PATREON: www.patreon.com/storystreet INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/storystreets/ A correction: I refer to the Adjudicator in this video with she/her pronouns when the character is actually non-binary with they/them pronouns. I apologize for that. Engagement Question: What did you think about John Wick Chapter 4? Considering how I think John Wick 3 is like 20 minutes longer than it needs to be, I thought I would have similar thoughts on 4. But nah. It's kind of incredible, actually, and I think I'm going to try and make a full video on it alone later this year. And as always, thanks for watching the video! I hope it meant something to you.
🤣omg i think you hit the nail on the head when it come to his acting but in one and two he had moment were you can see this angry boiling just under the skin when he was tied up in one and in two when he goes to the bank to get some stuff after the high table guy blew up his house also in one they said what the impossible task was kill all of the mob enemies
Proper english would be thee/thou for singular gender-neutral pronouns. Using a plural is generally reserved where the person represents more than just themselves, such as royalty.
I like how you intentionally tackled an action franchise knowing it's going to be difficult since the "meaning" isn't as explicit relative to non-action films.
In Chapter 4 I came to a realization - that stairway ascent is the most badass Sisyphean thing I've seen in quite sometime, it REALLY encapsulates John's character if you think about it, a man of focus, commitment and sheer will is emphasized by the relentless climb and pursuit of a goal by reaching the top of those steps. The beautiful simplicity of the scene not only serves the action, it serves the story and the character as well, cause when he falls all the way down, that's not just a cool stunt, that's the character's descent back into the life he abandoned personified by the fall, from the first film onwards he has slowly been returning to the "pond" he swore he'd leave and the stairs are a visual metaphor of how hard it is to leave that life behind (ascend) and how easy it is to fall back into it (descend).... It also neatly ties into the overall friendship thematic of Chapter 4 (something that a lot of Heroic Bloodshed films from Hong Kong cinema also had, which I'm sure is no coincidence with Donnie's character and Stahelski's influences) but just like how Marcus aided John in the first film, saving his life and giving him the opportunity to rise back up and progress, Caine's character in 4 even more directly does the same, visually helping him rise and overcome the stairs, so for the first time in a while John has legitimate allies that help him in the form of Koji, Bowery King, Winston and Caine who aren't necessarily indebted to him by markers or any external ties but rather help him because he's a genuine compadre and in giving back to them, freeing all of them from the table, he, just like Marcus and Koji before him gives his life to free theirs.... it's just.... it's just really beautiful and dope 🥺😭😎👊 JW 4 rocks !
Other people saw that scene as a needless add-on for John Wick 4, I don't think so, I saw it as a reference to Dante's Divine Comedy stairway to heaven, similar to how Dante must ascend the stairway to heaven to become one with his wife again, John must do the same, in short, John Wick 4 is the final arc, 2 set it all off and 3rd created the changes needed in the 4th, it's the most amazing franchise out there.
@@UnknownOps Absolutely there are a lot of Divine Comedy mantras and influences in JW 3 and 4 in particular, 3 has the line "the road to paradise begins in hell" by the Ruska Roma director as well as the scene in the New York Public Library where Ernest the Giant approaches John quoting Dante and 4 has the staircase being similar to the ascent from hell as well as Bowery King's introductory monologue at the start.
I saw a video talking about the club scene in chapter 4 as johns “rebirth” The water represents John being cleansed and a shift in his characters journey. He is no longer just fighting for his wife’s memory but fighting for others that the table has oppressed, not just the Ruska Roma but the Bowery king, winston and all the friends he made along his journey. Like the marquis says John wick is an idea, he is the face of everything the table hates, disobedience and freedom and John in that moment is embracing that idea even if his intentions were purely self centred originally
@@UnknownOps Plato had a cave, and you had to climb your way out. It's easier when someone helps you do that. At the top, there is only the sun, for the first time.
I always saw John Wick more as a lesson to never give up rather than a lesson on revenge and consequences. John goes through so much in all of these films, but he never gives up, despite having lost everything, there's still always hope.
Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't talk more about the Ruska Roma and how they open the door to a theme of community within John Wick 3. From the doctor telling John how to save himself after time is up, to the Director tearing John's ticket, to Sofia honoring their marker and Winston's threat of "We are New York City", a big theme of John Wick 3 isn't just opposing authority but about how that must be done communally, how we need the help of others to go against the world.
4 really doubled down on this, he's constantly fighting with an ally at his side and people are making sacrifices all over the place to help each other fight against The Table.
A quote that stuck with me from John Wick 4 is what Koji said: "friendship is meaningless if it's convenient." If there's a lesson I learned from the series is the power of being a trustworthy friend whom you can rely on no matter how difficult things get. You'll come to find that there are friends who will be there to help you when you're at your lowest point, whereas there will also be friends who will run away if the going gets tough. Being a person of your word who follows through on the promises you make is an extremely powerful quality, as well as one who honors agreements no matter what.
When Cassian tells John "you're not having a good night are you John?", I laughed. When we are introduced to the mirror sequence, I thought "this is beautiful". When John killed Santino, I audibly gasped. When John started running away, only to see everyone looking back up at him as they received text messages, I felt dread. When I watched the knife fight I thought "this is so cool". These movies do such an amazing job at getting me to be active with them...so many peoples do JUST ENOUGH to keep my attention but not many movies succeed in constantly drawing an emotion out of every scene as well as John Wick. So I get very tired and annoyed when some snob says "its shallow" or "it does not mean anything" because all I think is these movies mean more to me than most.
Zero and his students were not ment to be seen as a joke. He was a highly skilled killer who greatly admired John Wick. His students kept letting John get back up because they deeply respected him
Those dudes were true bros and I was glad John let them live. Shame Zero died, he really did seem like he could’ve been a good friend but at least he died to his idol.
Super underrated, guy just popped up in my recommended and blew me away with how high quality this short-documentry was. You’ve earned my subscription!
Like the previous comment said, the Planet of the Apes videos are incredible, but I honestly think this channel is one of the few where every video is top notch. Favorite TH-cam channel by far!!!
John Wick is the hero for me and all of my fellow introverts out there. Really awkward and uncomfortable in most social interactions, but extremely confident and focused whenever doing what he knows best.
My favorite thing about the dialogue (specifically in 4) is how characters have a very strong structure in how they speak. They all speak in these aphorisms that a less competent writer, director, performer, etc. would be groan-inducing and tiring. Those who cling to death live. Those who cling to life, die. How is your daughter? -- Alive. And yours? -- Well. A good death only comes after a good life. You and I left a good life behind a long time ago.
Yes, odd because the original screen writer and story was moved aside for #4. I'm surprised that after four iterations the results are not entirely absurd and wearing thin. Of course, in a way they are, ie, wearing thin and absurd. And of course, the world in a world that he inhabits is not our world.
@@jacquestaulard3088 IMO if you look at the writing credits up until Wick and after it definitely looks like Kolstad struck gold by having Keanu, Chad, and David take on John Wick. I mean even looking at the original script to John Wick (originally titled Scorn, you can find it easily online) you can see how much of the tone was changed and improved, no shade to him but 2 & 3 really did lose the plot and to me didn't have any emotional weight which in turn makes the action less interesting even if it is bigger and bolder with each iteration.
@@TheDominitri Very insightful. The original script (I read it) was not only bland, but the 'retired' Wick was what? In his sixties? I am past my sixties and if I had to tangle with 13 men in a dark house...! The whole thing in Wick is the only work of a committee I know of that is successful. Well, people who scare easily point to the Pilgrim's Society or the Committee of 300 or of the Kennedy Assassination as a committee job and, when looked at closely, are rife with bungling, stupidities and end in the old guys having to die not seeing the dream. Wick is fun because of the sheer attractiveness of Keanu's acting, the careful choreography of the headshots, and so on, But, it is still a-musement. 'Amuse' is "from Old French amuser "fool, tease, hoax, entrap; make fun of," literally "cause to muse" (as a distraction)" Nothing in Wick is different in substance from other cliffhangers. BUT Wick has a strong emotional drive NOT vengeance per se, and it is set in a sub-wrold - underworld really - of wealth, glamour, music, strict discipline, and existential predetoriness (is that a word?) which the criminal underclass takes such pride in. The crimes and waste of resources these High Table people extract from the general pubic are massive and irreversible, even unrecoverable. Yet, 'they' have their problems too - one man who broke the 'rules' and has to be roped in like the savage his is - toward them. They do not have rules, really, only expedients, based on blood oaths and a twisted sense of honor. None of the big shots do their own dirty work. They grab orphans or breed via family blood their own killers, liars, hustlers, magicians, talker and con men, chemists, extortioners, embezzlers, pedos, and a variety of useful monsters. Wick, made extremely attractive by the careful acting and direction of his friends, makes he viewer sympathetic with him, aided by a genuine respect for his proficiency, his suffering, and his obedience to the Rules. The execution of the script was actually great, and scenes like Aurelio, or Viggo saying : "Oh...." or the shot showing WIck in the mirror behind Gianna..These men know how to tell a story. I am going to see #4 this week (after Easter) and will probably tire from an imbalance in action sequences, but that is the only way to go. We will never see the laconic John Wick philosophize nor become repentant, nor take that Cross seriously. One real lesson to be learned and extremely well illustrated by Strahelski et al, is that this underworld coexists among and parallel to the 'real' world most of us live in. In Wick so far, there is no collateral damage. No civilians, no coroners, no cops, no witnesses, no judges, no innocents - even children are absent. Horses become weapons, books become weapons, weapons themselves become miracle tools in the hands of John. Everyone knows everyone in this setting, and the bit player criminals know the news. The 1930's -1950's ladies who use retro DOS screens and chalkboards are a great touch, as NO ladies would ever have been employed back then, covered with tattoos! And for political correctness, the Director has no bias against sex, age, nationality, religion, color, language, attire, speech. Rather, the entire underworld is cemented by cash, blackmail, extortion, corruption, payoffs, murders, killings, and a fantastic respect for human power. One of the things that unites people without regard to any personal issue is money, crime, greed, revenge...all that. Hate to remind all of us followers of Jesus that the way is narrow and the gate is slim that leads to life. Few are they that find it. In the end, though, despite my pompous and dire attitude, the John Wick series is fun, engaging, never boring, and full of glamour, world travel, exotic weapons, odd but attractive people, and an unfortunate fatalism that give no hope for a just society nor for ordinary, weak and helpless people.
I think the intended meaning was probably surface level, but I think the emergent meaning for me at least, would probably be willpower in memory of those we've lost. Carrying on for them and fighting those that wrong you and their legacy. The dog isn't just a dog, it's Helen's legacy, it's her final gift to John and they smothered it, so he is fighting against the destruction of that legacy
I love this, not because I agree 100%, but because just like you I think the intended meaning is surface level. But they built a world that is enough empathic and complex, and so immersive, that anyone of us can find a meaning in it. Might not be the intended meaning and might vary from watcher to watcher, but everyone has the opportunity to come out of this movie with a take on a meaning because the movie makes enough room for it.
the thing is yes. it's just an action movie. but these thoughts and ideas are directly connected to it. in the end the action movie is a piece of art which people can take different ideas and meanings from. That's why art is amazing. there's never just one way to enjoy it
Your conclusion about finding a reason to go on even when everything is crashing down on you is super relatable, and in all honesty, it's one of those kinds of stories that I think many of us end up trying to tell in our own ways. Myself included. Where John has to fight and kill to keep pushing forward, in my own work, a character very much like John* endures not only the loss of love, an event that for his kind, will almost certainly kill the other partner in the process, but also the loss of friends through his decisions and actions. *To clarify, he's like John in that he's a very experienced killer and has an almost mythological reputation. The difference is that he's a military leader, and the story also explores action and consequence from the perspective of someone who often has to send others into dangerous situations, knowing full well that they may not get out of it alive, and how this starts to weigh on him, changing him over time.
This franchise came out in a difficult part of my life shown to me by one of the many loved ones I would lose in the years to come and I had to sit through the end of it without him. John wick taught me a better way to deal with my grief to keep living to remember the love and memories I had with the loved ones I had lost thank you Keanu thank you John.
I think you got to the essence of why John Wick is so effective. In a beautiful yet dark world that at times seems simple yet also complex; there is ultimately opportunity for the viewer to derive their own meaning.
I'm excited to see what you say about John wick 4, I thought the story was extremely strong and that was the first movie in the series where I felt like there was some deeper themes that really touched me.
Same here. I love the franchise but often felt lost trying to keep track of theme and the continously growing world. With 4, I feel like both the movies and I have gotten to a point where we can connect all over again and I am so happy about that
If you kill the wife it's just another action/revenge flick. With the car and dog thing, they take all he has left after her death. Remember, she gifted him the puppy after her demise.
I just realized the representation of the dogs in these movies. John's dogs are both just for him to love but everyone else's are there to help them kill someone.
To me, John Wick has a very simple and straightforward meaning. I love Keanu Reeves as a person and an actor. I am very pleased when I see him getting to work. He is just such a likable individual that you can't help to love what he does if you are into what he does.
I felt that when I watch "Man of Tai Chi", a film which seems to have gone completely under erryone's radar. It was a simple story that worked well, and was a great choice for a first time director. Behind it all, I felt the passion behind makin' it "just work". Not the best film ever by any stretch, but underrated regardless imo.
I watched all of these films with my best friend and I was worried I was gonna see the new one with him because we don't live in the same city anymore. But I took the road trip and got to see it with them.
18:58, Consequence and the imprisoning cycle of violence is the closest we get to a running theme for this franchise. John becoming trapped in an endless slew of rampages, which not only cost him and his victims, but his allies as well. Making an enemy of the entire criminal underworld leads to nothing but suffering on all sides and the only thing that stops war and chaos from engulfing this underworld ultimately ends up being John’s death.
This franchise is amazing and you did it justice and I agree that the franchise has meaning. It wasn’t the about the dog but what the dog represented. The gift from Helen was hope after love.
i think you've helped me fill the emptiness i was feeling after watching john wick chapter 4 - and in process equipped me with another lens to look art through - feels like a revelation right now - thank you, very much, very much
THANK YOU. Everyone dumps on the sequels especially for a lack of “story”. I dare say not. The story of John Wick isn’t one where the plot compels the characters. The CHARACTERS compel the PLOT. It’s about cause and consequence, a challenge of the idea of FATE, if it exists and if it truly runs all we know. John Wick is not only the victim of consequence, but at times the cause of severe consequences for himself and those around him, even if we know we’d perhaps do the same. It’s pure commentary on the human condition, which just so happens to be the most kickass franchise I think I’ve ever seen.
Awesome vid man. After watching John wick 4 I could honestly say johns meaning is to find happiness and freedom. His wife Helen always wanted John to be happy and move forward. In it if itself even if he lost everything he clung to a life worth having a life with happiness. His passion and strong desire to survive is a testament to his will and single minded idea of being a loving husband. That is the meaning to me of John as a whole.
Mate your video essays are genuinely some of the best on the platform, I find a lot of content creators just repeat and drag out points that are fairly obvious to begin with, you really put a lot of effort to effectively convey interesting messages in an engaging way, keep it up man
John Wick's characterisation, to me, is very reminiscent of Max Payne in his trilogy of games. In Max Payne 3 (2012) especially, Max's life is a haze. He's totally out of his element in a city completely foreign to him and he struggles to piece together the scattered shards of his psyche. His overriding emotions are grief and pain, years out from a formative tragedy. Moments blur together and he's going through the worst hangover of his life, every day. When he gets his hands on a gun, however, his head clears and his eyes focus in. He blocks out the grief and sucks down the pain because he gets into a flow state. The only time he can think straight is when he's fighting for his life. Violence is the only language he understands.
Movies with Mikey suggested it was the trials and tribulations of the Greek Gods - I loved that reading of what I consider a very simple story wrapped in epic world building ❤
With every video, I get more vindicated for subscribing to your channel. As an aspiring writing, your videos are gold mines and I will always recommend them to anyone. Great work!!! I didn't even notice the certainty or lack thereof in John Wicks action vs people skills. I just thought it was to hide Keanu's limitations but the hearing you put the contrast, it almost feels like a conscious effort to do it that way and right for an assassin. Like Rouroni Kenshin in Trust and Betrayal OVA. Difficulty in talking but once the sword is in hand, everything becomes simple. Also, the part five, I did find that weird. Zero not killing John everytime he had the chance. You just blew me away with this perspective. Honestly, how do we miss this things writer and directors are trying to convey? Or is it a happy accident? It sure doesn't feel like it. Again great work. This movie has now taken a whole new meaning for me and it was well up there in my head but now...wow. it truly is an allegory on action and consequences. Hope I'm using that right
Thank you. Your exegesis on Meaning helped me to realise something I've Almost (but not quite) understood for decades. Something I've turned over & over in my head countless times. With your critique the tumblers fell neatly into place, the locked snapped open and the answer -- which was obvious -- became suddenly evident. Thank you! Best wishes.
John Wick also just looks like a regular guy. He’s not jacked and in amazing shape for his age and even when he fights you can clearly see he moves and runs like an older guy. It really was the perfect storm. The right actor, at the right age, with the right director etc, etc.
The W this video earned stands for Wick. Big thanks for the great content about my favorite action franchise - for the mix of entertainment and the meaning it can hold.
As always, this is a brilliant video and I thank you for it!!! Until this past weekend, I had never seen any of the John Wick movies (not what I usually like). And though I don't like animals At All, and don't like movies that are super violent without reason, I found three of the JW movies to be touching in a way. The first, second and fourth John Wick movies were compelling to me. Parabellum, the third movie, was boring in many spots, but still, I got it. And it was the *HOPE* that drew me in. Daisy, the first dog, wasn't "just" a dog. She was his last tie to hope, and to the life he fought so hard to have outside of The Table. Removing Daisy meant blowing up John's last sanctuary from the life he wanted to leave. I understand that. Now, clearly these types of movies aren't my usual thing because the second movie Blew My Mind when I saw *The Chairman from Iron Chef* as *ZERO.* I had no idea he was a badass action movie hero/villain!!! And I didn't see him as trying to be comedic in his interactions with John. I saw it more as Zero truly savoring every moment of what he thought would be an ultimate victory against *THE* John Wick, which would make HIM *THE Zero.* Like a marvelous plate of food, you don't rush to consume it; you savor every bite, analyzing the flavor; experiencing it in total. That's what Zero did when fighting John. Unfortunately, in that savoring, he miscalculated and John choked him with it. 🤣😂😆😅😉
27:19 the script and voicework here is so good. the way it flows and the illustration created through your words. a stupid smile lands on my face everytime i hear this part
For me, John Wick is about the consistent breaking of dams. The dams certainly aren't stable, so them staying up is certainly out of the question. The real question is: How many breaks can you handle before being taken over by everything that rushes in?
Chad explicitly said John Wick 4 was "about consequences", and it's probably not a coincidence that the trailer for John Wick 3 has a cover of "The Impossible Dream" as a backing track for it considering that you picked up on the "hope" angle. I always knew these themes were there but for me I always appreciated John Wick as a series not for it's plot or deeper meaning but for the sheer creativity that goes into it's choreography and worldbuilding (I consider worldbuilding a separate category than "plot"); The last action series that hit a high on those two things anywhere close to this peak in my opinion is an internet animation series called Madness Combat.
My beloved mother had recently died, in our home. I was devastated and in mourning. I was a school teacher and former nun. But I love Keanu Reeves and saw him during my youth as Johnny Utah in Point Break, in SPEED with Sandra Bullock, with George Carlin in Bill & Ted and in the several INDEPENDENT FILMS he made in the 1990s even the one he made with the late River Phoenix where he played a gay hustler in a modern Shakespeare production......SO I WENT TO SEE JOHN WICK. I cried with him and felt his pain. It was cathartic for me as I grit my teeth, hid behind my hands yet cheered for him to kill the bastards who took away his last chances for Hope and Love. I felt such joy at the end because I thought he was going to die; but when he pushed his battered, bloody body up and saved not only himself but that caged animal that symbolized John Wick's inner badass dog (as opposed to the sweet delicate yet brave puppy who represented his wife/retirement)--- I experienced a weird feeling of connection with the character. Sometimes, you have to find the PAINFUL COURAGE TO KEEP LIVING even when your mind and body have every reason to GIVE UP. John knew that his wife wouldn't want him to stop fighting to live. I was suicidal for a long time but John Wick actually helped me in a weird, probably inappropriate way. But I don't care. Its been years now since the 1st film. I'm STILL breathing and sometimes I even manage to smile and have good days. Full Disclosure: I'm a cat person. LOL, But I totally get Wick's Dog Issues. It's not the type of animal but what that pet , THAT PRECIOUS LIFE, represents to the individual. THANK YOU, for this video essay. Bless You, from a disgraced old excommunicated nun & school teacher who watches bloody, violent action films because they have meaning TO ME. Plus, the Bible is pretty vicious, bloody, intense and filled with heroes, villains, ghosts, demons and avenging angels. John Wick is ALL in ONE! How can you not LOVE him?!?!?!
To me the entire franchise is about how both love and the void love leaves in us when it's unfairly taken from us can bring us to rip and tear our way through overwhelming adversity. For John that adversity just so happens to be the criminal underworld, and the ripping and tearing is quite literal. To me, John doesn't go after all the people he does because he hates them for the very act of killing the dog, he goes after them because the dog was proof of his wife's love for him even in death and he believes that's the only way to prove to her, and to himself as well, that his love for her is stronger than the same force of death that he has become a master over. And it's that same love that, despite him being extremely awkward and kinda unassuming outside of his work as an assassin, allows him to still form meaningful connections with people when it feels as though the entire world is against him (and it pretty much is). To the people he's fighting, John seems like a merciless emissary of death with a black oozing aura of the inevitable surrounding him. To the viewer, you can feel how truly and deeply he loves his late wife in every punch, every kick, every bullet. To me, John Wick is a man of focus, commitment, and sheer fucking will. But he's also a man of undying love, and he'll pile up enough bodies to climb his way into heaven to prove it
The dog is not only the last gift from his wife, it is also the only drop of pure innocence that John has had since his wife. By the time that dog died, there was nothing left for John. Only pure anger and revenge fueled this man. That's why the dog is a perfect choice and that's why John decides to bring down the whole table because the only way to achieve peace is to end that organization or die.
I know these comments are a dime a dozen, but it seriously baffles me that a channel that consistently puts out 30+ minute fantastic content monthly hasn’t blown up entirely yet. It’s a long game you’re in my friend, but we’re all here for it so keep being amazing!
John Wick is about a killer’s redemption. I think the average man who would shoot someone would shoot someone for breaking into his house, but the dragging of other people’s lives into the criminal underworld was sort of expected
I loved this video. I just finished watching John Wick 3 for the first time and I really enjoyed your essay and your interpretation. I’m so excited for watching the 4th film
Excellent work! I must say, I didn't see the layer you found in chapter 3, but it's clearly there. In a world built on mutual support solely as a consequence of self-interest or obligation, John is utterly alone. But he's not alone, because everyone he appeals to, these are people he once chose to care about. Care occasions no obligation to care back. It means more than obligation, because it's a gift. So everyone who helps him does so out of choice, not obligation. Here's an interesting thought going forward, now we've seen chapter 4, and ostensibly, John's death. I think it's clear to everyone John isn't dead. After all, he's the man you send to kill the bogeyman. And he hasn't done that yet. Because the real bogeyman, the ultimate bogeyman of this world, is the high table itself. It's the source of the nightmare world that won't let John go, the force everyone lives in fear of, and stands beyond retribution. John's not done till the high table is broken.
I think John's arc is pretty definitively over. I do think that there is a potential story to be told about bringing down the High Table, but I think, if they want to both continue the themes set up so far, and also escalate the action, it would pretty much have to be an ensemble effort.
My favourite part of John Wick 1 is that it took a genre that was getting stale and subverted a lot of tropes of modern action without majorly changing the formula. Instead of the hero reacting to tragedy, the tragedy already happened, and instead, the villain took away their recovery. The hero villain dynamic is flipped on its head. It's not up to the hero to rise to the occasion. Survival is the villains challenge. The dialogue reflects that it isn't the villains' skill that is hyped up. The scene that shows the villains' ruthlessness shows that they fear the hero.
But he IS reacting to tragedy though. A tragedy literally happens on-screen with Daisy being murdered. The rest of the entire film is based on his reaction to that tragedy
Great video! Amd not to oversimplify any of this but towards the end as you are talking about what all of this means to you, it made me think of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy when the supercomputer gives that one civilization its answer about the meaning of life, "...42 or whatever you want it to be."
Another amazing video, though by the end I was surprised you hadn't mentioned much regarding the concept of Death of the Author. Meaning in an artwork or piece of media being not solely dependent on how the author, writer, director intended it be interpreted. Or rather, the way a piece of media's meaning was intended, is no less valid than that of any given consumer of that piece of media, or what it means to them. Finding meaning in something should never merely be dismissed as simply 'looking to deep' into it. Like you said at the tail end of your video, looking for meaning in something, to help verbalize feelings or emotions left otherwise undescribed and voiceless, is worth that effort. Whether its to simply be popcorn entertainment, a distraction from the world around us, or a more personal, introspective look at an otherwise 'simple' story written for the sole purpose of providing that aforementioned distraction. One notion I've come to realize is that there's generally a sentiment that to have meaning, a piece of art/media needs to appear 'smart' or to some degree, intend to give that appearance. Like with John Wick, it might not have the most obvious, or spoon fed meaning behind its choice, as you said, they could have simply killed the wife and it all would have made sense, but whether it was intentional or not, meant to have meaning or simply be the butt end of a joke, it doesn't really matter so long as there is meaning ot be found in such a choice by someone like you.
I think the reason everyone we see in the movies is apart of the underworld, is because that's all John sees. He can't see the people just going about their lives - It's kinda like, if you're apart of a specific group you'll continue to see them everywhere when others who aren't apart of your group would look passed them. For example, motorbike riders. Those who know someone/are a motorbike rider are far more likely to pay actual attention to how many motorbike riders are on the road. Others see them, sure, but they don't pay any real attention to them. They look passed them and forget about them. But if you're apart of that group, you notice how many bikers you see. You may even wave at them. John only sees the assassins and the underworld because that's his group - and the 'normal' people aren't apart of it, so he looks passed them. He doesn't remember them. He sees them, but doesn't think about it. It's like trees on the side of the road - if you're used to seeing them, they'll blend into the background. You'll walk around the tree, but you won't remember the tree later. I don't know if any of this made any sense, but hopefully it did.
John Wick is a thrilling action series with great characters and themes that keep me coming back for more. Hi, I'm a new viewer and your video was so intriguing, I subscribed. Goodnight.
This is important, very important. So important we decided to convene a panel of experts and our overwhelming consensus on the meaning and purpose behind the John Wick franchise is to entertain. (And make a bit of money too!)
*One analogy I came up with John and his wife and Daisy, is that sometimes you got a heartbreak and decides that you ain't gonna live again, that the ache is too painful to bare, but without trying you learn to love again, so this time you're fighting anybody who dares to stand in the way of your love*
I've always wondered what John Wick's favorite piece of media was. All I really know is that he loves reading and literature, similar to Keanu Reeves himself. But I've always wondered like... what kind of stuff does he like? What's his favorite ice cream flavor? Is he more of a winter or summer person? Who is he outside of being an assassin?
First video I’ve seen from you and wow. I never comment on videos, especially not of this style, but this was a great watch. You earned a subscriber and I’m looking forward to seeing what videos come next!
Don,t let,s be "told" what you feel about a film......if it gets to me ,moves me , speaks to me...then did it rise into the lofty hights of my personal Bluray collection....then it,s all needs to be said.
Some of us have lives filled with rage and disappointments followed by more rage and only some honestly want a better life but is unsure if it's anything after. Some of us do get a symbol of hope and a better future but the chaotic world around us refuses to let us live in peace, if true peace truly exists. It's a few great meanings in John Wick and that's another reason it's an instant classic.
No cap, the dog dying hit me so hard as a kid that i decide to skip the scene when i rewatch the movie, doing this repeatedly also build up my "fear" of that scene. its the same as when youre replaying a game and you get to a spot that scared you as a kid, even though youre older now you still get this uncomfortable feeling. for example when Anne opens the gate in king kong and the natives stand in front of you, oh boy yall should give King kong for ps 2 xbox 360 pc and gamecube a chance
No matter how much I watched John Wick series, I still have the thirst to watch more. And I think it's because there are so many I still don't understand about John's world.
Yes. John is a biblical name, the name of two important new testament saints, and Wick can mean the thread of a candle that leads the flame through the wax fuel, or could be derived from the Latin word for small town or the Viking word for market.
I always enjoyed how the phrase "under the table" has a double meaning in this franchise. It explicitly means that you serve in that world UNDER the High Table. They are above everything, and everything in that world is in service to them. But it also still has its original colloquial meaning of doing shady shit. It's a criminal underworld that keeps its presence and actions explicitly hidden from public view. It does things that are explicitly illegal, but then also uses other illegal means to bypass that fact. Everything that everyone does in that world, is "under the table". No public oversight, no taxes, no nothing. Everything is under the table...because the High Table is above it all, and because everything everyone does in that world is shady fuckin shit. It's such a small thing...but it's one of my favorite aspects of the franchise.
To me, i think it would means the deeper you fall into the abyss. The more you cant escape. The only way out is being killed or put a gun to your head, which runs through his mind many times. Thats why i think coming up with a backstory of john.
PATREON: www.patreon.com/storystreet
INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/storystreets/
A correction: I refer to the Adjudicator in this video with she/her pronouns when the character is actually non-binary with they/them pronouns. I apologize for that.
Engagement Question: What did you think about John Wick Chapter 4? Considering how I think John Wick 3 is like 20 minutes longer than it needs to be, I thought I would have similar thoughts on 4. But nah. It's kind of incredible, actually, and I think I'm going to try and make a full video on it alone later this year.
And as always, thanks for watching the video! I hope it meant something to you.
🤣omg i think you hit the nail on the head when it come to his acting
but in one and two he had moment were you can see this angry boiling just under the skin
when he was tied up in one and in two when he goes to the bank to get some stuff
after the high table guy blew up his house also in one they said what the impossible task was
kill all of the mob enemies
I couldn't care less to that woman pronouns. Great video tho.
yee but it's 100% fine to refer to someone by their sex rather than what arbitrary "gender" they identify themselves as
Proper english would be thee/thou for singular gender-neutral pronouns. Using a plural is generally reserved where the person represents more than just themselves, such as royalty.
@@dracos24 lmao while i think gender specials are ridiculous, trying to say that "they" is only ever to be used for a plural is just plain wrong.
The meaning of the John Wick films boils down to this: Don't kill puppies given to awesome assassins by their dying wives.
Just generally dont kill puppies
@@ShadowLegend300 but... what if I'm hungry?
@@ShadowLegend300 but… what if I’m Chinese?
@@Markovagyokhello chinerrr
@@callmepsycho3132
Then wait for the puppy to grow up.
Only a monster would kill a puppy.
I like how you intentionally tackled an action franchise knowing it's going to be difficult since the "meaning" isn't as explicit relative to non-action films.
In Chapter 4 I came to a realization - that stairway ascent is the most badass Sisyphean thing I've seen in quite sometime, it REALLY encapsulates John's character if you think about it, a man of focus, commitment and sheer will is emphasized by the relentless climb and pursuit of a goal by reaching the top of those steps. The beautiful simplicity of the scene not only serves the action, it serves the story and the character as well, cause when he falls all the way down, that's not just a cool stunt, that's the character's descent back into the life he abandoned personified by the fall, from the first film onwards he has slowly been returning to the "pond" he swore he'd leave and the stairs are a visual metaphor of how hard it is to leave that life behind (ascend) and how easy it is to fall back into it (descend).... It also neatly ties into the overall friendship thematic of Chapter 4 (something that a lot of Heroic Bloodshed films from Hong Kong cinema also had, which I'm sure is no coincidence with Donnie's character and Stahelski's influences) but just like how Marcus aided John in the first film, saving his life and giving him the opportunity to rise back up and progress, Caine's character in 4 even more directly does the same, visually helping him rise and overcome the stairs, so for the first time in a while John has legitimate allies that help him in the form of Koji, Bowery King, Winston and Caine who aren't necessarily indebted to him by markers or any external ties but rather help him because he's a genuine compadre and in giving back to them, freeing all of them from the table, he, just like Marcus and Koji before him gives his life to free theirs.... it's just.... it's just really beautiful and dope 🥺😭😎👊 JW 4 rocks !
Great analysis 😮😃😎
Other people saw that scene as a needless add-on for John Wick 4, I don't think so, I saw it as a reference to Dante's Divine Comedy stairway to heaven, similar to how Dante must ascend the stairway to heaven to become one with his wife again, John must do the same, in short, John Wick 4 is the final arc, 2 set it all off and 3rd created the changes needed in the 4th, it's the most amazing franchise out there.
@@UnknownOps Absolutely there are a lot of Divine Comedy mantras and influences in JW 3 and 4 in particular, 3 has the line "the road to paradise begins in hell" by the Ruska Roma director as well as the scene in the New York Public Library where Ernest the Giant approaches John quoting Dante and 4 has the staircase being similar to the ascent from hell as well as Bowery King's introductory monologue at the start.
I saw a video talking about the club scene in chapter 4 as johns “rebirth” The water represents John being cleansed and a shift in his characters journey. He is no longer just fighting for his wife’s memory but fighting for others that the table has oppressed, not just the Ruska Roma but the Bowery king, winston and all the friends he made along his journey. Like the marquis says John wick is an idea, he is the face of everything the table hates, disobedience and freedom and John in that moment is embracing that idea even if his intentions were purely self centred originally
@@UnknownOps Plato had a cave, and you had to climb your way out. It's easier when someone helps you do that. At the top, there is only the sun, for the first time.
I always saw John Wick more as a lesson to never give up rather than a lesson on revenge and consequences.
John goes through so much in all of these films, but he never gives up, despite having lost everything, there's still always hope.
And because of his stubbornness he not only ended up dying but also having many of his friends killed.
@@yiledute he didnt die lol
john wick 5 was confirmed. also there are no friends in the assassin world, only favors.
@@EIZENSTEIN. we only know that it has been confirmed. Nothing says that it's a sequel.
But there isn’t always hope….
@@EIZENSTEIN. John is confirmed dead
Honestly, I'm surprised you didn't talk more about the Ruska Roma and how they open the door to a theme of community within John Wick 3. From the doctor telling John how to save himself after time is up, to the Director tearing John's ticket, to Sofia honoring their marker and Winston's threat of "We are New York City", a big theme of John Wick 3 isn't just opposing authority but about how that must be done communally, how we need the help of others to go against the world.
I have been waiting for this comment and I couldn't have said it any better.
4 really doubled down on this, he's constantly fighting with an ally at his side and people are making sacrifices all over the place to help each other fight against The Table.
A quote that stuck with me from John Wick 4 is what Koji said: "friendship is meaningless if it's convenient." If there's a lesson I learned from the series is the power of being a trustworthy friend whom you can rely on no matter how difficult things get. You'll come to find that there are friends who will be there to help you when you're at your lowest point, whereas there will also be friends who will run away if the going gets tough.
Being a person of your word who follows through on the promises you make is an extremely powerful quality, as well as one who honors agreements no matter what.
When Cassian tells John "you're not having a good night are you John?", I laughed. When we are introduced to the mirror sequence, I thought "this is beautiful". When John killed Santino, I audibly gasped. When John started running away, only to see everyone looking back up at him as they received text messages, I felt dread. When I watched the knife fight I thought "this is so cool". These movies do such an amazing job at getting me to be active with them...so many peoples do JUST ENOUGH to keep my attention but not many movies succeed in constantly drawing an emotion out of every scene as well as John Wick. So I get very tired and annoyed when some snob says "its shallow" or "it does not mean anything" because all I think is these movies mean more to me than most.
Zero and his students were not ment to be seen as a joke. He was a highly skilled killer who greatly admired John Wick. His students kept letting John get back up because they deeply respected him
Those dudes were true bros and I was glad John let them live.
Shame Zero died, he really did seem like he could’ve been a good friend but at least he died to his idol.
Super underrated, guy just popped up in my recommended and blew me away with how high quality this short-documentry was. You’ve earned my subscription!
if you haven’t already and have the time check out his planet of the apes videos they are amazing
Like the previous comment said, the Planet of the Apes videos are incredible, but I honestly think this channel is one of the few where every video is top notch. Favorite TH-cam channel by far!!!
Same, so glad TH-cam recommended this channel to me
The part where you talked about Zero made me actually shed a tear.
Bravo StoryStreet, Bravo...
Every shot in John Wick could be a poster on your wall . The aesthetics are beautiful
John Wick is the hero for me and all of my fellow introverts out there. Really awkward and uncomfortable in most social interactions, but extremely confident and focused whenever doing what he knows best.
"It may be just another action movie. But surely you learn by now, that for every action there is... a consequence." Oooooooo!
My favorite thing about the dialogue (specifically in 4) is how characters have a very strong structure in how they speak. They all speak in these aphorisms that a less competent writer, director, performer, etc. would be groan-inducing and tiring.
Those who cling to death live.
Those who cling to life, die.
How is your daughter? -- Alive.
And yours? -- Well.
A good death only comes after a good life.
You and I left a good life behind a long time ago.
Yes, odd because the original screen writer and story was moved aside for #4. I'm surprised that after four iterations the results are not entirely absurd and wearing thin. Of course, in a way they are, ie, wearing thin and absurd. And of course, the world in a world that he inhabits is not our world.
@@jacquestaulard3088 IMO if you look at the writing credits up until Wick and after it definitely looks like Kolstad struck gold by having Keanu, Chad, and David take on John Wick. I mean even looking at the original script to John Wick (originally titled Scorn, you can find it easily online) you can see how much of the tone was changed and improved, no shade to him but 2 & 3 really did lose the plot and to me didn't have any emotional weight which in turn makes the action less interesting even if it is bigger and bolder with each iteration.
@@TheDominitri Very insightful. The original script (I read it) was not only bland, but the 'retired' Wick was what? In his sixties? I am past my sixties and if I had to tangle with 13 men in a dark house...! The whole thing in Wick is the only work of a committee I know of that is successful.
Well, people who scare easily point to the Pilgrim's Society or the Committee of 300 or of the Kennedy Assassination as a committee job and, when looked at closely, are rife with bungling, stupidities and end in the old guys having to die not seeing the dream.
Wick is fun because of the sheer attractiveness of Keanu's acting, the careful choreography of the headshots, and so on,
But, it is still a-musement. 'Amuse' is "from Old French amuser "fool, tease, hoax, entrap; make fun of," literally "cause to muse" (as a distraction)"
Nothing in Wick is different in substance from other cliffhangers.
BUT Wick has a strong emotional drive NOT vengeance per se, and it is set in a sub-wrold - underworld really - of wealth, glamour, music, strict discipline, and existential predetoriness (is that a word?) which the criminal underclass takes such pride in. The crimes and waste of resources these High Table people extract from the general pubic are massive and irreversible, even unrecoverable.
Yet, 'they' have their problems too - one man who broke the 'rules' and has to be roped in like the savage his is - toward them. They do not have rules, really, only expedients, based on blood oaths and a twisted sense of honor. None of the big shots do their own dirty work. They grab orphans or breed via family blood their own killers, liars, hustlers, magicians, talker and con men, chemists, extortioners, embezzlers, pedos, and a variety of useful monsters. Wick, made extremely attractive by the careful acting and direction of his friends, makes he viewer sympathetic with him, aided by a genuine respect for his proficiency, his suffering, and his obedience to the Rules.
The execution of the script was actually great, and scenes like Aurelio, or Viggo saying : "Oh...." or the shot showing WIck in the mirror behind Gianna..These men know how to tell a story. I am going to see #4 this week (after Easter) and will probably tire from an imbalance in action sequences, but that is the only way to go. We will never see the laconic John Wick philosophize nor become repentant, nor take that Cross seriously.
One real lesson to be learned and extremely well illustrated by Strahelski et al, is that this underworld coexists among and parallel to the 'real' world most of us live in. In Wick so far, there is no collateral damage. No civilians, no coroners, no cops, no witnesses, no judges, no innocents - even children are absent. Horses become weapons, books become weapons, weapons themselves become miracle tools in the hands of John. Everyone knows everyone in this setting, and the bit player criminals know the news. The 1930's -1950's ladies who use retro DOS screens and chalkboards are a great touch, as NO ladies would ever have been employed back then, covered with tattoos!
And for political correctness, the Director has no bias against sex, age, nationality, religion, color, language, attire, speech. Rather, the entire underworld is cemented by cash, blackmail, extortion, corruption, payoffs, murders, killings, and a fantastic respect for human power.
One of the things that unites people without regard to any personal issue is money, crime, greed, revenge...all that. Hate to remind all of us followers of Jesus that the way is narrow and the gate is slim that leads to life. Few are they that find it.
In the end, though, despite my pompous and dire attitude, the John Wick series is fun, engaging, never boring, and full of glamour, world travel, exotic weapons, odd but attractive people, and an unfortunate fatalism that give no hope for a just society nor for ordinary, weak and helpless people.
i still think its Neo from the matrix playing a Video game @@jacquestaulard3088
This is why I think you’re my favorite channel. You always bring a different dimension to stories I thought I already knew too well.
I think the intended meaning was probably surface level, but I think the emergent meaning for me at least, would probably be willpower in memory of those we've lost. Carrying on for them and fighting those that wrong you and their legacy. The dog isn't just a dog, it's Helen's legacy, it's her final gift to John and they smothered it, so he is fighting against the destruction of that legacy
I love this, not because I agree 100%, but because just like you I think the intended meaning is surface level. But they built a world that is enough empathic and complex, and so immersive, that anyone of us can find a meaning in it. Might not be the intended meaning and might vary from watcher to watcher, but everyone has the opportunity to come out of this movie with a take on a meaning because the movie makes enough room for it.
the thing is yes. it's just an action movie. but these thoughts and ideas are directly connected to it. in the end the action movie is a piece of art which people can take different ideas and meanings from. That's why art is amazing. there's never just one way to enjoy it
Your conclusion about finding a reason to go on even when everything is crashing down on you is super relatable, and in all honesty, it's one of those kinds of stories that I think many of us end up trying to tell in our own ways. Myself included. Where John has to fight and kill to keep pushing forward, in my own work, a character very much like John* endures not only the loss of love, an event that for his kind, will almost certainly kill the other partner in the process, but also the loss of friends through his decisions and actions.
*To clarify, he's like John in that he's a very experienced killer and has an almost mythological reputation. The difference is that he's a military leader, and the story also explores action and consequence from the perspective of someone who often has to send others into dangerous situations, knowing full well that they may not get out of it alive, and how this starts to weigh on him, changing him over time.
This franchise came out in a difficult part of my life shown to me by one of the many loved ones I would lose in the years to come and I had to sit through the end of it without him. John wick taught me a better way to deal with my grief to keep living to remember the love and memories I had with the loved ones I had lost thank you Keanu thank you John.
I'm a simple man. "They killed my dog" is plenty of reason to drop 77 bodies per movie.
I think you got to the essence of why John Wick is so effective. In a beautiful yet dark world that at times seems simple yet also complex; there is ultimately opportunity for the viewer to derive their own meaning.
I'm excited to see what you say about John wick 4, I thought the story was extremely strong and that was the first movie in the series where I felt like there was some deeper themes that really touched me.
Same here. I love the franchise but often felt lost trying to keep track of theme and the continously growing world. With 4, I feel like both the movies and I have gotten to a point where we can connect all over again and I am so happy about that
If you kill the wife it's just another action/revenge flick. With the car and dog thing, they take all he has left after her death. Remember, she gifted him the puppy after her demise.
The car was a gift from her as well. Double bad for the bad guys.
I just realized the representation of the dogs in these movies. John's dogs are both just for him to love but everyone else's are there to help them kill someone.
To me, John Wick has a very simple and straightforward meaning. I love Keanu Reeves as a person and an actor. I am very pleased when I see him getting to work. He is just such a likable individual that you can't help to love what he does if you are into what he does.
I felt that when I watch "Man of Tai Chi", a film which seems to have gone completely under erryone's radar. It was a simple story that worked well, and was a great choice for a first time director. Behind it all, I felt the passion behind makin' it "just work". Not the best film ever by any stretch, but underrated regardless imo.
I've always wanted to see a more proper story-related take on John Wick. Glad to see this!
John wick will always be associated to friendship for me. I've made friends and built relationships around enjoying these films.
I watched all of these films with my best friend and I was worried I was gonna see the new one with him because we don't live in the same city anymore. But I took the road trip and got to see it with them.
They should've add rule: "Cannot use marker against other member of the table" and this whole stuff would've been avoided
Is John Wick an Homage to Doom 2?
Wasn't the original Doomguy's rabbit named Daisy?
just amazing work. Loved these films to the max. but this vid makes me appreciate the Wick franchise even further beyond.
18:58, Consequence and the imprisoning cycle of violence is the closest we get to a running theme for this franchise. John becoming trapped in an endless slew of rampages, which not only cost him and his victims, but his allies as well. Making an enemy of the entire criminal underworld leads to nothing but suffering on all sides and the only thing that stops war and chaos from engulfing this underworld ultimately ends up being John’s death.
This franchise is amazing and you did it justice and I agree that the franchise has meaning. It wasn’t the about the dog but what the dog represented. The gift from Helen was hope after love.
i think you've helped me fill the emptiness i was feeling after watching john wick chapter 4 - and in process equipped me with another lens to look art through - feels like a revelation right now - thank you, very much, very much
THANK YOU.
Everyone dumps on the sequels especially for a lack of “story”. I dare say not.
The story of John Wick isn’t one where the plot compels the characters. The CHARACTERS compel the PLOT.
It’s about cause and consequence, a challenge of the idea of FATE, if it exists and if it truly runs all we know. John Wick is not only the victim of consequence, but at times the cause of severe consequences for himself and those around him, even if we know we’d perhaps do the same.
It’s pure commentary on the human condition, which just so happens to be the most kickass franchise I think I’ve ever seen.
Awesome vid man. After watching John wick 4 I could honestly say johns meaning is to find happiness and freedom. His wife Helen always wanted John to be happy and move forward. In it if itself even if he lost everything he clung to a life worth having a life with happiness. His passion and strong desire to survive is a testament to his will and single minded idea of being a loving husband. That is the meaning to me of John as a whole.
This might have been the best TH-cam video I've seen, thank you.
I actually prefer the story over the gun fights. Might seem weird. But.... It is what it is
Kinda agree. The worldbuilding & characters are really well thought out imo.
Or, you could say, "such is life"?
@@Comicbroe405 100%
Its called Lore
And no it's not weird, that's what makes a great film.
@@jetstreamdefalpha5411 Lore is why 2 and 3 were weaker.
I think it's about the lenghts we go through to avoid the pain and suffering the grief of losing someone , to avoid mourning
Another amazing film essay. This video provided me with far more insight into this franchise than I expected. Bravo!
Mate your video essays are genuinely some of the best on the platform, I find a lot of content creators just repeat and drag out points that are fairly obvious to begin with, you really put a lot of effort to effectively convey interesting messages in an engaging way, keep it up man
Winston: When will you learn? When will you learn that your actions have consequences!
Gonna be honest I really love the story and characters, the action is just the icing on the cake.
This was exceedingly well done. Thank You for the video.
Always loved these films for the action, and the story
Thanks for another amazing video storystreet!
John Wick's characterisation, to me, is very reminiscent of Max Payne in his trilogy of games. In Max Payne 3 (2012) especially, Max's life is a haze. He's totally out of his element in a city completely foreign to him and he struggles to piece together the scattered shards of his psyche. His overriding emotions are grief and pain, years out from a formative tragedy. Moments blur together and he's going through the worst hangover of his life, every day.
When he gets his hands on a gun, however, his head clears and his eyes focus in. He blocks out the grief and sucks down the pain because he gets into a flow state. The only time he can think straight is when he's fighting for his life. Violence is the only language he understands.
I love how all of john wick two Santino is always trying to monolog over and over and he's cut off and shut down every time. It's really funny to me.
Movies with Mikey suggested it was the trials and tribulations of the Greek Gods - I loved that reading of what I consider a very simple story wrapped in epic world building ❤
With every video, I get more vindicated for subscribing to your channel. As an aspiring writing, your videos are gold mines and I will always recommend them to anyone. Great work!!! I didn't even notice the certainty or lack thereof in John Wicks action vs people skills. I just thought it was to hide Keanu's limitations but the hearing you put the contrast, it almost feels like a conscious effort to do it that way and right for an assassin. Like Rouroni Kenshin in Trust and Betrayal OVA. Difficulty in talking but once the sword is in hand, everything becomes simple.
Also, the part five, I did find that weird. Zero not killing John everytime he had the chance. You just blew me away with this perspective. Honestly, how do we miss this things writer and directors are trying to convey? Or is it a happy accident? It sure doesn't feel like it. Again great work.
This movie has now taken a whole new meaning for me and it was well up there in my head but now...wow. it truly is an allegory on action and consequences. Hope I'm using that right
Thank you. Your exegesis on Meaning helped me to realise something I've Almost (but not quite) understood for decades. Something I've turned over & over in my head countless times. With your critique the tumblers fell neatly into place, the locked snapped open and the answer -- which was obvious -- became suddenly evident. Thank you! Best wishes.
You are one of the best essayist I ever heard of
John Wick also just looks like a regular guy. He’s not jacked and in amazing shape for his age and even when he fights you can clearly see he moves and runs like an older guy.
It really was the perfect storm. The right actor, at the right age, with the right director etc, etc.
The W this video earned stands for Wick. Big thanks for the great content about my favorite action franchise - for the mix of entertainment and the meaning it can hold.
As always, this is a brilliant video and I thank you for it!!!
Until this past weekend, I had never seen any of the John Wick movies (not what I usually like). And though I don't like animals At All, and don't like movies that are super violent without reason, I found three of the JW movies to be touching in a way. The first, second and fourth John Wick movies were compelling to me. Parabellum, the third movie, was boring in many spots, but still, I got it. And it was the *HOPE* that drew me in. Daisy, the first dog, wasn't "just" a dog. She was his last tie to hope, and to the life he fought so hard to have outside of The Table. Removing Daisy meant blowing up John's last sanctuary from the life he wanted to leave. I understand that.
Now, clearly these types of movies aren't my usual thing because the second movie Blew My Mind when I saw *The Chairman from Iron Chef* as *ZERO.* I had no idea he was a badass action movie hero/villain!!! And I didn't see him as trying to be comedic in his interactions with John. I saw it more as Zero truly savoring every moment of what he thought would be an ultimate victory against *THE* John Wick, which would make HIM *THE Zero.* Like a marvelous plate of food, you don't rush to consume it; you savor every bite, analyzing the flavor; experiencing it in total. That's what Zero did when fighting John. Unfortunately, in that savoring, he miscalculated and John choked him with it. 🤣😂😆😅😉
27:19 the script and voicework here is so good. the way it flows and the illustration created through your words. a stupid smile lands on my face everytime i hear this part
For me, John Wick is about the consistent breaking of dams. The dams certainly aren't stable, so them staying up is certainly out of the question.
The real question is: How many breaks can you handle before being taken over by everything that rushes in?
I’m positive that in high school you the narrator got an A+ on your book report 😊. Well Done!!!!!👍 😊
Those ending statements are precisely how I've come to approach the media I consume, no matter the critical or public reception.
Chad explicitly said John Wick 4 was "about consequences", and it's probably not a coincidence that the trailer for John Wick 3 has a cover of "The Impossible Dream" as a backing track for it considering that you picked up on the "hope" angle.
I always knew these themes were there but for me I always appreciated John Wick as a series not for it's plot or deeper meaning but for the sheer creativity that goes into it's choreography and worldbuilding (I consider worldbuilding a separate category than "plot"); The last action series that hit a high on those two things anywhere close to this peak in my opinion is an internet animation series called Madness Combat.
My beloved mother had recently died, in our home. I was devastated and in mourning. I was a school teacher and former nun. But I love Keanu Reeves and saw him during my youth as Johnny Utah in Point Break, in SPEED with Sandra Bullock, with George Carlin in Bill & Ted and in the several INDEPENDENT FILMS he made in the 1990s even the one he made with the late River Phoenix where he played a gay hustler in a modern Shakespeare production......SO I WENT TO SEE JOHN WICK.
I cried with him and felt his pain. It was cathartic for me as I grit my teeth, hid behind my hands yet cheered for him to kill the bastards who took away his last chances for Hope and Love. I felt such joy at the end because I thought he was going to die; but when he pushed his battered, bloody body up and saved not only himself but that caged animal that symbolized John Wick's inner badass dog (as opposed to the sweet delicate yet brave puppy who represented his wife/retirement)--- I experienced a weird feeling of connection with the character.
Sometimes, you have to find the PAINFUL COURAGE TO KEEP LIVING even when your mind and body have every reason to GIVE UP. John knew that his wife wouldn't want him to stop fighting to live. I was suicidal for a long time but John Wick actually helped me in a weird, probably inappropriate way. But I don't care. Its been years now since the 1st film. I'm STILL breathing and sometimes I even manage to smile and have good days. Full Disclosure: I'm a cat person. LOL, But I totally get Wick's Dog Issues. It's not the type of animal but what that pet , THAT PRECIOUS LIFE, represents to the individual.
THANK YOU, for this video essay. Bless You, from a disgraced old excommunicated nun & school teacher who watches bloody, violent action films because they have meaning TO ME. Plus, the Bible is pretty vicious, bloody, intense and filled with heroes, villains, ghosts, demons and avenging angels. John Wick is ALL in ONE! How can you not LOVE him?!?!?!
To me the entire franchise is about how both love and the void love leaves in us when it's unfairly taken from us can bring us to rip and tear our way through overwhelming adversity. For John that adversity just so happens to be the criminal underworld, and the ripping and tearing is quite literal.
To me, John doesn't go after all the people he does because he hates them for the very act of killing the dog, he goes after them because the dog was proof of his wife's love for him even in death and he believes that's the only way to prove to her, and to himself as well, that his love for her is stronger than the same force of death that he has become a master over. And it's that same love that, despite him being extremely awkward and kinda unassuming outside of his work as an assassin, allows him to still form meaningful connections with people when it feels as though the entire world is against him (and it pretty much is). To the people he's fighting, John seems like a merciless emissary of death with a black oozing aura of the inevitable surrounding him. To the viewer, you can feel how truly and deeply he loves his late wife in every punch, every kick, every bullet.
To me, John Wick is a man of focus, commitment, and sheer fucking will. But he's also a man of undying love, and he'll pile up enough bodies to climb his way into heaven to prove it
The dog is not only the last gift from his wife, it is also the only drop of pure innocence that John has had since his wife. By the time that dog died, there was nothing left for John. Only pure anger and revenge fueled this man. That's why the dog is a perfect choice and that's why John decides to bring down the whole table because the only way to achieve peace is to end that organization or die.
I know these comments are a dime a dozen, but it seriously baffles me that a channel that consistently puts out 30+ minute fantastic content monthly hasn’t blown up entirely yet. It’s a long game you’re in my friend, but we’re all here for it so keep being amazing!
John Wick is about a killer’s redemption. I think the average man who would shoot someone would shoot someone for breaking into his house, but the dragging of other people’s lives into the criminal underworld was sort of expected
I loved this video. I just finished watching John Wick 3 for the first time and I really enjoyed your essay and your interpretation. I’m so excited for watching the 4th film
Excellent work! I must say, I didn't see the layer you found in chapter 3, but it's clearly there. In a world built on mutual support solely as a consequence of self-interest or obligation, John is utterly alone. But he's not alone, because everyone he appeals to, these are people he once chose to care about. Care occasions no obligation to care back. It means more than obligation, because it's a gift. So everyone who helps him does so out of choice, not obligation.
Here's an interesting thought going forward, now we've seen chapter 4, and ostensibly, John's death. I think it's clear to everyone John isn't dead. After all, he's the man you send to kill the bogeyman. And he hasn't done that yet. Because the real bogeyman, the ultimate bogeyman of this world, is the high table itself. It's the source of the nightmare world that won't let John go, the force everyone lives in fear of, and stands beyond retribution. John's not done till the high table is broken.
I think John's arc is pretty definitively over. I do think that there is a potential story to be told about bringing down the High Table, but I think, if they want to both continue the themes set up so far, and also escalate the action, it would pretty much have to be an ensemble effort.
@@davispeterson1876 You may be right, but I hope you're wrong. I feel like if that was the end of John Wick, it didn't take him far enough.
I thoroughly enjoyed this
My favourite part of John Wick 1 is that it took a genre that was getting stale and subverted a lot of tropes of modern action without majorly changing the formula.
Instead of the hero reacting to tragedy, the tragedy already happened, and instead, the villain took away their recovery.
The hero villain dynamic is flipped on its head. It's not up to the hero to rise to the occasion. Survival is the villains challenge. The dialogue reflects that it isn't the villains' skill that is hyped up. The scene that shows the villains' ruthlessness shows that they fear the hero.
But he IS reacting to tragedy though. A tragedy literally happens on-screen with Daisy being murdered. The rest of the entire film is based on his reaction to that tragedy
Great video!
Amd not to oversimplify any of this but towards the end as you are talking about what all of this means to you, it made me think of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy when the supercomputer gives that one civilization its answer about the meaning of life, "...42 or whatever you want it to be."
I'm happy to use what you said as my answer
This is a great video man. New subscriber!
My only regret is that i couldnt watch any one of them in theater.
This is the first time you ever popped up on my page and this video got me to sub. I'm excited to look at your other videos. This was masterful!
Another amazing video, though by the end I was surprised you hadn't mentioned much regarding the concept of Death of the Author. Meaning in an artwork or piece of media being not solely dependent on how the author, writer, director intended it be interpreted. Or rather, the way a piece of media's meaning was intended, is no less valid than that of any given consumer of that piece of media, or what it means to them.
Finding meaning in something should never merely be dismissed as simply 'looking to deep' into it. Like you said at the tail end of your video, looking for meaning in something, to help verbalize feelings or emotions left otherwise undescribed and voiceless, is worth that effort. Whether its to simply be popcorn entertainment, a distraction from the world around us, or a more personal, introspective look at an otherwise 'simple' story written for the sole purpose of providing that aforementioned distraction.
One notion I've come to realize is that there's generally a sentiment that to have meaning, a piece of art/media needs to appear 'smart' or to some degree, intend to give that appearance. Like with John Wick, it might not have the most obvious, or spoon fed meaning behind its choice, as you said, they could have simply killed the wife and it all would have made sense, but whether it was intentional or not, meant to have meaning or simply be the butt end of a joke, it doesn't really matter so long as there is meaning ot be found in such a choice by someone like you.
I would love to see storystreet analyze pacific rims, or real steels story.
This was incredibly well written. I thought it was just gonna be a typical over analyzing video essay but you made something phenomenal here.
I wonder if they every make a blood-pact to help them move a couch.
Agree fully! Stories have the meaning we give them, not what others do
Finally a good video essay,
you've earned a sub
The perfect example of a great movie analysis
have to agree, to me it was like an modern American samurai film or new version of the old westren, minu family wiped by bad guys to be different
I can't thank you enough for what you've made sentient through this video 🙏
I think the reason everyone we see in the movies is apart of the underworld, is because that's all John sees. He can't see the people just going about their lives - It's kinda like, if you're apart of a specific group you'll continue to see them everywhere when others who aren't apart of your group would look passed them.
For example, motorbike riders. Those who know someone/are a motorbike rider are far more likely to pay actual attention to how many motorbike riders are on the road. Others see them, sure, but they don't pay any real attention to them. They look passed them and forget about them. But if you're apart of that group, you notice how many bikers you see. You may even wave at them.
John only sees the assassins and the underworld because that's his group - and the 'normal' people aren't apart of it, so he looks passed them. He doesn't remember them. He sees them, but doesn't think about it.
It's like trees on the side of the road - if you're used to seeing them, they'll blend into the background. You'll walk around the tree, but you won't remember the tree later.
I don't know if any of this made any sense, but hopefully it did.
John Wick is a thrilling action series with great characters and themes that keep me coming back for more. Hi, I'm a new viewer and your video was so intriguing, I subscribed. Goodnight.
This is important, very important. So important we decided to convene a panel of experts and our overwhelming consensus on the meaning and purpose behind the John Wick franchise is to entertain. (And make a bit of money too!)
It means a good time at the theatre.
*One analogy I came up with John and his wife and Daisy, is that sometimes you got a heartbreak and decides that you ain't gonna live again, that the ache is too painful to bare, but without trying you learn to love again, so this time you're fighting anybody who dares to stand in the way of your love*
I've always wondered what John Wick's favorite piece of media was. All I really know is that he loves reading and literature, similar to Keanu Reeves himself. But I've always wondered like... what kind of stuff does he like? What's his favorite ice cream flavor? Is he more of a winter or summer person? Who is he outside of being an assassin?
First video I’ve seen from you and wow. I never comment on videos, especially not of this style, but this was a great watch. You earned a subscriber and I’m looking forward to seeing what videos come next!
Don,t let,s be "told" what you feel about a film......if it gets to me ,moves me , speaks to me...then did it rise into the lofty hights of my personal Bluray collection....then it,s all needs to be said.
MEANING : John Fights endless enemies in the name of his lost soulmate wife, because he has nothing left to live for. THE END.
Some of us have lives filled with rage and disappointments followed by more rage and only some honestly want a better life but is unsure if it's anything after. Some of us do get a symbol of hope and a better future but the chaotic world around us refuses to let us live in peace, if true peace truly exists. It's a few great meanings in John Wick and that's another reason it's an instant classic.
19:16 Moloch right here
You’re such a good essayist!
No cap, the dog dying hit me so hard as a kid that i decide to skip the scene when i rewatch the movie, doing this repeatedly also build up my "fear" of that scene. its the same as when youre replaying a game and you get to a spot that scared you as a kid, even though youre older now you still get this uncomfortable feeling. for example when Anne opens the gate in king kong and the natives stand in front of you, oh boy yall should give King kong for ps 2 xbox 360 pc and gamecube a chance
No matter how much I watched John Wick series, I still have the thirst to watch more. And I think it's because there are so many I still don't understand about John's world.
Yes. John is a biblical name, the name of two important new testament saints, and Wick can mean the thread of a candle that leads the flame through the wax fuel, or could be derived from the Latin word for small town or the Viking word for market.
I always enjoyed how the phrase "under the table" has a double meaning in this franchise.
It explicitly means that you serve in that world UNDER the High Table. They are above everything, and everything in that world is in service to them.
But it also still has its original colloquial meaning of doing shady shit. It's a criminal underworld that keeps its presence and actions explicitly hidden from public view. It does things that are explicitly illegal, but then also uses other illegal means to bypass that fact. Everything that everyone does in that world, is "under the table". No public oversight, no taxes, no nothing.
Everything is under the table...because the High Table is above it all, and because everything everyone does in that world is shady fuckin shit. It's such a small thing...but it's one of my favorite aspects of the franchise.
To me, i think it would means the deeper you fall into the abyss. The more you cant escape. The only way out is being killed or put a gun to your head, which runs through his mind many times.
Thats why i think coming up with a backstory of john.
10:58 he blows up 3 cars in the 3rd act of the first movie lol