
Lol the whole point of the first 10 minutes is to keep you guessing about who John Wick is...then they hit you with maybe the most brilliant introduction of a character I have ever seen in any movie with the Russian crime boss explaining it to perfection, the delivery he gave in that scene when you were told who this character was ...is just the absolute best!
my boy, this is what we in creative terms like to call "world building". in world building, you don't explain everything upfront.. the world unfolds around the MC like a book, giving you pieces of a far larger and more complex world that the audience can see. so we see bits and pieces of it. that's why the john wick movies are so damn good and popular.
