The world of John Wick stands out thanks to being much more than soulless fights, bringing audiences in for a visual feast and excellent choreography.
Assassin movies have grown to be more than just simple plots and slaughters, evolving into films that can provide depth and heart, and utilizing the dark tones of the profession to portray a narrative that can be emotional, funny, or profound. Netflix’s The Gray Man, The Man From Toronto, and Kate are great examples of how the genre has grown to be much more than just taking out another target – growing internationally with hits like The Villainess – and John Wick is to thank for that.
John Wick‘s popularity has increased substantially with each new film, and a big part of this is because the movies have amazing action sequences, with captivating stories and choreography; the franchise has also made a staple on the world by challenging the stereotypical tropes found in former assassin movies, subverting the expectations of the audience while bringing something new and unique to the genre overall.
Purpose
Assassins in most films tend to be cold-hearted machines with little to no remorse, simply looking to get whatever job they’re tasked with completed and earning a hefty paycheck at the end of it.
John Wick’s story, persona, and work ethic show a man with purpose, aiming to make those pay for taking away what little he had left. This sense of purpose exposes him to the corruption that’s been lingering in the business, driving him further back into an underworld he wanted to get away from.
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Emotion
Out of all the assassin movies that the audience have seen, John Wick’s capability to connect with the audience on an emotional level was one of its most unique elements.
Typically depicted as heartless and drone-like, assassins in other movies typically have very little to say. However, that is not the case with John Wick. John always has a response when others ask questions about his motives, even being snarky and witty on occasion.
Drive
Even though some films see assassins realizing that they’re being brainwashed for someone else’s benefit before they decide to take matters into their own hands bringing down corrupt higher-ups and handlers, they still can tend to feel shallow in terms of execution, even with a straight-forward plot device.
John Wick from the get-go had lost everything dear to him as he was entering retirement – from a loved one to a new pet and prized possessions – and in doing so, it gave him a reason to finish one last job before he could settle for good. Little did he know, however, that this drive would eventually put the Baba Yaga back on the map and be more notorious than ever.
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Respect
Assassin films love to convey that because assassins themselves are typically the silent, stealth-type, they’re practically ghosts and unheard of—always off the grid and never leaving traces.
On the other hand, John Wick is unknown to civilians and is a household name within the business. Those in organized crime fear him, but regardless of how anyone who knows the Baba Yaga’s identity feels about him, they certainly all respect him, as the name alone can change the atmosphere of a room.
World-Building
Because assassins can usually travel and live a mysterious yet luxurious lifestyle, they tend to be all over the world, taking on contracts that best suit them with little to no thought. Films like to show them off in historic locations or various places for action purposes, but other than that there’s no real identity to the world they’re in.
From The Continental to Rome, New York City, Morocco, and plenty of smaller areas in between, every location John Wick visits has served a purpose to the overall structure, organization, lore, and ethos of John Wick. Every location visited has someone of importance and affiliation to John Wick, whereas any other assassin would be on their own with all tools at their disposal through either improvisation or preplanning.
Philosophy
There’s a lot about Winston, Charon, and the rest of the world of John Wick that has a lot of philosophical points to the world they serve. These are people who, while ruthless and known for taking the lives of those who deemed unworthy, also understand and appreciate the finer things in life. Most other assassin-oriented films typically don’t try to be thoughtful in any shape or form, instead just focusing on the hunt.
The world of John Wick has rules and respect, with one of the biggest ones being that no business is conducted on Continental grounds. “I have served. I will be of service.” and becoming “excommunicado” where one’s life is now forfeit, brings a level of deity-like structure that’s akin to that of Greek mythology where purpose, meaning, and knowledge held profound value, and any disrespect of mother nature’s offering would be met with malice and hellfire.
Inclusion
With Earth being such a vast planet of many countries, cultures and ethnicities, it’s strange that most films see assassins and hitmen largely dominated by either male Americans or British people, with crime organizations typically being helmed by Italians. The world of John Wick, however, immediately introduces, in every chapter, an environment of assassins that come from all parts of the world, with backgrounds specializing in any number of arts and fighting styles to complement the action.
Having this inclusion of people of all types gives off a deeper sense of John Wick‘s “melting pot” that also shows how anyone and everyone can be part of this organization of assassins (which is what makes them also unpredictable and successful because there isn’t one defined “look” that describes what an assassin is). This gives the universe of John Wick a rich culture comprised of the very best human beings have to offer from all over the world and provides a safe space for viewers.
Class
Building upon respect and philosophy, the class shown and seen in John Wick is unrivaled. While other assassin films can build up to shootouts or confrontations that seem primal or feral for an adrenaline rush, John Wick himself makes sure there’s always a reason to use a weapon, and even more so making sure that each bullet used isn’t wasted.
This is echoed for everyone involved in the underworld, even ensuring that the rules are respected and everyone is accommodated when services are needed so long as they’re not “excommunicado.” Winston himself has even said “Rules. Without them, we live with the animals” in John Wick: Chapter 2.
Artistry
Hitmen can live a luxury lifestyle that gives access to state-of-the-art weapons and technology to help them see their contracts through with a variety of organizations, but once out on the field, it really does come down to a simple pull of the trigger and then going home if things don’t immediately get messy for theatricality.
John Wick’s cinematography, architecture, and use of lighting make even the most brutal of moments a visual feast for the eyes, though it’s the architecture that shines above all else. The Continental is the most immediate and recognizable of beautiful buildings, but even throughout Rome and Morocco, many beautiful locations are visited, alongside sleek design rooms like Winston’s office in John Wick Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the mirror room in John Wick: Chapter 2, and John Wick’s own home in John Wick.
Poetry
Sometimes with films centering around a hitman, they can surround themselves with the likes of thugs and crime lords that aren’t very coherent, but this is done to make them seen as disposable and unworthy as assassins take them out one by one to reach their target.
The universe of John Wick is filled with myriad languages that often find themselves utilizing quotes and metaphors to describe a situation. The Romance languages especially lend themselves to a poetic tone as they weave themselves in conversation, simultaneously building and soothing any existing tension.