The Spirituality of the John Wick Franchise
"He descended into Hell..."
*SPOILER WARNING FOR JOHN WICK 4*
….okay, you’ve been warned! But skip to the bottom for my rankings of the John Wick movies, as well as my favorite action sequences.
John Wick is a modern version of The Inferno’s Pilgrim — if only the latter were on a revenge quest…and had guns, knives, and, maybe even a pencil at his disposal to annihilate the underworld.
His dearly beloved wife Helen passed away and gifted her husband a dog; a companion for a life after “till death do us part.” Within the first 30 minutes of the tightly, excellently paced inaugural flick in the franchise, a group of Russian criminals beat Wick, steal his car, but — more sinisterly — kill the dog, after the titular character had just become attached. Immediately, we become attached to his pain, seeking wrathful punishment against the perpetrators (and cheering him on along the way).
What follows is Wick unleashing hell as ‘Baba Yaga’ (Slavic for Boogeyman) on the criminal underworld he once knew — and escaped — for stealing what mattered most: a chance to grieve. Spanning across four films, that grief and pursuit of freedom from his past life entangle him even further, like devil’s snare, into that inferno, of which death seems the only way out. A globe-trotting franchise, the John Wick series’ origins began as a B-movie neo-noir plot directed by Matrix stuntman Chad Stahelski as an excuse to brandish intense, riveting action sequences. However, each subsequent movie has expanded the underworld — new circles perhaps? — by introducing an unseen, yet omniscient and omnipresent, High Table whose 12 members control everything; Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King (who inhabit the sewers and New York subway tunnels); as well as the underworld’s rather unique rules. As Ian McShane’s Winston frequently states, “Without rules, we live with the animals.”
(Side note: 12 members of the High Table who retain or forgive sins — perhaps like the 12 Apostles? But more on the religious symbols in a jiffy)
There is so much bloodshed, but that’s the appeal of John Wick as an action anti-hero. He is about efficiency, utilizing any tool or surrounding for nothing but death. As mentioned above, he is able to kill five men with a pencil (though that happens offscreen to build Wick’s mystique). Wick is even efficient with his words. He seldom speaks, but only through Keanu Reeves’ acting can “Yeah” — used menacingly and comedicly — be exalted into classic action movie lines with the likes of “Yippee Ki-Yay” or “I’ll be back.”
Audiences have loved to see Wick barrel like a force of nature laying waste to his foes to the tune of more than $700 million worldwide (this includes grosses for John Wick Chapter 4). I have as well. The John Wick series is brutal, comedic at times, but ultimately satisfying when he exacts his vengeance — though the fourth could’ve been edited down quite significantly, as some action scenes overstayed their welcome.
Yet as the series escalated, so did the usage of religious imagery, mostly Eastern Orthodox and Catholic, such as tattoos, rosaries (one of which was used as a ticket for Wick’s safe passage in Parabellum) and settings, like the Sacré Coeur in Paris among other churches. Whether the imagery was simply exploited for a certain, quasi-mysticism to hang the world building upon or sincere, intentional attempts at deeper symbolism in an otherwise violent bloodfest is debatable. However, the fourth movie in the franchise asks what the countless dead — that number being more than 300 for the first three — and fighting has been for. Even the audience forgets Wick’s motivation at times, enthralled in and drowned by the relentless pace, only remembering when the movie ‘comes up for air.’
In short, John Wick is actually concerned about the state of its hero’s soul. And this is where Dante’s magnum opus fits in. It’s no secret that Stahelski and the series’ creators were inspired by The Divine Comedy when crafting the films.
The killing begins with Wick defending himself against mafia goons invading his home. But his full dip back into the underworld happens when he crosses through The Continental’s doors, giving a gold coin to Charon — named after the mythical ferryman who escorts damned souls across the Acheron into Hell. However, Lance Reddick’s (may he rest in peace) Charon is more pleasant than Dante’s Charon, tending to Wick’s needs as a dutiful concierge.
Wick’s wife Helen is mostly unseen, with enough flashbacks to develop a powerful motivation for the hitman’s pain. She symbolically resembles both Helen of Troy, whose beauty ignited a great war filled with suffering and turmoil, and Dante’s Beatrice, who offers light to John Wick’s life, and a last remembrance that he is a man, not a slave to past sins.
(As Winston asks Wick in the third film: “What do you want to die as? Servant of the High Table or as a man?”)
In John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, NBA player Boban Marjanović (who plays an assassin hunting Wick), quotes Dante at the hitman: “You were not made to live like brutes, but to follow virtue and knowledge.”
Yet all of the destruction has had Hydra-like “consequences” — a word repeatedly uttered by various characters throughout the four films. The more Wick kills, the more hitman seem to swarm around him. The sins against the High Table compound, with their only recourse left to destroy the idea of John Wick. Wick’s actions endlessly produces more cycles of violence, rippling throughout the films and, more than likely, into the planned spin-offs and TV shows. This is exemplified prominently in John Wick Chapter 4 with Rina Sawayama’s Akira, whose father is killed by Donnie Yen’s Caine.
However, Wick discovers a way out, and to obtain his freedom: he challenges Bill Skarsgård’s Marquis in a duel at sunrise at Sacré Coeur. The Marquis orders Caine to fight in his stead, threatening the assassin’s daughter if he does not comply. Before their duel, Wick realizes his death may be imminent, briefly commenting to Winston to inscribe “Loving Husband” on his headstone. He visits a church, lights a candle in Helen’s memory, then stares at the crucified Jesus. It just so happens, Caine is present, also seeking a moment of peace before their duel. Caine asks, “You think your wife can hear you?” to which Wick, sadly, replies, “No.” To this, Caine asks another question, “Then why bother?” Wick’s response: “Maybe I’m wrong.”
It’s the first time in Chapter 4 — or even throughout the series — Wick tries to ‘speak’ to his departed wife, instead of drowning the grief and pain in bullet casings and blood. From there, he begins to climb out of Hell (not before some pretty dope, yet long action scenes), literally fighting his way up the steps to the church, evoking a penitential journey toward redemption.
Chapter 4 further evokes spirituality and even Scripture during the final duel that ultimately claims Wick’s life. Before aiming their pistols, Wick says, “Those who cling to death, live,” while Caine states, “Those who cling to life, die,” — both succinctly telling what the other needs to hear. It echoes Luke’s Gospel, when Jesus tells us, “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it.” In the end, Wick realizes he cannot escape death, the fate he has dealt so many throughout the series, for the only way out of Hell is gaze upward, shedding any foolish ideas of self-preservation.
Ultimately, Wick vanquishes the Marquis, but not before suffering fatal wounds from Caine’s pistol. Instead of firing upon his friend, Wick chooses to sacrifice himself so that Caine may cherish a life with his daughter. After the Marquis’ death, the High Table’s representative absolves Wick — freeing him from further shadows lurking around every corner to punish and/or kill him. With that newfound freedom, Wick stumbles down several of the basilica’s iconic steps, gazes out toward the new day sun, uttering his wife’s name before collapsing.
In the next scene, Winston and the Bowery King stand by Wick’s headstone (marked “Loving Husband”), placed next to his wife. Both ponder the state of their friend’s soul with the Bowery King asking Winston if he believes Wick is “up there” versus below. Winston, smirking, remarks, “Who knows?”
Ironically, Winston knows it’s foolish to place men in Heaven or Hell, unlike Dante the poet imagines in The Divine Comedy. Nevertheless, Wick is able to have at least a peaceful moment, reflecting on his loving wife with his final breath. She motivated Wick to escape the underworld once; and her memory finally guided him out of the underworld — perhaps forever.
For all of the violence and, at times, action comedy, the John Wick film series may be more than it appears, contemplating larger questions about cycles of violence, how grief can lead us into darkness, and how the only path to absolution is by aiming higher — just not a gun.
So where is John Wick’s soul? Only God knows.
Appendix I: Suffice it to say, it’s remarkable how any series with four films are all well done and not terrible. That’s a huge feat — and to keep things as interesting, fresh, and new is a testament to Reeves and the brains behind the films. All positive ratings from yours truly, so this ranking does not mean any are ‘bad’. They are all quite good; definitely up there as one of the best action franchises ever, right up there with James Bond (specifically the Daniel Craig films), the Bourne series, and the Mission Impossible movies.
Ranking of the Films
John Wick Chapter 2: Amps the intensity established in the first film, expanding the world and hitman underworld’s rules and idiosyncrasies, along with improved cinematography and intriguing characters like Fishburne’s Bowery King and Common’s Cassian
John Wick: A tight, bloody action-packed romp that spends enough time establishing Wick’s backstory and motivation without getting overbearing with plot. The final fight, however, is not as thrilling at what precedes it.
John Wick Chapter 4: Ranks higher than the third because of some awesome action scenes I found more enjoyable, and Skarsgård is a great addition (perhaps underutilized). Should have been shorter, and perhaps the plot should’ve been Wick pursuing killing the members of the High Table. Also, the sidequest to Japan doesn’t add much value overall — only for sequel/spin-off bait.
John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum: This doesn’t mean the film is bad, far from it. It holds a special place in my heart since I actually witnessed the Grand Central Station scene being filmed years back. But, like Chapter 4, it’s a tad too long and the story is not as memorable. Halle Berry’s Sofia is fine, but the action sequences she appears in repeat takedowns too often.
The Top Action Scenes
The Catacombs (John Wick Chapter 2)
The Home Invasion (John Wick)
Knife Fight (John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum)
Final Showdown (John Wick Chapter 2 — which borrows heavily from Enter the Dragon)
Overhead Fight Sequence in Paris (John Wick Chapter 4)
The Red Circle Shootout (John Wick)
The Staircase (John Wick Chapter 4)