Yeah, I’m back - John Wick (2014-2023)

I had seen the rave of the movie Ballerina going around. I had seen the Korean movie Ballerina and wondered if this was the Hollywood version of it. However, what struck me was that the poster had the image of someone I knew by default and not because I had seen the movie - John Wick.

If you know me and read my reviews, it’s no secret that I prefer to not read about a movie or check reviews before watching it. Those can be highly misleading. So, I like the element of surprise. With this one, I knew it had something to do with John Wick and someone did not hold back telling me how it was a “prequel”. It’s not. But that’s not the point. The point is I decided I would see all the John Wick movies (1-4) before I saw Ballerina.

John Wick is a retired assassin with a lot of history that he’s basically seen as a one man army. When he lost his wife, John retired in seclusion wanting nothing more than to mourn his wife and all that was left of her. However, someone woke the sleeping lion by not only stealing his car but going after his dog. John Wick throws himself in a series of actions and events that is nothing short of brutal and deadly.

The first thing I’d point out is how my boyfriend said John Wick was purely for entertainment (which is true) and there was nothing much to it. That was not the way I saw it. I’d heard so much about John Wick and seen many posters of it that my expectations were ultimately high. I wasn’t disappointed but I wasn’t mind blown either. Depending on who is watching and for what purpose, John Wick is purely entertainment or the testament of Will.

Now, I have this thing I do every morning where I meditate on some words. Words from the mouth of grown men and women in the field of discipline, grit, consistency and integrity. Many of them hammered on one thing. The Power of WILL.

The opening to John Wick’s return was this… “a man of Focus, sheer will…”

That caught my attention. Why? I wanted to see how these people would portray sheer will. The aesthetics was already brilliant, blending bright and dark colours together, neutral against stark shades. It made it easy to watch. However, I wanted to see the force that made the blood kiss the floor. Stark red against interlocks had never looked this good.

Now, following John Wick I realised my boyfriend was right. There was no storyline. No definitive plot except from the constant excitement and blood spilling. However, in all this, the main reason I sat to watch this movie from beginning to end was the stamina.

Of course, there were other things worth mentioning. Like what a civilised conversation looked like between two assassins and the yardstick of loyalty and punishment. Two men discussing their plans to kill each other just like they would talk about the weather. There was also the betrayals and the precious bonds of words. The value of rules. Principles and chaos.

I had no idea what was going on in John’s mind while he broke the rules. According to the film, he was a man of focus and plans for everything. This is emphasised in the scene where he takes a contract to kill Gianna D’Antonio and ends up fighting for his life as well. I guess apart from the constant creative ways to murder, one other aspect that added to the depth of this movie was the element of surprise.

Betrayals happened. Ones I didn’t see coming. It made the movie all the more interesting and certain scenes unbearable to watch. Then we had allies made from enemies. The highlight of an entire scene in the movie were the dogs! Gosh, I love dogs but those dogs? I adore them.

Anyway, John Wick did meet up to my expectations in terms of excitement. It was like watching the never ending fights in Dragon Ball Z. Only this time, with good looking characters and ones who actually die. It’s a binge worthy movie. First part is an hour and forty-five minutes long if I’m not mistaken and the rest fall longer than two hours. Took me a whole week (and then some) to complete the whole of it but I did.

Something I find really interesting is how much history is written here. From the church to the buildings and family insignia, it was all just rich in historical references. Especially in the end scene where John Wick is finally free of his obligations and ties to The Table. That particular scene, I felt, was entirely what the movie was about. His death.

From the background to the lighting, the sunrise to the stairs, it was where all this would end. The music too. Everything was carefully arranged to lead to this one moment. Then I understood why John Wick was fighting. I understood why he broke the rules. I understood why he carried out business on consecrated grounds. John had truly thought of it all. He wanted to die. He could only be free in death but, he didn’t want to die still shackled to the table. He wanted to die free of it.

For this to happen, series of events had to take place first. He wanted these things to happen. He was ready for the consequences and this is why he was referred to as a man of sheer will. John Wick knew exactly what he was getting himself into and he did it anyway. That took a moment to sink in.

The whole of the John Wick parts, put together is a 9/10 for me. The 1 gone only because there was indeed no tangible plot. It was all just a lot of fighting and blood spill. However, that didn’t take away the whole excitement from it.