we want to let you know we're having fun and we stole this all from silent movie
people those are the words of chad Stahelski, a former stuntman now
responsible for manning the outrageously brilliant John Wick
franchise. Before we first see John wick killing off opponents via speeding car
in the opening minutes of the film we're greeted with these images cannoning
off a building. Do you recognize them? That's Buster Keaton's The General
there is literally no reason other than to pay homage to John Wick's influences
for this to exist... or is there? Buster Keaton was renowned for his deadpan acting
and fiercely excellent stunts back in the early years of cinema. And he doubles
up as a really interesting inspiration for the character of John Wick. Keanu
Reeves is often maligned and criticized for not being able to deliver dialogue
his mouth and face unable to portray range. His delivery of acting instead
relies on movement and innate determination to conduct all of his
stunts himself even at the age of 52! Throughout the film despite the physical
pain inflicted by his enemies and the emotional pain of losing his wife Keanu
Reeves' face and words never quite reveal that anguish instead he remains
hell bent on causing chaos and enacting revenge. His movement is the most
determinant force and typically in cinema that becomes a problem - a moment
of sheer disconnect between the audience and the picture... except it's
never a problem in this franchise. Reeves' deadpan delivery is utilized by
Stahelski to emphasize Wick's inability to Decompartmentalize his pain.
Killing powered by this immense marksmanship and adrenaline is truly
John Wick's coping mechanism. It's only right that he loses himself in those
moments focusing more on them than the heartache of his wife being murdered. Buster
Keaton may not have been an action star like Reeves, but if his craft were to be
enacted today, you can rest assured that he would be. Those years of Harold Lloyd
Charlie Chaplin and Keaton himself were years of reliance on movement.
Every bit of movement had to be coordinated you had to be able to tell
your story using your body and your face. Reeves' portrayal of Wick
echoes back to the art of Keaton's acting. His expressionless face amidst
terribly dangerous situations harkens back to steamboat bill jr. a film in
which an entire house falls on top of Keaton only for his character to survive
through a window. Don't believe me? watch the clip..
throughout this entire sequence his face does not reflect the danger. It remains
empty and it never changes and as Wick manoeuvres through piles of enemies more
than capable of hurting him he never once flinches his movement is constant.
He's throwing empty pistols, disarming opponents with armbars all the while various
men and women fire bullets and launch knives in his direction. Amidst this all
he's still capable of delivering lines like "yeah." The John wick franchise
elicits laughs courtesy of Reeves' dialogue. But we're not laughing at him, we're
laughing with him. A film so beautifully ingrained in and influenced
by classic cinema would obviously look to find comedy wherever possible just as
it seems like it may be taking itself a tad too seriously we get hilarious
sequences like this one:
... These small intimate moments between the action allow the film to take a
step back and wink at the audience. Among the film's expertly executed action
sequences, none stands out more than the fight in the Hall of Mirrors.
This dazzling beautifully choreographed piece of action uses its setting as an
homage to films past. While directly influenced by Bruce Lee's Enter the
Dragon, what it really harkens back to at least for me is Charlie Chaplin's The Circus.
In that film Chaplin finds himself trapped by mirrors its visual
aesthetic is a clear influence on this gorgeous piece of action that John Wick 2
offers up and also the circus exists to explore a man being employed to carry
out a task that he's not supposed to be a part of. Chaplin's Tramp character
clearly influences the grieving John Wick both are pulled out of their
comfort zone by extenuating circumstances, both were forced to
quickly adapt to the situation at hand. It's no coincidence then that both
movies share an extensive mirror scene - a moment where both characters are trapped
by their own reflection. A film so deeply ingrained in its metaphors and imagery
like John Wick 2 clearly use these mirrors beyond simple aesthetics. Wick
fighting his way out of the mirrors is Wick essentially running away from
himself and his emotions. He never once connects with the mirrors but he spends
a lot of time shooting at them, throwing people through them. He's afraid of his
own reflection and afraid of facing himself the same way that Chaplin was
afraid of facing his own self in The Circus. In one of the film's most
climactic sequences - the subway shootout between Common and Keanu Reeves, the
comedy of movement is brought forth once more. These long wide takes are
breathtaking and place emphasis on the expert choreography of the action. Yet
all of this is sent into the background when Common and Reeves begin firing
bullets across from one another without disrupting commuting New Yorkers. They
hide their guns in their blazers and shoot over-the-shoulder unassumingly
and quickly. Despite the chaotic existence of their rivalry, this moment
once again is Stahelski and his team casting a wink towards the audience. They
know what they're doing and they know that mass crowds running away from
violence only pollutes the image and makes it unnecessarily busy, so instead
they insert a moment of comedy to both relax the audience and make it so that
the shootout between Common and Reeves can be flaunted with no collateral damage.
In fact, even the promotional poster used for the film one where Reeves stares
absently a camera while surrounded by heaps of pistols pointed at him is a
recreation of Harold Lloyd's 1918 comedy Two Gun Gussie. In that film Lloyd is
surrounded by pistols and he to stares almost absently into the distance. This
is a franchise that borrows aesthetics and modernizes them creating this
gorgeous melange of old school and new. Who would have thought a blockbuster
could be capable of this? Even Ruby Rose's character Ares is entirely silent
throughout the film and that's an on-the-nose send up to silent cinema, sure, but what
sticks out is her fighting. Behind the scenes clips
even reveal that Rose, Common and Reeves carried out all of their stunts each
punch each bit of movement each grapple all of it is conducted solely by these
actors. Stahelski assembled a team of actors happy to do their own stunts
much like Lloyd, Chaplin and Keaton did in their time. It gives the film an air
of originality and makes the action effortlessly satisfying to the eye. The John
Wick franchise may sometimes be mistakenly accepted as a serious piece
of realistic action cinema but it clearly doesn't want any pigeon-holed in
such a manner. The aforementioned examples show that this is a franchise that
wants the audience to note that it's having fun with its story and action. Stahelski
doesn't want the film to exist merely as a self-serious action picture
in the same manner Buster Keaton had literal houses falling on top of him
escaping through means of physical comedy he didn't want his deadpan
demeanor to be taken seriously instead employing these bizarre moments of humor
to help keep the tone fresh and the audience engaged. The John Wick franchise
doesn't just tip its hat to silent cinema. It straight-up wears its influences
on its sleeve it gives the franchise some panache, an air of class amidst its brutality
and chaotic images