John Wick Fans Continue To Be Amazed By The Franchise's Impressive Choreography
Since the arrival of the very first entry in what would become the "John Wick" franchise of movies, each of the three "John Wick" films has featured gripping storytelling, acting, and an array of elaborately choreographed fight scenes. The series harkens back to an era in cinema where martial arts was combined with tight and energetic stories, typically rooted in revenge narratives, that sent the protagonist on a perilous quest to find justice for wrongdoing. This style of filmmaking even managed to help establish its very own genre in cinema known as "Gun Fu," thanks to the numerous action scenes that mixed hand-to-hand combat along with the use of artillery and guns in battle (per Vulture).
With a popular lead character played by Keanu Reeves guiding the adventure, a revolving cast of equally impressive supporting characters, including the recurring Winston (Ian McShane), and energetic directing and editing, there is a lot to unpack and admire in a "John Wick" movie. But one detail that has remained consistent since the first film dropped in 2014 is the choreography of the action and fight scenes. This factor continues to amaze fans as the franchise nears a decade in age.
Fans praise the presentation of choreographed fight scenes in John Wick movies
With the release of the official trailer for "John Wick: Chapter 4," viewers got their first glimpse of what to expect regarding the locations, plot, and elaborate action sequences the fourth entry will explore. We see numerous fight scenes in the trailer, one of which appears to take place in a neon-lite Japanese setting with breaking glass, water, and a beautifully-arranged ballet of movement. Fans always appreciate this style of presentation, with @SphereByMilan proclaiming on Twitter, "Every #JohnWick is a masterpiece of wonderfully choreographed masterful combat violence that just has to be rewatched over & over again."
The choreographed sequences have also inspired some fans in their own artistic endeavors, such as @marclehmannart tweeting, "Here's my #acrylic #portrait of #KeanuReeves in his #iconic role as #JohnWick. The uncut fight choreography in these movies is imho unmatched in Western cinema. Also, the dedication and work #Keanu pours into these movies is impressive – even heroic – especially at his age." The staging of the battle scenes comes from a very specific place, according to director Chad Stahelski in a 2019 interview with The Playlist. He commented, "There's two fronts to it. There's the mise en scène of things, and then there's the actual performance. If you're talking about solely the action part of it or the performance part of it, it's Asian cinema and Japanese anime..." Stahelski also shared how silent movies inspired the choreography.