Crazy that Keanu reinvented action movies twice.

And with Keanu doing his own stunts, any small imperfections from him not being a lifelong-trained fighter just helps sell the fact that Wick's been out of the game for a little while.

Glad it replaced Jason Bourne's multi-cut shaky cam approach.

Kingsman came out less than three months after John Wick, so it was almost certainly wrapped by the time John Wick hit theaters. I'd argue that they tackled the same problem from opposite sides. John Wick took the gritty, realistic action sequence and added stylistic flair, whereas Kingsman took the over-the-top, choreographed, effect-filled action sequence and grounded it with extreme violence and innovative use of environment and improvised weaponry. John Wick's camera feels like it might actually be held by a person in the scene, documenting the violence, and only cuts when its necessary to draw the viewer's attention to a detail, or when the current shot can no longer capture what it needs to. In contrast, Kingsman's camera (outside of the church scene) is frequently in impossible or unlikely positions, teleporting around with cuts that would be disorientating if they weren't so wide and the flow of action weren't so perfectly matched, making sure your eyes are always where they need to be in the next cut. The church scene is the closest Kingsman comes to John Wick, and I'd say it's nearly the same ethos at work. Few (obvious) cuts, chaotic, quick to use improvisational weaponry and the environment, and a focus on making sure the audience sees every single movement by every player involved. In fact, with a bit of lighting and music change, the only major distinguishing difference between the two would be Harry's more refined, gentlemanly approach to combat vs. John Wick's practical, dirty style... Which, now that I say that, anyone that's good at editing want to try swapping the two's style?

John Wick came at a time the action genre is extremely saturated with superheroes and fast-furious formula, it’s actually a miracle it became a success being a hard R Rated film with almost no jokes but full of grittiness and rawness. Actually a celebration to the Hong Kong thrillers (John Woo style) and still being a mainstream icon. Also Keanu has charisma Edit: is worth to mention how both filmmakers behind John Wick gained attention for more action packed Hollywood blockbusters, with David Leitch doing Atomic Blonde, Deadpool 2, Hobbs and Shaw (admit it, the fighting sequences were better than previous F&F entries) and now Bullet Train with Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock, also Chad Stahelski continued the trilogy (now 4 and 5 installments) and even saved Birds of Prey by reshooting the action and hand to hand choreographies)

Reminds me of Jackie Chan and the films he did from china. Those have a level of flair and finesse to the fights. Meanwhile the movies he did with Hollywood focused on a few set piece stunts plus the slapstick comedy. A Jackie Chan choreographed fight against an equally skilled stuntman is so much fun to watch.

Just like with The Matrix one secret is having your cast actually train and do most of the stunts, Keanu and Tom Cruise are just gifts to cinema. We need more like them.

8:13 This was what blew my mind the first time I watched John Wick. With fewer cuts, you can appreciate the fight choreography even more. This film started the trend back to longer shots, tighter choreography, and actors doing more stunt work. Even the way Wick handles firearms in the movies (although overly stylized and "hyper"-real), you can see the result of the training.

The directors had passion for action. So they actually tried harder and were creative rather than trying to copy another movie or another style

Equilibrium was my favorite ballet gun-fu action film, although it feels like most people have never heard of it. Was waiting for you to mention it here!

Nobody (2021) is a must-watch for any John Wick fan.

It’s crazy that Keanu films have literally changed how movies are made twice.

Equilibrium is a criminally underrated action movie that I recommend anyone into gunfu watch.

And the fact that Keanu can do what he does in these films in his 50’s, is just incredible. I have so much respect for him

Editing, cinematography and lighting were the best elements of wick.

I love this take, John Wick takes GunFu to a completely different level. Keanu Reeves spent a ton of time on city and building style gun ranges training in Close quarter Combat, a tried and true military fighting style that is actually used all over the world today, ALA Solid Snake. Taking THAT style and making it LIVE in the story is what makes John Wick a genre game changer like the Bourne movies or the Original Matrix with all the copy cats that followed.

Chad Stahelski was also Brandon Lee’s stunt double in The Crow, and stood in for him when they had to conclude filming after Lee was killed on-set

I'm huge fan of John Woo since I discovered The Killer (1989), A Better Tomorrow (1986), Hard Boiled (1992) and many more from his filmography as a teenager in the 90's, which I rented at the video store and now own in my movie collection, I just love his vision and style.

By holding the shots, and keeping the flow makes the whole scene seem coherent and turns the fights into story telling and not just shaky footage

You got it. The word "Intensity" alone speaks about all John Wick movies. The fact that Keanu did most of the stunt work himself draws people in. It adds authenticity. Keanue reinvented new action movie style twice: Matrix and John Wick. I have watched John Wick six times, John Wick 2 three times, and John Wick 3 three times. Am I tired of watching these movies yet? No. They are awesome movies.

@8:40 I also thought of John Wick as a B-(action)movie based on what I saw from the initial trailers before it came out and wasn't actually expecting it to be such a big hit at this magnitude, at least. Kind of like what happened with Neill Blomkamp's District 9, which I believe is what they call a "sleeper hit."

John Wick instantly became my favorite action movie the moment the fist shooting happened. It was just extremely good, not to mention the world building is incredible

Even in other “realistic action movies” you don’t see the things you do in John Wick like the realistic bullet count per gun, and actual tactical reloads throughout the movies.

By the way, Keanu Reeves himself goes out of his way to point out that he doesn't "do his own stunts". He says he does a lot of his action, but he gives credit to the stuntmen for the stunts.

One of the most beautiful things about the Wick series is that it IS a B movie, it's characters and "plot" are so cheesy/one dimensional, yet it still delivers the best action experience I've ever had with film.

The John Wick franchise is stunning. I also recommend watching Atomic Blonde, by the same creators.

What you call “Gun Fu” is what every special operations operator since 2003 has been using known as SOCP (Special Operations Combatives Program) in fact my cadre and I trained Mr. Reeves for the series, I be willing to do an interview as I am a fan of your channel.

The amount of attention Keanu gives se of his roles is just insane. I'm sure he could probably rival a lot of people in the military in marksmanship

This is officially my favorite video in all of KZfaq, thank you for this analysis.

I remember randomly seeing John Wick in the theater knowing nothing about it before that day. My buddy and I shit our pants over the initial house scene. Unreal. What an amazing moment to see in the theater for the first time.

What John Wick and the protagonists of John Woo's movies showed is that the hero is mortal.

The early fight scenes in 3 are absolutely stunning. They have their own sense of grounded reality, through the prior world-building, the infrequency of cuts, and the careful detail in stuff like how much ammo he has at any one time, and how can the current environment be used to do something fresher, and maybe somewhat funnier, also. That constant uniqueness the rise in absurdity brings pay-offs, rather than it taking you out of it. One thing I would say, though, is that the 'show, don't tell' stuff is only true to an extent. There is still plenty of exhaustive dialogue throughout each, but with each film, it's loosened its shackles and has, thankfully, detached itself from too much plot-heavy stuff. Hopefully #4 continues to improve on that.

I go to jimmy johns and missed the drop! Nice to hear familiar voices and damn this one hits every point! I loved it, thank you Nerdstalgic

I mean other than The Raid, I agree 100% 👍 My honorable mentions list The Professional Way Of The Gun Equilibrium The Punisher 2004 The Equalizer ( came out same year as JW ) Assassins All I would consider as good or better. Even the Bourne trilogy almost forgot Lmaooooo

Honestly it gives me a lot of old Jackie Chan films feel, with that fight rhythm and long takes with minimal cutaways! Great video!

Loved the video! Brought back some good memories of watching this movie for the first time, and how impressed I was seeing something so epic happening in front of me. Also, I have to say that I prefer your voice out of all that I have heard on this channel. You have such a passionate voice, that keeps me engaged and excited to hear what is next. Other than that, I am slightly surprised that you didn't cover Equilibrium, I think it would help illustrate more of the beauty of Action Films.

Why do people always wanna see people cry or have a rage scene or something to show that they’re good actors? I think Keanu did a great job with what he’s been given and that’s what goes for every actor or actresses who show any dedication toward their roles. I mean the interrogation scene in the first movie was really good and not at all wooden and even though others could’ve pulled it off, Keanu made it that I wouldn’t want anyone else to play this role. That’s what a good actor does, makes the role his own to a point he does just that, owns the role. Definitely underrated

If he doesn't mention "Equilibrium" than I'm out! Epitomy of Gun-Fu.

My favorite Gun fu film is Equilibrium.

the motorcycle sequence in John Wick Parabellum was influenced/inspired by the motorcycle sequence in the S. Korean film the Villainess.

Ha, there you have it. No weird cuts, deceitful angles, no shaky cam, no CGI. And the talent behind the film making with lots of expertise. That’s how you make a great movie.

I love this channel so much

Great video!

You should do a review of the South Korean Film: The Man From Nowhere. It was pretty much John Wick before John Wick

Extraction wasn't half bad in my opinion. But John Wick is the 🐐

I just wanted to say that I really enjoy your channel! I hope you have a great day

You posted this just as I dropped my phone

Owe that to Garrett Evans, Iko Uwais, and the Raid for Inspiring apart of thia Movie.

Great video. The movie is a game changer.

I've always been fascinated with all of the techniques and the various slight of hand points of making a movie. It must be incredibly difficult to come out with something amazing. The teams that create something special must have such a unique way of looking at things and probably see reality through a camera lens. Good job covering that, nerd.

Great video 👍

I think John Wick combined the excellent fighting we mostly know from classic martial arts movies with top-tier cinematography from hollywood which creates an exciting choreography to watch without bad slapstick humour. Due to Keanu's talent, they are able to incorporate the camera angles and movement way better into the scene because they're not busy hiding it in 20 cuts. It's just lovely to watch!

Thats the power of continuous shot

One movie very well worth mentioning is the Christain bale film “equilibrium”. They had the gun play element down pact and in the film it was called “gun kata”. Definitely worth a watch

Having actors perform their own stunts also shows more realism after the stunt… you can see that the character has adrenaline flowing through them… movies that use stunt doubles don’t have that (stunt happens and they are fit enough to run across new york twice without being exhausted). While the scenes where actors do their own stunt you can clearly tell their heart is pumping or they got hurt but are brushing it off to get the scene done.

I would love for the chance to see what it's like to film a John wick movie just to see all the love and passion that's poured into it

Also the Neon-Noir aesthetics of the movie are top notch

Great vid

Hollywood has mostly been really bad at adopting fight scenes (with the exception of a few), we could see breathtaking action scenes in foreign films like Indonesian, Korean, Taiwanese etc

When you said Gun-Fu I immediately went to Equilibrium, I totally forgot about John Woo. I love Hard Boiled.

If you talk about editing and action and need a good bad example: "Taken" fence jumping scene.

Another great look at gun fu happens in the movie equilibrium

Well, I think the action sequences in Extraction were also pretty awesome, right up there with The Matrix and John Wick, I would say.

WHO remembers EQUILIBRIUM.

Awesome video!! I was hoping you'd also include the Equilibrium movie with Christian Bale. Very important in this genre building. 👍🏻

Finally, YOUR actual VOICE is back for a video!

also, don't forget the movie "Equilibrium" with the in-universe "Gun-kata" , even more in detail in the last fight

Duuuuuuuuuuuuuuuddddeeeee. Nice video!

I have a feeling you've forgotten about the Gun-kata from the Christian Bale film, and dystopic classic, Equilibrium. Thanks for the videos, keep up the great work :)

Taught us not to mess with the baba yaga

@1:58 you can't call Atomic Blonde an imitation. It was directed David Leitch.

Perfected is a strong word

I'm surprised that I'm the only guy who wants to see the creators of John Wick do a GI Joe movie.

The huge advamtage John Wick has over other franchises is that Keanu is John. Keanu does almost all of his own stunts, trained hard to become a weapons expert and has been training in martial arts since the Matrix And of course, Keanu is a sweetie

Man From No where deserves a honorable mention.

I enjoy John Wick so much because I actually also practiced japanese jujitsu and recognise a lot of the moves used

I'm impressed.

john wick franchise and the raid 1 and 2 sets the bar so high for me in action genre. still sad there is no plan for the raid 3.

Can't wait for Matrix 4

Hey what happened to your INCREDIBLE editing tricks? I loved those

John Wick is my favorite movie of all time! Such a great movie with great action!

Love John Wick franchise can’t wait for John Wick 4

Just saw chapter 3 last night. The trilogy is perfect to me, an amazing set of films from the 2010's and i hope to see more of these.

Talking about Gun-Fu and *not* mentioning Equilibrium? The disrespect! Haha (good video though)

Equilibrium with Christian Bale was the first film I remember seeing with Gun-Fu

Can you please breakdown the raid? It is flat out badass

One can argue 'Equilibrium' did it, but only once and right at the end. Also you showed 'Kingsman' a really good movie in and of it's own. A little underrated really (the first movie), and that actually came out before John Wick, or around the same year.

One word: Equilibrium.

Nice analysis! I haven't enjoyed action films in years... either they're way over the top and ridiculous, and they feel like they're worshipping violent behavior. "That dude just did blew bad guys' heads off, then did a backflip and killed everyone, that's so badass!!". Or they're too realistic which usually makes them boring. Or too sad and horrible, nothing funny about real world gun violence. John Wick is entertaining. I gringed many times because the violence in it felt gruesome and awful, but at the same time I felt like I was watching fun, over-the-top action flick.

Agreed. Also what do u think of The Punisher 2004? Imo it's an underrated gem

Re-watching this tonight LOL

Well I always thought there is reason for which I sit down once or twice every year and watch John wick... 😌😌😌😌 now I know there is

It is so awesome for one action to start to do what most from his past and present can't. Make successful franchise movies. First, the Matrix and now John Wick, Keanu is the man!!

*Equilibrium has entered the chat*

cool!

Director Kurt Wimmer did it 2002s Equilibrium and 2006s Ultraviolet but he called it Gun Kata

Please do a break down of Hot Fuzz next please

The "Gun-Kata" in Equilibrium attempted this sort of thing and did it in shorter bursts though it went a little over the top. The lead characters name is even John and he's motivated to act, in part, by a dog. Fortunately we don't have to deal with the death of that particular dog. Just a bunch of humans. I still think it's an underrated gem in the pre John Wick action genre. Or shall we call it the "Johnre"? Probably not cause people will just think you can't spell and it looks weird.

I do agree with Chow Yun-Fat's rise came from working with John Woo but he was not recognized as a martial arts star as he never did martial arts to speak off. Rather he has an acting talent that stems from his modest beginnings. The reason why Chow and Gun Fu are synonymous to each other is John Woo's previous works in wuxia films that he input the martial skills to gunplay thus gun fu.

Speaking of John Woo, his movie Hardboiled got a video game sequel called Stranglehold. It's a Max Payne fan's fever dream.