The director of the John Wick franchise has defended the movies against criticisms of their unrealistic action. The franchise began with the Chad Stahelski-directed John Wick in 2014, which followed Keanu Reeves’ titular retired assassin descending back into the criminal underworld to seek revenge on the people who killed his dog. The world of John Wick, and the action setpieces he finds himself at the center of, expanded more and more in three sequels, including this year’s John Wick: Chapter 4, all of which were directed by Stahelski.
Inverse recently sat down with Chad Stahelski in the wake of the runaway success of the John Wick: Chapter 4 box office. When discussing the more lighthearted side to the high-octane action of the franchise, he shared that the action is unrealistic on purpose, saying that “we’re in on the joke.” He compared John Wick’s unlikely survival to that of Bugs Bunny, explaining that “that’s why we’re killing 300, not three.” Read his full quote below:
The subtext of all the John Wicks is supposed to be that ’70s brutal, hardboiled kind of stuff. But I want you to laugh because I want you to know: Keanu and I are in on the joke. We know how ridiculous killing 80 guys over a puppy is. Believe me, we know. (laughs) When you read a critic saying, “Well, that’s not real. And John Wick would never survive.” Dude, neither would Bugs Bunny; I totally get it. We’re in on the joke. That’s why we’re killing 300, not three. We’re in on it.In a John Wick movie, you’ve got to let the audience know that we’re sitting with you. We want to laugh. But I don’t think you should try for a laugh. I just think the situational brutality of the situation should give you a laugh and a comfort one. If you fall down 10 stairs, it’s brutal. If you fall down 200 stairs, it’s funny. You beat a guy up with a knife, it’s one thing, but then you throw a tomahawk from 50 feet away. It’s the accent. Having a dog attack somebody can be brutal. Having a dog attack his groin is way more brutal, but it’s way more funny, and we don’t know why. I think you need that psychosomatic response to action and violence to make it fun.
John Wick Has Never Pretended To Be Realistic
It is true that the action has become bigger and more over-the-top in each of the subsequent John Wick movies. However, despite its more stripped-down premise, the original John Wick was far from realistic, and it proudly announced that fact at every opportunity. For one thing, the in-depth lore of the sequels was all introduced in the original movie, including the assassin hotel The Continental and many of the shadowy figures in Wick’s life who either help or harm him along his journey.
In addition to hinting at a vast criminal underworld hidden within civilian spaces, John Wick takes an exaggerated approach to its aesthetic. Nearly every frame is drenched in bright, bold colors, and many lines of dialogue that are spoken aloud are also splashed across the screen in a stylized font. Among other things, the movie’s look frequently evokes the aesthetic of comic book panels, reinforcing the idea that the universe of John Wick is something very different from the real world.
This approach to heightened action has continued in the John Wick prequel miniseries The Continental, which is currently airing on Peacock. It will likely carry forward into the planned movie spinoff Ballerina as well, cementing in the John Wick franchise’s specific approach to levity in action. While John Wick may not be realistic, its inimitable personality is most likely exactly why it has become one of the most popular action franchises of the modern era.
