Keanu Reeves' $86 million action thriller offers a veryaccurate depiction of the Russian mafia, except for one myth.Reeves stars as the titular assassin, who has managed to build a life outside the mob world. However, his peace is disturbed when he runs into someone from his old life, which forces him back to the criminal underworld. The premise was rejected by six studios, and Reeves also helped to fund the project with his own salary.
Independently-made with a budget around $20 to $30 million, the film tripled its budget at the box office. Its success then led tothree more movies and a growing franchise. With immersive world-building, relentless action sequences and a star-studded cast, the action thriller co-directed by Chad Stahelski and David Leitch is regarded as a cult classic in the crime thriller genre. The franchise also became what Reeves is most famous for, aside from his lead role asNeo inThe Matrixmovie series.
John Wick Is Almost Right About The Russian Mafia, Except One Myth
John Wick Is Rated 7/10 For Accuracy
The firstJohn Wickmovie sees Reeves' titular assassin go on a man-hunt mission to track down the person responsible for killing his dog, during which he kills 77 men on-screen, many with headshots. The original movie introduces the Baba Yaga and the mob underworld, setting the tone for three more films. ABallerinaspinoffset in the same universe starring Ana de Armas is scheduled for release in 2025. At the same time, aCainespinoff andJohn Wick 5are also in various stages of development.
Joe Serio, a former CIA agent and Russian mafia investigator, givesJohn Wicka7 out of 10 rating for realism, breaking down the role of a hitman in the Russian mafia underworld forInsider.Serio reveals thatJohn Wick’s depiction ofthe role of an assassin is accurate. While the real-life body count is usually not as high as John Wick’s,“shootouts in nightclubs” and “bathhouses” were a normalityin the 1990s and 2000s. However,the biggest myth is “shoot first and ask questions later,“which is inaccurate. Check out what he said below:
This idea of a Russian hitman, a Russian assassin [is] totally realistic. Maybe not quite as many bodies dropped in a five-minute period as John Wick, but there were so many assassinations in hundreds done by hitmen in the 1990s and the 2000s. If you look at someone like Alexander Solonik. Alexander Solonik was the biggest name in the Russian underworld as an assassin. This idea of there being a Russian hitman they had their role to play, and they played it really well.
Casinos and nightclubs were some of the central hubs for the Russian mafia. In the 1990s, when the Russian mafia on the street was really big, you would have shootouts all the time. You’d have shootouts in nightclubs, shootouts on the street. I could hear gunshots on a regular basis. There was one situation where we found a trunk full of weapons in one car in the parking lot of a nightclub.
The biggest myth that TV and movies show about the Russian mafia is that they shoot first and ask questions later, and none of that is true. They would start with negotiation, but if it got to the point where they couldn’t reach agreement, they would have shootouts. If you look atHitman, Revenge Motive. Shootouts in nightclubs or bathrooms or anything like that, that’s accurate. I give it about 7 out of 10.
What John Wick’s Accuracy Means For The Movie’s Reputation
How The First Film Compares To The Three Sequels
During the firstJohn Wick’s development, in which funding was in question and studios expressed concern at the killing of a puppy, few would have guessed that it would spawn one of the biggest and most successful action franchises of the past two decades. The first movie ended up faring well with critics, however, and currently sports an 86% onRotten Tomatoes, with the audience score also respectable at 81%. Though undoubtedly well-received,it’s now actually the lowest-rated and lowest-grossing movie of the franchise, as seen in the chart below.
86%
81%
89%
85%
94%
93%
$100M
$440M
John Wickmay have some surprising elements of realism, butit’s likely that the sequels wouldn’t fare as well in terms of their real-life accuracy. Wick’s body count in each sequel is higher than the 77 men he kills in the first film, with theacclaimedJohn Wick: Chapter 4featuring a franchise-high of 140 kills for Wick alone. The injuries that Wick survives across the four films, which includes gunshot wounds and getting hit by cars, also stretches credulity, with his fall off a tall building at the end ofJohn Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellumlooking particularly lethal.
The critical and commercial response to the franchise suggests thatleaving realism behind is ultimately more than fine with audiences, but the first film still remains a fun entry to return to for its somewhat more grounded approach and its introduction of a character who is now one of the most iconic movie assassins of all time.
Across all four movies,John Wick’s kill countsits at about 429 people.
Our Take On John Wick’s Accuracy
Most Ideas Come From the Real World
John Wick’s successcomes, in part, fromweaving realism with fiction. With Wick’s extremely high body count and the franchise’s reputation for relentless action sequences, it’s hard to believe there’s any truth in it at all. However, Serio’s comment suggests that Stahelski, Leitch, and writer Derek Kolstad may have taken more real-life inspirations than audiences realize.
One Of Keanu Reeves’ Best John Wick Fights Made Up For A Massive Star Wars Mistake
Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman are two incredibly skilled mixed martial artists who appeared in both the John Wick and Star Wars franchises.
There are many interesting details inJohn Wick, and many of them havereal-life ties. For example,the gold coins John Wick usesto pay for his stay at the Continental are based partially in reality. Some in the criminal underworld choose to use diamonds and their own currency to avoid leaving a paper trail. The Ruska Roma also refers to the real Russian clan that consisted of more than 200,000 people, while the Continental, with its rules of non-violence, is inspired by Switzerland.
John Wick
“John Wick” is a neo-noir action-thriller franchise centered around a retired hitman who returns to the criminal underworld to seek vengeance. Known for its intense and stylistic action sequences, the franchise has redefined modern action cinema with its choreographed gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, and intricate world-building. The series explores themes of loyalty, honor, and survival in a secret society of assassins.
