John Wick is about more than body counts and blowing things up, says director

Chad Stahelski talks to The National as the action franchise's fourth instalment hits UAE cinemas

Chad Stahelski, the director of the John Wick films, used to be a stuntman. AP Photo

Along with his star Keanu Reeves, stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski is the maestro behind one of the most successful action franchises in recent Hollywood history: John Wick.

So what’s the secret? Downtime.

“In between [each] John Wick is where we really get better,” Stahelski explains over Zoom. “We turn in the project. And then you take a little break, you breathe, you read more books … and you get better.”

Stahelski co-directed the 2014 original, in which Reeves plays the titular retired assassin, and has single-handedly directed every episode since, watching each movie grow in size and popularity. Expanding the film’s heightened universe — where assassins obey a Samurai-like code of ethics set by a mysterious organisation, the High Table — Stahelski is all too aware of the pitfalls of sequels. “It's not about writing something bigger or writing something better,” he says. It’s about aiming just that little bit higher.

That said, this epic latest version, John Wick: Chapter 4, truly outdoes itself. Running at 169 minutes — easily the longest of the franchise — it whisks the character to Osaka, Berlin and Paris. To whet the appetite, we open with a dramatic scene in the dunes, as Wick takes down a High Table member. After the previous release, John Wick 3 — Parabellum, was shot partly in Morocco, this time the production ventured to Jordan’s Wadi Rum desert, which served as a perfect backdrop to Wick’s vengeance-fuelled actions.

Again, the film features jaw-dropping set pieces and stunt-work so good it’s staggering that the Academy has yet to introduce an Oscar for Best Stunt Co-ordination. In one fight Reeves’s Wick weaves in and out of traffic around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris, throwing bad guys into the path of oncoming vehicles. It's so impressive you’ll be rubbing your eyes in disbelief.

Admittedly, the John Wick films thrive on excess, as Reeves’s near-mythical, rubber-boned hitman survives all manner of assaults on his person. Yet, Stahelski says, it can’t simply be a about racking up a higher body count. “Expanding the world, you’ve got to seek focus. And I wish I could tell you it was super easy. It's not. I'd like to just make big set pieces and blow things up. But you got to do a little bit more legwork.”

Certainly, this latest instalment manages that — with new antagonist Marquis (Bill Skarsgard) out to finally bring down the renegade Wick. To do this, he pits Wick against his old friend, Caine, a visually impaired assassin played by Hong Kong martial arts superstar Donnie Yen, in what is surely a nod to his blind warrior in Star Wars spin-off Rogue One. “What Donnie came with was pretty incredible,” Stahelski says. “To see him in the movie — he’s a standout.”

It doesn’t stop there. Action movie aficionados will revel in seeing roles played by Britain’s Scott Adkins, another regular on the martial arts film circuit, and Japanese actor Hiroyuki Sanada, famed for The Twilight Samurai. “We've got a pretty good street rep as an action movie,” the director says, “but to still find cast that want to do more than just come in and get a paycheque [is amazing].”

Chapter 4 may yet be the most arduous leg of Wick’s journey. “We're big into Greek mythology,” the director adds. “And in our mind, Keanu is Odysseus. And the more obstacles we can throw at him before he makes it home the better. To see him suffer. And to see what John Wick is really made of, through the obstacles, and we're very stoic. We're a stoic, philosophy-based kind of movie. The obstacle is the way. And we're also really big into fate and consequence.”

Now 58, Reeves’ athletic abilities are a huge part of the franchise’s success. How does he do it?

“I can't stress enough … Keanu is human. He’s not immortal. I know the internet thinks he is. He's your average dude,” he says. “Yes, he possesses physical attributes. He's always been athletic through his life. It's honestly his mind. He's got a fantastic memory. He cares more than anyone I've ever worked with. He's got a determination that's beyond normal people. Like … he's the guy that wants to summit Everest.”

Audiences have predictably responded. The John Wick franchise is that rare thing: each film has enjoyed a bigger opening and overall gross than the last. When John Wick: Chapter 4 opened recently, it made $73.5 million in the US on its opening weekend, outstripping the previous domestic Wick record set by John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum of $56.8 million.

Already, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group president Joe Drake has hinted the company is not averse to a fifth movie. Stahelski groans a little at the idea, but it’s clear he’d love to come back.

“As much as I'll say, ’God, I need a break … don’t ask me about John Wick 5’, of course … I got John Wick 10 ideas! You know, we'll see. Again, it's up to the audience what they want to see and I'm sure the studio has heaps of John Wick ideas, which is, again, very flattering for us that people want more.”