John Wick is a 2014 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and

David Leitch and starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki,
Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo and Willem Dafoe. The film
stars Reeves as John Wick, a retired hitman seeking vengeance for the theft of his vintage car
and the killing of his puppy, a gift from his recently deceased wife.[4] Stahelski and Leitch
directed the film together, though Leitch was uncredited.[5]

The film was written by Derek Kolstad, who completed the screenplay in 2012 and further
developed it for Thunder Road Pictures.[6] The film was produced by Basil Iwanyk of Thunder
Road Pictures, Leitch, Eva Longoria, and Michael Witherill. It marks Stahelski and Leitch's
directorial debut as a team after multiple separate credits as second unit directors and stunt
coordinators. They previously worked with Reeves as stunt doubles on The Matrix trilogy.[7]

Stahelski and Leitch's approach to action scenes drew upon their admiration for anime[8] and
martial arts films,[9] and the film's use of fight choreographers[10] and gun fu techniques[11] from
Hong Kong action cinema[12] was additionally influential in the development of the film. The film
also pays homage to works such as John Woo's The Killer, Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle
Rouge and Le Samoura,[13] John Boorman's Point Blank, and the spaghetti western subgenre of
Western films.[14] On its release, the film received positive reviews from critics, who praised the
performances, visuals and action sequences, and grossed $88 million worldwide. A sequel, John
Wick: Chapter 2, was released in February 2017.

Contents
[hide]

1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
o 3.1 Development
o 3.2 Filming
o 3.3 Cinematography
o 3.4 Design
3.4.1 Costume design
3.4.2 Production design
3.4.3 Sound design
o 3.5 Visual effects
4 Music
5 Influences
6 Marketing
7 Release
o 7.1 Pre-release screenings
o 7.2 Theatrical run
o 7.3 Box office
8 Reception
9 Video game
 10 Sequel
11 TV series
12 See also
13 References
14 External links

Plot[edit]
After John Wick (Keanu Reeves) loses his wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan) to a terminal illness,
he receives a beagle puppy named Daisy, per Helen's instructions, to help him cope with her
death. He connects with the puppy and they spend their day driving around in his vintage 1969
Boss 429 Mustang. At a gas station, he encounters a trio of Russian gangsters whose leader,
Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen), insists on buying his car, but John refuses to sell it. The mobsters
follow John to his home that night, knock him unconscious, steal his car, and kill Daisy.

Iosef takes the Mustang to a chop shop run by Aurelio (John Leguizamo) to have the VIN
changed. Aurelio recognizes the car and, upon learning that Iosef stole it from John, punches him
before throwing him out of his shop. John visits Aurelio, who tells him Iosef is the son of Viggo
Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), the head of the Russian crime syndicate in New York City. Viggo,
informed by Aurelio of Iosef's actions, beats and berates Iosef, explaining to him that John Wick
was his best assassin, nicknamed "Baba Yaga." When John wanted to retire and marry Helen,
Viggo gave him an "impossible task:" killing all of his competitors in a single night. John
succeeded, establishing the Tarasov syndicate.

Viggo tries to talk John out of seeking retribution, but John silently refuses. Viggo then sends a
twelve-man hit squad to John's house, but John kills them all and has the bodies professionally
removed. An unsurprised Viggo places a $2 million bounty on John's head and personally offers
the contract to Marcus (Willem Dafoe), John's mentor. John seeks refuge at the Continental
Hotel, which caters exclusively to the criminal underworld and permits no "business" on its
premises. Viggo doubles the bounty for those willing to break the rules to kill John at the
Continental.

John learns from Winston (Ian McShane), the Continental's owner, that Viggo has Iosef
protected at his nightclub, the Red Circle. John enters the Red Circle and kills his way to Iosef,
who runs from him. John gives chase until he is wounded in a fight with the chief bodyguard,
and both flee the club while Iosef escapes. John retreats to the Continental to tend his injuries.
Ms. Perkins (Adrianne Palicki), an assassin and former acquaintance, sneaks into John's room to
kill him, but Marcus alerts John. John subdues Perkins after a brutal hand-to-hand fight and
forces her to reveal the location of Viggo's front. John knocks Perkins unconscious and leaves
her with fellow assassin Harry (Clarke Peters) to await punishment. However, Perkins frees
herself and kills Harry.

John travels to the Little Russia church which serves as Viggo's front and destroys Viggo's cache
of money and blackmail material. When Viggo and his team arrive, John ambushes them, but he
is subsequently captured. Viggo taunts John for thinking he could leave his old life behind.
Marcus intervenes again, allowing John to free himself and accost Viggo. At gunpoint, John
forces Viggo to reveal Iosef's location. John then travels to Iosef's "safe house" and kills him.

Perkins sees that John and Marcus have been in contact and tells Viggo, who has Marcus
tortured and killed in his home. Viggo calls John to report the killing, planning to have Perkins
ambush John. Perkins, however, is called to a meeting with Winston, who has her executed for
breaking the Continental's rules.

Winston calls John to inform him that Viggo is planning to escape by helicopter, and John races
to the harbor, killing Viggo's remaining henchmen before engaging Viggo in a fistfight on the
dock. Viggo pulls a knife and John allows himself to be stabbed, surprising Viggo. John then
disarms and fatally wounds Viggo. Wounded himself, John stops at a waterfront animal clinic to
treat his wound and takes with him a pitbull puppy which was scheduled to be euthanized. John
and the dog walk home on the boardwalk where he had his last date with Helen.

Cast[edit]
Keanu Reeves as John Wick

An ex-hitman who returns to the criminal underworld following the death of his wife and a run-
in with a Russian Crime Syndicate.[4][15][16] On accepting the role of Wick, Reeves explained, "Basil
and Peter Lawson of Thunder Road brought the script to me with the idea that I would be a part
of such a great collaboration. We all agreed on the potential of the project. I love the role, but
you want the whole story, the whole ensemble to come to life."[17][18] On the character of John
Wick, Reeves stated, "When we first see him, hes a guy grieving for his lost wife. But it turns out
he has lived lives in two worlds: one in which hes a happily married man and one in which hes
an assassin. He has tried to bury his past, but without his wife, he is lost." Reeves also compared
Wick's story to "[] a kind of Old Testament revenge story" adding that, "When someone takes
the things he cherishes, violence erupts and John cant temper it."[16][19] In the original script, the
character of John Wick was written with "a man in his mid-sixties" to play the role, given the
title characters fabled reputation, ergo, the filmmakers had initially imagined an older actor.
However, head of Thunder Road Pictures Basil Iwanyk decided against this, stating, "Instead, we
decided to look for someone who is not literally older, but who has a seasoned history in the
film world."[16][20] Both Stahelski and Leitch were adamant that Reeves wouldn't learn any martial
arts which he'd learnt before; for the role, Reeves spent four months learning Judo, jujutsu, and
Brazilian jiu-jitsu from "some of the toughest guys" both Stahelski and Leitch have encountered,
which included their "LA SWAT and Navy SEAL friends".[21][22][23][24] Stahelski spoke of developing a
new style of close-quarter combat for Reeves to utilise practical grappling martial art forms
combined with guns.[25] The name John Wick is a name Kolstad had used as a reference to his
grandfather, the founder of Wick Building Systems. Wick stated, "I was tickled by Derek using
my name for a movie, and the hit man character was frosting on the cake."[26] The character was
written with Paul Newman in mind.[27] Reeves was paid a reported $12 million salary for his
role.[28]
 Michael Nyqvist as Viggo Tarasov

The head of the Tarasov family and an enterprising businessman with questionable roots.[16][29]
On taking the role of Viggo, Nyqvist mentioned, "I found the relationship between John and
Viggo to be interesting. Viggo has always liked John because he was brilliant at his job. They
have the kind of love and respect you might see between a father and son, but it breaks down
when John comes for Iosef."[17] Stahelski stated that the role of Viggo had been decided after a
great many meetings due to the importance and complexity of the character, and that Nyqvist
brought both odd and interesting qualities to the character,[18] also adding that "[Nyqvist's]
quirkiness is a good match for Keanus stoicism." The filmmakers were most determined to
attempt bypassing the stereotypical Russian mobster characterization.[18] Iwanyk stated that
Viggo needed to be played by someone who would be "believable as this ultra-bad guy, but was
still very, very charming." adding that, "[Nyqvist] brought the character a kind of humanity." For
the role of Viggo, Nyqvist was given a style of fighting based on the Russian martial art of Sambo
to which he started training in Stockholm, Sweden at the request of Stahelski and Leitch, as he
stated, "I did this Russian style of jiu-jitsu called Sambo a lot. I did Brazilian jiu-jitsu and boxing a
lot. [] to get closer to the character. [] the guys I worked with, back home in Stockholm, were
Russians, so [I] got closer to them. It was a little bit like [method acting]."[25][30] Of Viggo's
background, Kolstad revealed, "A street brawler raised in the slums of Kiev, Viggo has worked
his way up the underworld food chain. Now, he is in the process of transitioning to
respectability."[18] Director Stahelski stated of Nyqvist, "[Michael], he is not your stereotypical
Russian bad guy. He is a quirky guy, how he gives his reads." David Leitch stated, "We had great
performances and input from Michael Nyqvist who played it straight and he was excellent. He
was a quirky villain. And we took time with the script and found those humorous moments and
made sure we paced them correctly with the ultra-violence."[31]

Alfie Allen as Iosef Tarasov

The arrogant, entitled and foolish son of Viggo Tarasov.[16][32] Allen found it "invigorating" to play
a Russian villain and shoot outside of Game of Thrones's Belfast set,[33] and on accepting the role
of Iosef, he was attracted by the idea of speaking with a different accent, i.e. the New York
accent, as well as citing both Stahelski and Leitch's involvement as an incentive for drawing him
to the piece.[34] While in New York City, Allen visited Russian public baths to develop and hone
the Russian accent which he developed for the film.[34] And speaking in terms of inspiration
drawn on for Iosef, Allen stated, "I guess, I found the relationship between [my character] and
his father, and there was a back story about the mother that I found quite interesting." He also
added that he faced challenges involving learning the Russian language, remarking: "learning the
Russian was pretty tough".[34] On the character of Iosef, Kolstad described him as, "a dinner-
theater version of his father. Iosef is a rich kid who imagines himself a tough guy; but without his
fathers muscle, hes a punk. In his mind, he has the scars of battle. But the reality is he's one
spoiled kid."[18] Kolstad also spoke of Allen's admiration for his to-be colleagues, which charmed
the writer, stating as follows, "When we had the first cast-and-crew dinner, I was talking with
 Alfie and suddenly he just froze. He just said, 'Oh my God! It's Willem Dafoe.' He's a great actor,
but he's also a fan like everybody else."[18] Allen spoke of his fellow actor Reeves with both
respect and praise, stating, "He's amazing. He's such a great guy. He's a very giving, generous
actor as well and just kind of relaxes you on set. If you're nervous, he just kind of chills you out.
You know I didn't know that he was a director before I started this. He's made a documentary
about encouraging people to make films. I think that's fantastic."[35] Asked on what he hopes the
audience take away from the film, Allen said, "It's kind of a crazy love story in there somewhere.
Its not like any other love story I've seen. I think the theme [], is that, all men can change. And
who is the bad guy in it, really?"[34]

Adrianne Palicki as Ms. Perkins

A distinguished female contract killer in the world of assassins, and a former acquaintance of
John.[16][36] About the character of Ms. Perkins, Palicki said, "Ms. Perkins is what you think the
quintessential assassin would be. Shes cold, heartless, conniving, badass and I think that she has
fun with what she does. She enjoys it. I think that shed clearly do it for a dollar. Ultimately in
the film shes doing it for four million, so it's a little different."[37] Originally the character of
Perkins was envisioned as a man, but the decision was reversed during a brainstorming session
and the desire to create "an authentic female action character." Leitch stated, "You believe this
woman could come in and give John Wick a run for his money," so Stahelski, Leitch and Iwanyk
changed it and offered the role to Palicki.[18] Palicki spoke most highly of working with Reeves
and the inclusion of stunt work on her part, to which she stated, "Chad wanted to make sure I
would be willing to do my own stuff in the huge fight sequence that I have with Keanuand I
was all game." Palicki spent months of training learning Judo and Jujutsu.[38] After the film's
release Palicki revealed background information, "I also think we talked about a backstory. It's
likely [Ms. Perkins and Wick] had a history as well, before his marriage. She may have a personal
vendetta as well as the money. I think there's an enjoyment on multiple levels."[37] On what she
hopes for with regard to the fan response, "It's a lot of fun. They're going to want to see what
happens next. Most importantly, I hope theyre rooting for John Wick the way that I did when I
read the script."[18][39]

Bridget Moynahan as Helen Wick

The beautiful wife of John Wick.[16] On the character of Helen, Leitch stated, "Helens the crux of
the movie, so to have an actress like Bridget come on board in such an important role was
gratifying. Shes got an elegance that is captivating." Leitch spoke very highly of Bridget's acting
talents. When cast in the role of John's wife, she decided not to read the screenplay, believing
that the limited amount of information would serve the story well. Moynahan stated, "There
was a large portion of the story that I didnt want to be informed about. I didnt want or need to
know that side of John. Helen brought love and light and joy into his life. Knowing the other side
of it would make it a different story for me."[17][18] Iwanyk shared Moynahan's sentiments,
adding, "Helen probably thought John had some skeletons in his closet, but it wasn't important.
 All we know as an audience is that the moment he met her, he became a different person. Love
changed him."[16]

Dean Winters as Avi

Viggo's right hand, the second in command, who has been Viggo's lawyer for many years.[16] On
the role of Avi, Stahelski stated, "As the part was written, he was just Viggos lawyer. But then
Dean came in and made it funny and edgy. The scenes between him and Michael Nyqvist are
some of my favorites." Winters spoke most highly of his colleagues on set, stating, "I got to work
with Willem Dafoe and Keanu Reeves. Weve got John Leguizamo, Michael Nyqvist and Bridget
Moynahan. I mean, it's a really good cast and I got a front-row seat."[17][18] Additionally Winters
praised Stahelski and Leitch's usage of practical sets of reality to action sequences sans the
involvement of green screen and special effects, adding, "Their stunt and action experience paid
off." Winters also stated, "It was like a front row seat to watching just incredible, incredible
filmmaking," adding, "This was just straight up in your face, not computerized, old-school stunts.
I really felt like I was in the front row of like a master class."[40]

Ian McShane as Winston

The enigmatic owner of the Continental Hotel.[16][41] About the character of Winston, McShane
said, "Winston is mysterious and enigmatic." He took the role due to his curiosity on the
possibilities of the character, as well as his fondness for modern noir films.[18] Writer Kolstad
stated, "[Winston] doesnt say a lot, but when he does, the earth moves. If John and Viggo are
the gods of New York, Winston is the titan." On the film itself, McShane added, "The writing, the
acting and the visuals all have a mythical quality. And every character has an important part to
play in a puzzle that comes together gradually."[16]

John Leguizamo as Aurelio

The proud business owner of Aurelio's Garage, a high-end chop shop.[16][42] About the character
Aurelio, Leguizamo stated, "When a Russian mobsters son shows up with John Wicks car, I
know there's going to be trouble. I'm going to have a problem either with the Russian mobster
or with John Wick, but Im not going to win either way."[18] Leguizamo believed that the costume
design of the character created a big boost, and had a great impression on the actor, with him
stating, "Mine is pretty slick, and that adds a lot of character. Im walking through the set and all
of a sudden I start feeling a little cocky, like Im somebody. It all helps."[16]

Willem Dafoe as Marcus

A member of the old guard of assassins who is battle hardened, reliable and amongst the
elite.[16][43] About the character of Marcus, Dafoe said, "Marcus is an assassin on a very high level.
It's clear that he and [John] have a history and he's something of a mentor to him. Theyre
friends, but it's a friendship that was made in a very dark world."[18] Of Marcus's psychology he
 also added that, "He seems pragmatic; he seems fatalistic, which you would have to be in that
line of work. " Writer Kolstad stated, "Marcus is a father figure. But hes a father in the sense
that hes the king of the pride. When a new lion takes over a pride, he slaughters all the cubs.
Marcus is that guy." On taking the role, Dafoe was very impressed with the "leanness" of
Kolstad's original screenplay, to which he stated, "The story is expressed mostly in action. That
seemed to work well with Chad and Davids history." He also praised the "enthusiasm, freshness
and eagerness" displayed by both Stahelski and Leitch within the filmmaking process.[16] Dafoe
too added that the screenplay and overall project caters to his "particularity that makes them
feel special" and the character-driven nature within the setting of New York City wasn't
"something that I have really experienced" and additionally the chance of working with
Reeves.[44] On the style of directors Stahelski and Leitch, Dafoe stated that their "style is
reminiscent of John Woo's signature gun fu combat. The action is a real nice mix of martial arts
and gunplay you have the grace of martial arts, but then the bang of the gun."[45] as well
adding, "The choreography isn't the same old, same old, or built around set pieces or a gag. It's
really integrated into the story. [Stahelski and Leitch], they aren't just stunt people, they're
filmmakers."[46]

The cast also includes David Patrick Kelly as a "cleaner" named Charlie, Randall Duk Kim as a
doctor with a select clientele, Lance Reddick as Charon, a concierge at The Continental Hotel
who always seems to know what the client needs, Munro M. Bonnell as a Russian Orthodox
priest who protects the vault where Viggo stores his valuables,[47] Omer Barnea as Gregori and
Toby Leonard Moore as Victor, Iosef's friends and bodyguards,[47] Daniel Bernhardt as Kirill,
Viggo's henchman;[48] Bridget Regan as Addy,[47] Keith Jardine as Kuzma,[48] Tait Fletcher as
Nicholai,[48] Thomas Sadoski as Jimmy,[48] Clarke Peters as Harry,[47] Kevin Nash as a bouncer
named Francis at the Red Circle nightclub,[49][50] Gameela Wright as a delivery woman,[48][51]
Vladislav Koulikov as Pavel,[48][51] Pat Squire as an elderly woman,[48][51] Vladimir Troitsky as a
team leader,[48][51] and Scott Tixier (uncredited) as a violinist.[52][53]

Production[edit]
Development[edit]
"Making a movie is actually fairly easy. Making a good one is much harder. It was a huge learning experience
and I'm very proud of it. We stretched our schedule to the absolute limits. We fought for what we believed in,
and chose to make a story-driven, character-driven action movie. That's why I chose to do it. This was an
opportunity to do something that wasn't just about cars, explosions, fire and fights. Yes, John fights; yes, he
shoots guns; and he drives a car very fast, but the focus was always trying to do something cinematically
different."

Chad Stahelski, on the experience of directing John Wick[16]

The premise for John Wick was conceived by screenwriter Derek Kolstad who began work on a
treatment about a retired contract killer coming out to seek vengeance, entitled Scorn.[54] After
one month of work, he had completed the first draft of the screenplay and once he had addressed
several issues he pitched the script to various clients, garnering at least three offers.[55] When he
first started thinking about writing the script, Kolstad was influenced by film-noir classics and
the themes of revenge and the antihero and the occurrences of what may play out if "The worst
man in existence found salvation [] When the source of his salvation is ripped from him []
Do the gates of Hades open?"[16][56] For Kolstad, both Alistair MacLean and Stephen King were
influences in the creating of the story of John Wick in terms of characterisation and world-
building, stating, "[] MacLean could build a world, and King could surprise you by what the
main character truly was capable of."[27]

On December 3, 2012, it was announced that Thunder Road Pictures had bought the script with
discretionary funds, with Kolstad agreeing due to Thunder Road's plan to make the film straight
away.[6][55][57] When Basil Iwanyk head of Thunder Road Pictures had first read Kolstad's original
screenplay, he was immediately drawn to the main character of Wick, stating, "The tone of the
script was subversive and really fun."[18] He also admired the emotional weight and action theme
of the piece. After Thunder Road had optioned the script, Kolstad spent additional months
refurbishing the script with them. In the original script, the character of John Wick was written
with "a man in his mid-sixties" to play the role, given the title characters fabled reputation as a
revered and respected assassin.[18] However, Iwanyk was of the belief that this was irrelevant and
bent the original vision ever so slightly, stating, "Instead, we decided to look for someone who is
not literally older, but who has a seasoned history in the film world."[58]

On May 7, 2013, it was announced that Keanu Reeves began negotiations to star in the piece in
April, and was later confirmed as the film's male lead, after Iwanyk and Peter Lawson of
Thunder Road showed him the script,[16] to which he thought to be full of potential and further
stated, "I love the role, but you want the whole story, the whole ensemble to come to life."[59]
Reeves and Kolstad had worked closely together on further developing the screenplay and the
story,[55][60] with the screenwriter stating, "We spent as much time developing the other characters
as we did his. [Keanu] recognizes that the strength of the storyline lies in even the smallest
details."[61] The title of the film was later changed from Scorn to John Wick, as according to
Kolstad, "Keanu liked the name so much, that Reeves kept telling everyone that he was making a
film called 'John Wick'", and the producers agreed, changing the title.[26]

During story discussions for John Wick, Reeves contacted Chad Stahelski and David Leitch,
who he originally met on the set of The Matrix,[62] to see if they were interested in
choreographing or directing the action of the piece.[14][63] Reeves admired Stahelski and Leitch's
work performing, choreographing and coordinating, stating that, "When I got the script... I
immediately thought of Chad and Dave for the action design, but I was secretly hoping they'd
want to direct it."[63] he then added, "I knew that they would love the genre and I knew that they
would love John Wick. And I thought the worlds that get created the real world and then this
underworld would be attractive to them, and it was."[14][63] After reading Kolstad's script,
Stahelski and Leitch, told Reeves they wanted to tell the story of John Wick, as they both had a
desire to get involved with a project as directors. Impressed with Reeves' enthusiasm and the
quality of the script, Stahelski and Leitch, told him that they wished to direct the film and later
presented him with their version of the story which was based on "[] the idea of [Wick] as an
urban legend, a thriller assassin movie with a realistic vibe and an otherworldly setting."[16]
Impressed with their concept, Reeves supported the pair, and Stahelski and Leitch pitched the
idea to the studio, who hired them to direct, contrary to their initial request of directing the film's
second unit.[14] On 7 May 2013, it was announced that Stahelski and Leitch were to direct the film
together as a team,[64][65] though it was later ruled by the Directors Guild of America that only
Stahelski would be given the director credit.[5] Leitch was credited as a producer.[66]

Stahelski acknowledged the challenges in balancing the action with that of both the pace and
tone,[45] stating "we're good at doing that for a particular scene when doing action, but here, we
had to take a through-line for the entire film." He acknowledged also that action itself should be
a collaborative entity with the story, as opposed to being a thing of its own: "If you're clever with
the story and clever with the action, they can fuse together."[67] "We dont see any real separation
that the story stops, and then we just wow you with action. If it all fits and weaves together and
helps you love the character, that's what we want to do. Demand more out of your action, as
an audience."[44][67]

It was remarked by Kolstad, once Reeves, Stahelski and Leitch were officially on board, that
during the period of January 2013 to September 2013,[68] he was still working on the final drafts
of the screenplay and the modifying of it, to which he described in the general sense a rather
"relentless process" further stating, "[] it needs to be in order to get everyones vision in
check."[68][69]

On September 12, 2013, Willem Dafoe was confirmed to have been cast in the role of Marcus
"[] a close friend of Wick. He was the one who encouraged Wick to leave the life after his
wife dies."[70][71] On 19 September 2013, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki and Dean
Winters were later confirmed to be a part of the film's supporting cast.[72][73] On 14 October 2013,
Bridget Moynahan had joined the cast of Stahelski and Leitch's film in the role of John Wick's
wife who, "the beagle puppy, Daisy, was a posthumous gift to John from."[74][75][76] On 15 October
2013, Jason Isaacs had joined the cast, portraying David.[77][78][79] On 27 November 2013, Daniel
Bernhardt was confirmed to have joined the cast of Stahelski and Leitch's John Wick, playing
Kirill, "a formal Russian military commander who is Viggo's henchman."[80] Stahelski and Leitch
are hoping for more opportunities behind the camera,[81] with Stahelski himself stating, "Our
focus has always been to be filmmakers first and department heads second" and "Now we're
following our passion and our dream".[82][83]

Filming[edit]

Principal photography was confirmed to have begun in New York City, with an expected late
2014 release, with an original shooting schedule meant to have occurred from 25 September to 5
December.[84][85] On 14 October 2013, shooting began in Mill Neck, New York,[86] with the filming
process scheduled to continue in and around New York City and greater New York area.[75][87]

On August 26, 2013, Lionsgate announced that they were looking for "a high-end glass house
with a water view" that was located in Nassau County, additionally with a scene or two being
shot in Long Island.[88] On October 6, 2013, filming occurred next door to the Flatiron School, on
11 Broadway.[89] Filming moved to Brooklyn on October 24, with filming occurring on 6th
Avenue between Union and Carroll Street, President Street between 6th and 7th Avenues and
Carroll Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.[90] Additionally filming later occurred at the St.
Francis Xavier Church on 6th Avenue.[91][92] On October 28, 2013, a scene was shot CITGO gas
station, 501 N. Highland Ave in Upper Nyack, whilst also shooting footage at Route 9W and
Christian Herald Road.[93][94]

On November 1, 2013, filming took place in lower Manhattan at 1 Wall Street Court, was used
for the exterior of The Continental hotel. On November 12, 2013, some scenes were shot on 25
Broadway,[95] and in downtown Manhattan on Beaver Street by Broad Street.[96] Filming also took
place at W 43rd Street and 8th Avenue, on November 13, in Manhattan,[97] and club scenes for
John Wick have been filmed on W 27 Street, with November 15 being the last night schedule at
the location.[98] On November 21, 2013, it was announced that a bath house scene was scheduled
to be filmed on November 24, December 4 and December 5.[99] Other shooting locations included
Tribeca, on November 20, which a chase scene was filmed on Church Street.[100] It was also
reported, on November 27, that filming had been set up on E 83rd and 3rd Street on the Upper
East Side.[101][102]

On December 2, 2013, a three-week Upper East Side shoot was scheduled until December 22,
with Keanu Reeves and Willem Dafoe filming several scenes.[103] Filming continued to shoot in
Tribeca from December 3 to December 5, with the notification placed on Church and
Franklin.[104] After the Tribeca shoot, the crew moved to Long Island on December 6 to film a
funeral scene, and the shoot will be exterior.[105] Additional filming was reported on December 13
for Chambers Street, Worth Street and Lafayette Street.[106] On December 19, Reeves was filming
in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn.[107]

Principal photography was confirmed to have ended on December 20, 2013,[108] with post-
production beginning on January 10, 2014.[109]

According to directors commentary, their first cut of the movie was 2 hours and 20 minutes long.
They didn't reveal much about approximately 39 minutes of footage that was cut out of the
movie but they did mention that the ending fight between John and Viggo was longer but was cut
down after they both acknowledged that Viggo shouldnt really pose a big physical threat to
Wick. Also, David Leitch said how "Theres a ton of great shots on the cutting room floor thats
just Keanu walking in cool environments."[110]

Cinematography[edit]
"Having the ALEXA XT with in-camera ARRIRAW is like going to back to an ARRICAM or an ARRIFLEX
435, which is amazing."

Cinematographer Jonathan Sela, on the usage of ALEXA XT on John Wick[111]

The film was shot digitally with Arri Alexa XT in a distributed aspect ratio of 2.39:1.[112]
Cinematographer Jonathan Sela himself chose to work with Arri Alexa XT cameras due to
discussions regarding the look of the film John Wick, thus he pushed for a mix of ARRICAM
and ALEXA which allowed, in turn, the blend of film and digital.[111] "Everybody loved the idea
but when you run the numbers of having two packages and also the cost of film, it gets too
expensive, so we decided to work entirely with the ALEXA. It's the camera I've used on
commercials so I knew I was comfortable with the ALEXA and I knew I liked it."[111] Sela spoke
of the idea that Stahelski, Leitch and himself wished to achieve a visual contrast between John
Wick's normal life and the other of which he's drawn back into the underworld of assassins. "We
wanted the first look to be soft and clean, and the second to be grittier, darker and sharper. For
cost reasons we were shooting with just the one camera format, so I used different lenses and
contrasting camerawork to create these two distinct looks." He describes the first section of the
film as being far more static by stating that, "the camera never stops moving".[113] For John Wick
he had decided on using both anamorphic and spherical lenses, to which he combined a set of
Hawk V-Lite Vintage '74 anamorphics with that of Cooke S4 sphericals. The initial plan was to
use the anamorphic and spherical lenses in the first and second parts, respectively, to create the
visual contrast, however, he decided against such a course of action, as he stated, "[] once we
were shooting we felt that the camerawork was enough to separate those two worlds and we
ended up using the anamorphics mainly for day work and the sphericals for night work."[111] Sela
praised Hawk's Vintage '74 as "beautiful", however, highlighting that they flare considerably
which would have become overbearing during night-time shooting. Equally, Sela added, "In
daylight they gave us a hazy look and reduced the contrast, which helped make the day scenes
seem much more cinematic to me."[111]

According to Sela, on-board ARRIRAW recording with the ALEXA XT cameras made a
considerable difference with camerawork, stating, "Having the ALEXA XT with in-camera
ARRIRAW is like going to back to an ARRICAM or an ARRIFLEX 435, which is amazing."
There was a considerable amount of handheld camera work on the second section of John Wick
and usage of the ALEXA M allowed filming "to squeeze through the window or into restricted
spaces" to occur, especially for the car scenes.[111] Sela was recording ARRIRAW and used the
whole sensor area of ALEXA's 4:3 for the anamorphic scenes, which allowed for the
maximisation of the image quality for a 4K cinema release. Of such a decision the following was
stated, "Shooting in ARRIRAW and having that extra sensor area helps most when you need to
manipulate the image; you'll notice it when you have to adjust the color or contrast in a scene
because you simply have more information to work with."[111]

Design[edit]

Costume design[edit]

Costume designer Luca Mosca explained that Wick had to possess a piece of attire that had to be
worn throughout almost the entire production of the film, to which he then added, "Then we had
to tailor it perfectly and make it sleek and timeless enough to fit into this perfect world." Due to
the nature of the world Stahelski and Leitch created, Luca had to create a statement for every
character based on their costume.[17] Reeves remarked praise for the costume designer, to which
he highlighted Luca's ability to give the pieces of clothing meaning, if only subtle; "All the
different shades of black that Luca used gave it a lot of overtones. It's funeral and it's priestly. It's
also very chic, but it doesn't call attention to itself. When I put on the suit, it definitely affects
me."[42] Initially the idea was to place the villains of the piece in combat gear, but later they
decided against that due to the principle that they have to be placed in suits, with Leitch quoting
Luca, "It is about men in suits."[114]

Production design[edit]
John Wick features not two worlds, but instead "two of everything", states production designer
Dan Leigh on the contrast of the worlds, speaking in jest.[17] Leigh too added, "I approached the
story as more of a fable, which ties into the graphic-novel idea. The visual manifestation of that
is something that transcends reality. The light is a little bit different. Theres texture in the air.
There are unexpected objects everywhere."[115]

Sound design[edit]

James Bolt and Martyn Zub were the re-recording mixers. Mark Stoeckinger was the supervising
sound editor.[116]

Production sound mixer Danny Michael had used Sound Devices' 788T-SSD Digital Recorder[117]
and CL-WiFi[117] as sound devices, additionally with a Lectrosonics VRT-Venue System,
Lectrosonics radio mics, Schoeps CMC-6U and CMIT-5U microphones, a Cooper Sound 208
mixer, Blackmagic dual seven-inch monitors and a Denecke Dcode GR-1 as the main time clock
for John Wick.[117] Due to John Wick being an action-oriented piece, it required a lot of sound
effects, as well as "file-based workflow".[118]

For Michael, the 788T-SSD's ability to swap out removable storage was an advantage, due to
himself simply supplying his CompactFlash to the post-production company Light Iron, in order
for them to process the raw unedited footage on the set.[118] Michael stated, "I was basically
handing over my sound every time a camera roll changed, to a person who was literally five feet
away from me" adding that,[119] "They then took my material and synced it with what was coming
off the cameras, on the spot. We would rotate CF cards throughout the course of the day."[119]

Visual effects[edit]

Jake Braver was the overall Visual Effects Supervisor and visual effects company Spin VFX
worked on most of the visual effects on John Wick.[120]

Music[edit]
Main article: John Wick: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

The musical score to John Wick was composed by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard, with on-
screen violin music performed by Scott Tixier.[121] The film also features a few pieces of
additional music such as Marilyn Manson's "Killing Strangers" and T-Bo and Bengie B's "Get
Money". The original soundtrack album, John Wick: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, was
released digitally on October 21 and received a physical format release on October 27 by Varese
Sarabande Records.[122] In addition to Bates and Richard's score, the album features music by
artists such as Ciscandra Nostalghia, The Candy Shop Boys, and M86 & Susie Q. Le Castle
Vania also provided additional music for the score.[121][123]

Influences[edit]
Director Chad Stahelski said influences on John Wick included; The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
(1966), Point Blank (1967), Le Cercle Rouge (1970), and The Killer (1989).[124]

Stahelski said about The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, "Look at Clint Eastwood in [the film]
there is so much back-story unsaid there. We're big fans of leaving it to your imagination. We
just give you some gold coins, and then it's, "Where do the gold coins come from?" We'll get to
that. Have your imagination do some work there."[24] He also said Point Blank (1967) influenced
John Wick: "One of the biggest inspirations for the film was Point Blank. We watched it on a
loop in our office and there are a couple homages to that [in John Wick]."[125] Park Chan-wook's
The Vengeance Trilogy (20022005) and Lee Jeong-beom's The Man from Nowhere (2010)
influenced the film due to "[their] minimalist composition and graphic nature."[126]

For screenwriter Derek Kolstad, both Alistair MacLean and Stephen King were huge influences
in the creation of the story of John Wick in terms of characterisation and world-building, stating,
with himself stating, "MacLean could build a world, and King could surprise you by what the
main character truly was capable of."[127] Outside of films, Stahelski and Leitch drew inspiration
from the visual stylings of the '60s and '70s as well as cinematic influences, including Sergio
Leone, Akira Kurosawa, Steve McQueen, Lee Marvin, William Friedkin and Sam Peckinpah.[24]
With Stahelski himself stating, "All the way back to Kurosawa up to Sergio Leone. We like the
spaghetti western sensibility there, some of the composition." Albeit inspiration and emulation
from the noir film genre, Stahelski too added that, "Noir maybe was sort of less impactful for us
than the other sort of westerns and Kurosawa and things like that. I think we wanted to make this
hard-boiled character."[124][125][128]

Marketing[edit]
The official website for John Wick debuted on August 15, 2014 introducing a marketing
campaign and interactive layout to promote the film. The website streamed an audio file as well
as containing interactive games such as "The Red Club Club" and "Revenge Ride".[129] Lionsgate
also provided information on the cast and crew as well as a gallery and video section.[130] The first
images debuted on August 21, 2014 featuring Reeves' as Wick.[131] With the release Liongate
confirmed the film being set for a "sudden release" on October 24, 2014.[132] On September 10,
2014, the teaser poster was released as well as the confirmation date of the expected teaser
trailer.[133] The teaser trailer for John Wick debuted September 12, 2014.[134] The theatrical release
poster and the final theatrical trailer were both released on September 30, 2014, by both
Stahelski and Leitch on an 'Ask me anything' Reddit session.[135]

Lionsgate had provided Collider.com and Moviepilot, on October 2, 2014, with a prize pack to
give away to various readers, which included Assassin's Creed Unity, a Fandango gift card for
$25, a Lionsgate DVD 3-pack with Dredd, Gamer, and Rambo, and a John Wick poster and T-
shirt.[136][137] On October 6, 2014, the official website for John Wick had been updated to include
three trailers, photographs with John's story as well as individual cast photos and mini-
biographies.[138] The IMAX TV spot trailer for John Wick debuted October 6, 2014, featuring new
footage of the film.[139] Carl F. Bucherer was the official partner of the John Wick premiere in
New York City on October 13, 2014. Keanu Reeves sported a Manero AutoDate with a light
dial, Willem Dafoe wore a Manero AutoDate in classic black, and Daniel Bernhardt with a
Patravi ChronoGrade.[140] An IMAX Featurette was released on October 22, 2014 featuring clips
relating to the film, accompanied by statements by Reeves, Stahelski, and Leitch.[141]

On October 16, 2014, John Wick was featured on the weeks issue of Entertainment Weekly.[142]

As part of a cross-promotion deal with Overkill Software, Lionsgate and Thunder Road Pictures,
on October 21, 2014, John Wick was added as a playable character in the online game Payday 2,
and other elements from the film, including Wick's signature weapons, and skill tree that allowed
for dual-wielding of certain firearms.[143] Additionally, Fandango offered people who purchase
tickets online at select theaters a free download of Payday 2 through Steam.[144] Variety described
Liongate's deal as a "pretty imaginative marketing move".[145] Danielle DePalma, Lionsgate's EVP
of Digital Marketing, stated, "We're big fans of Payday 2 and the team at Starbreeze, and we're
thrilled to kick off our partnership with such a cool movie"[146] and Bo Andersson Klint,
Starbreeze CEO, stated, "We've finally got a real hitman on our team. Being able to play as John
Wick in Payday 2 ahead of the movie's release is a great reward for our loyal Payday 2
community."[146]

Release[edit]

The ArcLight Hollywood in Hollywood, California hosted the film's Los Angeles premiere

John Wick premiered at the Regal Union Square Theatre, Stadium 14 on October 13, 2014 in
New York City,[147] after screening at the Austin Fantastic Fest on September 19,[148][149] where it
opened the official sidebar section, Special Gala Screening, to an astounding reception,[150] and
the ArcLight Hollywood in Los Angeles on October 22, 2014.[151] John Wick had its television
premiere on USA (Channel) on March 12, 2017.
Pre-release screenings[edit]

Prior to John Wick's public release, an advance screening of the film was shown on October 9,
2014 at Regal Oakwood in Hollywood, Florida.[152] A screening was shown in advance at the UA
Court Street in Brooklyn, New York on October 14.[153] Glendale Designs sponsored a private
screening on October 16, 2014 at Harkins Arrowhead in Peoria, Arizona.[154] BackstageOL and
Lionsgate hosted an advance screening on October 21, 2014 at Edwards Greenway Grand Palace
Stadium in Houston, Texas and at the Santikos Embassy 14 in San Antonio, Texas. Additionally,
Lionsgate had announced 40 additional advanced screening's at selected theatres in the United
States from October 21 to October 22., as part of a national campaign to promote John Wick.[155]
Entertainment One Films held advance screenings in Toronto, Ottawa, Halifax, Calgary,
Edmonton, Victoria and Vancouver between October 20 and October 23.[156]

Theatrical run[edit]

John Wick began a wide theatrical release in the United States on October 24, 2014,[157]
expanding in successive weeks to France, Australia and Netherlands,[158][159] ahead of a bow in the
United Kingdom on February 2, 2015 after expanding throughout Europe.[160][161]

On May 22, 2013, Liongate had sold more than $250 million in territorial rights to nine titles at
the Cannes Film Festival, including John Wick.[162] Studio Canal will distribute the piece
throughout Germany,[163] Metropolitan Filmexport acquired the French distribution rights to John
Wick from Lionsgate,[164] Acme Film acquired the distribution rights throughout the Baltic
region,[165] Monolith Films acquired the film rights in Poland, Imagem had acquired the Latin
American distribution rights,[163] Orange Sky Golden Harvest obtained the film rights in Taiwan
and Hong Kong,[161] and Media Pro acquired the rights in the regions of Czech, Romania,
Hungary, and Bulgaria.[161] Entertainment One Films picked up the Canadian distribution
rights.[166] On 10 June 2014, Belga Films had acquired the rights to distribute the film within the
Benelux region.[167] On 2 July 2014, MK2 Pictures were confirmed to have acquired the Italian
distribution rights to John Wick.[163][168] On 8 May 2014, the Huayi Brothers picked up the Chinese
distribution rights to John Wick, being one of only four films in the United States that were
picked up, with a planned 2015 limited theatrical release.[169] On 11 August 2014, Lions Gate
Entertainment acquired from Thunder Road Pictures the distribution rights to John Wick in the
United States, with a planned 2014 limited theatrical release,[170][171][172] and in October, Summit
Entertainment, a Lionsgate company, distributed the film in the United States[173] On 31 October
2014, it was announced that Warner Bros. Pictures would be distributing the film within the
United Kingdom.[174][175] It was later announced that the release date in the United Kingdom was
moved back from the first weekend of 2015 to 10 April 2015.[176]

On October 2, 2014, Summit Entertainment announced that John Wick would be released in
IMAX.[177] Phil Groves, Senior Vice President of IMAX Corp and Executive Vice President of
Global Distribution, IMAX Entertainment, stated, "John Wick is a fun action romp, complete
with a tremendously entertaining performance by Keanu Reeves that is perfect for IMAX
fans."[178] further adding, "There's no better place for audiences to experience the film's stylized
storytelling than in IMAX theatres."[179]
Box office[edit]

John Wick earned $14.4 million from 2,589 locations on its opening weekend,[180] compared to
the $78 million opening most analysts projected the film would make.[181] By the end of its
theatrical run, John Wick grossed $45.7 million in North America and $43 million in other
territories for a worldwide total of $88.8 million, against a production budget of $20 million.[182]

The film had a wide release in the United States and Canada in selected theatres on October
24.[183] The film earned $5.45 million on its opening day,[184] including $875,000 from Thursday
night previews,[185] which was the second highest opening of that weekend, at an average of
$5,465 per theater.[186] The film grossed $2.5 million from 347 IMAX locations that weekend,
which represented 17.7 percent of the film's overall gross for its opening weekend.[187] The
audience was 60% male and 77% were older than 25.[188][180]

Outside North America, the film took $1.4 million during its international opening weekend.[189]
The film's highest-grossing debuts were in France, Australia, Thailand, Mexico, and the United
Arab Emirates.[189] On its second week, it added $6.7 million from 33 territories.[190] The film went
number one in France ($1.2 million) from 300 screens, number three in Australia ($961,000)
from 177 screens, and number ten in the Middle East ($1 million) from a total of 80 screens.[190]

Reception[edit]
John Wick received positive reviews. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes the film
has an approval rating of 85% based on 193 reviews, with an average rating of 6.9/10. The site's
critical consensus reads, "Stylish, thrilling, and giddily kinetic, John Wick serves as a satisfying
return to action for Keanu Reeves and what looks like it could be the first of a franchise."[191]
Metacritic, another review aggregator, assigned the film a weighted average score of 68 out of
100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[192] CinemaScore reported that
audiences gave the film a "B" grade, on an A+ to F scale.[193][194]

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone praised the piece by stating, "John Wick is the kind of fired-up,
ferocious B-movie fun some of us can't get enough of" and praising the "juicy performances"
from Dafoe, Leguizamo, and McShane.[195] Richard Corliss of Time magazine wrote, "Action
movies are about movement, and John Wick pursues that goal with remorseless verve."[196]
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club gave the film an "B+" rating, stating, "An underworld
fantasy that grafts crisp action on to Rian Johnson-esque world-building, producing one of the
more fully realized shoot-'em-up flicks in recent memory." He continued by praising the script of
Kolstad, citing that it "distinguishes itself by carefully defining the boundaries of its universe".[197]
Chris Nashawaty of Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "A-" rating and called Kolstad's
screenplay, "a marvelously rich and stylish feat of pulpy world-building."[198]

Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter granted the film praise, "After a marked absence from
the genre, Reeves resoundingly returns with an effortless, kinetic style that positions the film
extremely well for any potential follow-ups."[199] Peter Debruge of Variety spoke highly of the
film, "Back in action-hero mode, Keanu Reeves joins forces with his Matrix stunt double to
deliver a slick and satisfying revenge thriller" and described "what a thrill well-choreographed
action can be when we're actually able to make out what's happening".[200] Stephanie Zacharek of
The Village Voice said that, "Reeves is wonderful here, a marvel of physicality and stern
determination he moves with the grace of an old-school swashbuckler."[201] Bilge Ebiri of
Vulture commented, "It's a beautiful coffee-table action movie."[202]

Jeannette Catsoulis wrote, in her review for The New York Times, "Harbouring few ambitions
beyond knock-your-socks-off action sequences, this crafty revenge thriller delivers with so much
style and even some wit that the lack of substance takes longer than it should to become
problematic." Catsoulis praised Dafoe and Leguizamo as "bringing real subtlety to an all-too-
brief scene" and Nyqvist as "marvellous", as well as Stahelski's direction and Sela's
cinematography.[203] Forrest Wickman of Slate noted, "John Wick offers a slow burn, sizzling in a
manner true to its heros surname."[204] Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian scored the film four out
of five stars, writing, "A slick, propulsive and ridiculous crime picture that strides like an
automatic machine gun."[205]

Peter Bradshaw, also reviewing for The Guardian, gave the film 2 out of 5 stars and stated "...
Reeves's semi-deliberate zonked deadpan style only really works in juxtaposition with funny
dialogue and this is a pretty humourless and violent film, which grinds on and on with more
and more gleaming black SUVs getting trashed."[206] Ealasaid Haas of San Jose Mercury News
described John Wick as a "disappointingly standard revenge movie."[207] John Semley of The
Globe and Mail called the title "the new name in crummy action cinema," giving it one-half out
of 4 stars.[208]

Video game[edit]
On August 7, 2015, Lionsgate and Starbreeze Studios announced a partnership to develop a first-
person shooter virtual reality game based on the film for the HTC Vive/Steam VR. Development
will be headed by Grab Games, with Starbreeze set to publish. WEVR will develop an
introductory experience for the game. The game was released on February 9, 2017 with the name
John Wick Chronicles.[209] and have a standalone narrative based on the Continental Hotel.[210][211]
Additionally, John Wick content a free Character Pack and a chargeable Weapons Pack was
released for the Payday 2 games on October 20, 2016 as cross-promotion.[