‹ All movies
John Wick poster

John Wick

year 2014decade 10sdirector Chad Stahelski
Cast

Selected cast credits · Film reference

John Wick | The Rewatchables

host Bill Simmonshost Chris Ryanhost Shea Serranoproducer Craig Horlbeck
Explore episodeClose episode

Half-Assed Internet Research

Career slump; script; budget; stunts; training; cars; director credit; injuries; kill count

In the discussion (15)
Approx. transcript time · 00:12:36Read transcript
  • The discussion describes Reeves’s pre-Wick slump through several unsuccessful or obscure projects and treats the comeback as unusually unlikely.
  • Alfie Allen is reported to have filmed his car scenes in one fifteen-hour day.
  • Derek Kolstad initially imagined an older Eastwood- or Newman-like protagonist, drawing on revenge films, The Killer and westerns.
  • The production struggled for money and distribution before festival buzz and Lionsgate’s release; a $25 million budget and $85 million gross are cited.
  • The balcony drop is praised as a practical stunt; Reeves reportedly wanted to do it but could not be insured.
  • Reeves reportedly performed the nightclub sequence with a high fever, prompting a flu-game comparison.
  • Reeves reportedly trained for four months in martial arts, tactical shooting and stunt driving.
  • Palicki reportedly trained for months and spent two weeks learning her fight.
  • Alfie Allen reportedly visited Russian bathhouses to research his role.
  • The Red Circle nightclub is identified as a reference to Melville’s Le Cercle Rouge.
  • Substitute cars were reportedly used because destroying several actual rare Mustangs exceeded the budget.
  • The final fight took five cold nights at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with artificial rain stopped over concern about Reeves’s exposure.
  • Stahelski and Leitch reportedly directed together but could not receive joint guild credit, leaving one credited as director and the other as producer.
  • Nyqvist reportedly needed eighty stitches after a head injury and nearly lost an ear.
  • The total John Wick kill count is84, after guesses of67 and112.

Probably Unanswerable Questions

Underworld code; hotel rules; injuries; morning routine; domestic life; henchmen

In the discussion (6)
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:01Read transcript
  • How do members learn the coded language, such as the bouncer’s weight-loss exchange?
  • Does shooting into the Continental from outside violate its no-business rule? The response says the victim is still on its grounds.
  • Repeated knockouts, crashes and falls across the series prompt a question about Wick’s cumulative brain injuries.
  • Why does a retired hitman still rise at six in the morning? Family retirement routines provide a comparison.
  • Could such a feared killer find true love, and what did the couple’s domestic life look like?
  • Why is there so little distinction among Viggo’s henchmen beyond the main fighter? Reused stunt performers help explain it.

Picking Nits

Reputation; coin prices; final fight; injuries; missed shot; bystanders; nickname; windows; security; car

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:31:36Read transcript
  • The younger criminals’ ignorance of Wick makes more sense under the original elderly-protagonist concept than with Reeves.
  • Killing with a pencil is less extraordinary when it functions like a small knife.
  • One coin buying very different services seems inconsistent; different denominations and later larger coins are considered as explanations.
  • The final Viggo fight falls short of earlier action and should be easy for Wick, although accumulated injuries may explain the difficulty.
  • Wick should show more facial swelling after the home-invasion beating.
  • Wick passes up a clear early shot at the son but later kills him plainly, undermining the idea that he was saving a special punishment.
  • More nightclub patrons should flee after repeated killings.
  • The son’s ignorance of Wick is questioned again because Wick is not particularly old.
  • Victor seems to know Wick’s danger yet insults him instead of pleading for his life.
  • The Baba Yaga nickname is questioned because the traditional figure is a female witch; a real-life phrasing is corrected to mythology.
  • An assassin’s house has too many exposed windows; bulletproof glass is proposed but challenged by the break-in.
  • The house should have stronger security against intruders.
  • The first film should return Wick’s car, even though the sequel later addresses it.

Roger Ebert's review

Rating not yet verified
In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 00:33:03Read transcript
  • No Ebert review exists because he had died; a hypothetical response imagines appreciation tempered by thin characterization.

Most Rewatchable Scene

Nightclub fight; Jimmy’s post-fight visit alternative

In the discussion (12)
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:16Read transcript
  • The gas-station confrontation establishes the conflict over Wick’s car.
  • The garage owner’s explanation and the father’s brief reaction establish Wick’s reputation.
  • Viggo explains to his son why John Wick is feared.
  • Viggo’s warning is intercut with Wick breaking open the floor to recover guns and coins, elevating him beyond the boogeyman.
  • The home invasion ends with a deliberately slow knife kill; the kill-count guess is corrected from fourteen to twelve.
  • The dinner-for-twelve cleanup is nominated and jokingly imagined as Winston Wolfe’s franchise.
  • The nightclub sequence moves from the doorman and bathroom through baths, dining area, dance floor and balcony fall.
  • Miss Perkins attacking Wick in the hotel is nominated.
  • The church robbery and fire are nominated.
  • The captured Wick’s return declaration is nominated.
  • The final killings and Wick finding another dog are nominated.
  • The nightclub remains favored, but the police officer’s calm departure after the house fight is argued to be the key scene on repeated viewings.

The most "year the movie came out" thing

Palicki and television cast; mobile technology; Spurs title; neon and house music

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 00:53:01Read transcript
  • Working together while Serrano was still teaching is the first personal 2014 answer.
  • Adrianne Palicki and the familiar television cast feel particularly 2014.
  • The level of mobile technology fits the era without ubiquitous filming and security footage.
  • The Spurs raising their championship banner the release week is another period marker.
  • Neon, house music and rave-style nightclub action are a late 2014 selection.

What’s Aged the Best?

Baba Yaga; Continental; Perkins; lean plot; flash-forward; body blow; Jonathan; bartender; Winters; watch; Allen; Viggo; human shield

In the discussion (13)
Approx. transcript time · 00:55:08Read transcript
  • Baba Yaga is praised as a nickname, despite pronunciation jokes and its failure to become a sports nickname.
  • The Continental remains a strong element.
  • Perkins’s fearless rule-breaking and willingness to insult Wick make her memorable.
  • Omitting a police-investigation subplot keeps the film lean and focused on revenge.
  • Opening with a later scene before circling back is praised.
  • The son vomiting after a stomach punch effectively sells the blow.
  • Winston calling Wick Jonathan suggests history and weight.
  • The attractive bartender with a romantic history is recognized as a familiar action trope, with jokes about how soon she flirts after the wife’s death.
  • Dean Winters’s battered adviser is compared with his insurance-ad persona, correcting the company to Allstate.
  • Wick turning his watch inward is admired as a small practical detail; a military explanation is also offered.
  • Alfie Allen is praised as a thoroughly unlikable son, strongly associated with his television persona.
  • Viggo’s speech turns John’s wife dying into a story about himself; the speech is praised as awesome.
  • The son using a woman as a human shield is moved from an aged-worst thought to an appreciated villain trope.

The most GIFable moment

I’m thinking I’m back; weapons; concrete; dead dog

In the discussion (2)
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:47Read transcript
  • Holding the dead dog is suggested; the return declaration and preparing weapons are familiar GIF choices.
  • Breaking the concrete is another GIF candidate.

The Great Shot Gordo Award for Most Cinematic Shot

Police lights; nightclub; son’s death; warehouse wide shot; cemetery

In the discussion (5)
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:15Read transcript
  • The red police lights pulsing into Wick’s house are selected.
  • The nightclub dance-floor imagery is another cinematic-shot candidate.
  • The low-angle slow-motion approach to killing the son is nominated.
  • A wide warehouse image makes the hooded Wick look tiny and trapped.
  • The cemetery image of Wick and Marcus is another choice.

The Butch’s Girlfriend Award for the Weakest Link in the Film

Capturing Wick instead of killing him; ego and recruitment defenses

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:06:15Read transcript
  • The villains capture Wick instead of killing him immediately despite his demonstrated danger.
  • A countertheory suggests Viggo hopes to recruit Wick again to rebuild the organization he has destroyed.
  • Viggo’s ego and need to deliver a speech offer another explanation for not immediately killing Wick.

What’s Aged the Worst?

Moynahan’s script approach; insufficient blood; Killing Strangers

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:08:49Read transcript
  • Moynahan reportedly read only her scenes to avoid other impressions of Wick; the approach is mocked for such a brief role.
  • Wick should be far more covered in blood after close-range killings; the response notes his bloody shirt and dark suit.
  • Repeated Killing Strangers needle drops are criticized as obvious and weak; replacing the music on a remaster is proposed.

The Stephen A. Smith Hottest Take Award

More Leguizamo; karma; revenge as boredom and overreaction

In the discussion (4)
Approx. transcript time · 01:15:09Read transcript
  • John Leguizamo should have far more screen time because his brief performance is so effective.
  • His career use is questioned; a recurring phone-support role like Al in Die Hard could expand his part.
  • Viggo’s claim that their violent deeds bring consequences is provocatively defended as a karmic reading of Wick’s losses.
  • Wick’s revenge is called an overreaction that may conceal boredom and an existing void; the recent death of his wife is raised in objection.

Casting What-Ifs

McShane replaced Isaacs

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:18:50Read transcript
  • Ian McShane replaced Jason Isaacs as Winston.

The Joey Pants “That Guy” Award

David Patrick Kelly; Toby Leonard Moore alternative

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:19:26Read transcript
  • Reddick, Peters, Palicki and Winters are considered too identifiable by name for the category.
  • David Patrick Kelly as the cleaner is favored over the son’s actor.
  • Toby Leonard Moore is raised as a potentially better recent that-guy choice.

Apex Mountain

Fictional hotel universe; finishing headshot; Russian boogeymen; criminal nepo babies; buried-career arsenal

In the discussion (14)
Approx. transcript time · 01:26:12Read transcript
  • Reeves is rejected in favor of The Matrix.
  • Revenge movies are rejected.
  • A fictional hotel universe is affirmed, followed by jokes about loyalty rewards.
  • Palicki is rejected in favor of Friday Night Lights.
  • The extra finishing headshot is affirmed as Wick’s signature.
  • Russian boogeymen are affirmed.
  • Russian mafia villains are rejected in favor of Eastern Promises.
  • Criminal nepo babies are positively received.
  • Dafoe is rejected.
  • Robbery followed by burning the loot is discussed without a firm selection, with The Dark Knight recalled.
  • The name Viggo is rejected in favor of Viggo Mortensen.
  • Burying and excavating a former career beneath concrete is affirmed.
  • The best Wick film is disputed between the first and third.
  • Twenty-first-century action is discussed as revitalized, but the modest theatrical performance draws an explicit rejection.

Cruise or Hanks?

Cruise

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:29:41Read transcript
  • Cruise wins easily, with Collateral’s Vincent cited as evidence and a crossover imagined.

Evil Foreign Mobster Rankings

Albanians; Chechens as competing most-feared fictional villains

The panel proposes a new category here.

In the discussion (3)
Approx. transcript time · 01:40:22Read transcript
  • Albanians from Taken become one number-one choice after correcting a Bulgarian misidentification.
  • Italian mobsters are described as familiar; the Equalizer films are noted for varying their criminal groups.
  • Chechen villains are another most-feared choice, connected to the discussion’s impression of UFC fighters.

Producer review

Favorite action franchise; original, efficient and emotionally grounded

In the discussion (1)
Approx. transcript time · 01:44:28Read transcript
  • The franchise is a personal favorite for its originality, efficient worldbuilding and emotional stakes during formative moviegoing years.

More from the conversation

Chris Ryan and returning guest Shea Serrano are introduced; Serrano discusses his book Werewolf Lawyer.
Approx. transcript time · 00:01:27Read transcript
The opening recalls discovering the film through colleagues, a low-expectation theatrical visit and a recommendation while teaching.
Approx. transcript time · 00:03:10Read transcript
The film arrived amid nostalgic action franchises and renewed Reeves’s action career across three decades.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:12Read transcript
Reeves is argued to be the leading modern action star; Schwarzenegger’s peak and commercial power are weighed against Reeves’s longevity and repeated innovation.
Approx. transcript time · 00:06:45Read transcript
The Matrix and John Wick are credited with popularizing Asian action styles when American action audiences wanted something new.
Approx. transcript time · 00:07:36Read transcript
An earlier action-star test had excluded Reeves because the hero must convincingly beat anyone; this movie changes that judgment.
Approx. transcript time · 00:08:46Read transcript
Realistic fighting, limited ammunition and visible physical impacts distinguish Wick from Reeves’s earlier action roles.
Approx. transcript time · 00:10:02Read transcript
Being beaten at the outset makes Wick vulnerable before his skills emerge.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:11Read transcript
One explicit franchise ranking is first, second, third, fourth; the original’s compact length is praised.
Approx. transcript time · 00:11:42Read transcript
Wick’s pain and physical limits are compared with Die Hard’s vulnerable hero rather than invulnerable earlier action stars.
Approx. transcript time · 00:13:56Read transcript
Reeves combines comic appeal, otherworldliness and a restrained Steve McQueen-like presence; dialogue was reportedly stripped back.
Approx. transcript time · 00:15:50Read transcript
The simple loss-and-revenge story justifies Wick’s quiet samurai-like performance; Aaron Pierre is offered as a younger actor with similar presence.
Approx. transcript time · 00:17:20Read transcript
Understated humor works through ordinary conversations around violence, illustrated by the dog callback in the third film.
Approx. transcript time · 00:18:17Read transcript
The smaller original is preferred to increasingly extravagant sequels; budget constraints and reused stunt performers encouraged legible wide shots.
Approx. transcript time · 00:19:00Read transcript
The Raid and Tony Jaa action sequences are cited as predecessors, with later Wick casting read as an homage.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:00Read transcript
Another ranking initially ran third, second, first, fourth, but this rewatch moves the first ahead of the second; the third remains favored for its immediate action and world expansion.
Approx. transcript time · 00:20:50Read transcript
The Continental’s gradual introduction and other characters’ reactions efficiently establish Wick’s reputation.
Approx. transcript time · 00:21:33Read transcript
The film is argued to be among the century’s best original action movies, with The Raid the main rival and several revenge films compared.
Approx. transcript time · 00:23:09Read transcript
A third explicit ranking is first, fourth, second, third; the fourth is appreciated as an operatic fantasy.
Approx. transcript time · 00:24:11Read transcript
The premise succeeds by taking away the car and puppy from a grieving man who only wanted to be left alone.
Approx. transcript time · 00:25:00Read transcript
Coins, coded cleanup reservations and hotel rules reveal enough of the underworld without overexplaining it.
Approx. transcript time · 00:27:03Read transcript
Bourne and Man on Fire offer partial comparisons, but Wick’s independent underworld differs from government-run operations.
Approx. transcript time · 00:29:16Read transcript
The expanding franchise and familiar television actors make the world appealing.
Approx. transcript time · 00:30:23Read transcript
The driving display prompts questions about the puppy’s location and the car’s fuel grade.
Approx. transcript time · 00:34:56Read transcript
The opening is praised for establishing the stakes and characters in sixteen minutes.
Approx. transcript time · 00:35:20Read transcript
The pencil killings and impossible task build a backstory without explaining it fully.
Approx. transcript time · 00:38:18Read transcript
The concealed arsenal becomes a joke about old publications and a laptop for returning to column writing.
Approx. transcript time · 00:38:48Read transcript
Finishing headshots, eye contact and tactical positioning make Wick seem ahead of his opponents.
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:11Read transcript
Body weight and jiu-jitsu make the fighting believable; avoiding most dirty tactics becomes a joke about playing fairly.
Approx. transcript time · 00:40:57Read transcript
Broken arms are preferred to especially disturbing broken legs in a brief action-violence discussion.
Approx. transcript time · 00:42:05Read transcript
The nightclub’s sustained action is compared with Kingsman, Fast Five, Fury Road and Hard Boiled, with car-based sequences distinguished.
Approx. transcript time · 00:45:16Read transcript
John Woo’s influence is acknowledged; the action inspires an imagined sports-style commentary.
Approx. transcript time · 00:46:37Read transcript
Marcus’s shot is corrected from an attempted assassination to a warning that protects Wick; a possible temptation by the bounty is debated and rejected.
Approx. transcript time · 00:48:48Read transcript
Michael Nyqvist is discussed as an effective character actor whose wider work is less familiar to the group.
Approx. transcript time · 01:01:28Read transcript
The mistaken Theon Lovejoy name is corrected to Greyjoy, then deliberately retained as a joke.
Approx. transcript time · 01:02:55Read transcript
Miami Vice’s soundtrack is defended as a contrasting case where no music should change.
Approx. transcript time · 01:11:09Read transcript
Human-shield scenes are compared across Heat, New Jack City, The Untouchables, RoboCop, 48 Hrs. and Lethal Weapon.
Approx. transcript time · 01:12:14Read transcript
A reported front-row comedy-show visit becomes a cherished memory of Leguizamo repeatedly joking with the attendee.
Approx. transcript time · 01:20:58Read transcript
Fast & Furious’s fourth film is recalled as a clearer signal that many more sequels would follow.
Approx. transcript time · 01:28:56Read transcript
The coin discussion briefly detours into whether Olympic medals should vary in size by event.
Approx. transcript time · 01:31:31Read transcript
The success inspires hope that another original action universe can emerge.
Approx. transcript time · 01:45:55Read transcript
A joking story proposal imagines rescuing Victor Wembanyama, immediately undercut by the would-be rescuer’s expected failure.
Approx. transcript time · 01:46:41Read transcript
A reported former police/SWAT father praises Wick’s gun handling and reloads as unusually authentic.
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:02Read transcript
The closing points to the already-recorded Chapter 2 episode and thanks Serrano, Ryan and the producer.
Approx. transcript time · 01:47:41Read transcript