5 Questions: John Wick

So I finally checked out John Wick starring Keanu Reeves.

Fans of John Wick may be asking “Why did it take you so long to watch John Wick?”. That question is a fair question considering the positive reviews the movie received (including a review on this very site written by my colleague, Chad Cruise) and the fact that hitman Wick becomes vigilante Wick and I love vigilante movies.

But fair question or not, I’m the one asking the questions here!

Now sit back and enjoy as I present another edition of 5 Questions…

1. Can anyone explain how the whole dog thing was planned?

I get that John Wick’s deceased wife Helen (played by Bridget Moynahan of Blue Bloods fame) did not want her husband to be alone after her death so she arranged for a puppy to be sent over after her funeral. I’m just wondering how logistically that all worked. She had to have a pretty top notch executor of her will for that to run as smoothly as it did. Plus the dog was even potty trained, that could take weeks even months! Either Wick got incredibly lucky or that was the world’s smartest dog.

Bonus question, was anyone else reminded of the original Mechanic movie when John was reading the letter and you heard Helen’s voice as he read it? It was just like Jan-Michael Vincent’s character reading that letter at the end of The Mechanic with the narration of Charles Bronson from beyond the grave.

2. How much more efficient would Paul Kersey have been at disposing scum if he had the connections John Wick had?

And speaking of Charles Bronson, I could not help but wonder how much more efficient Bronson’s character, Paul Kersey, from the Death Wish series of films would have been at dishing out vigilante justice if he had the kind of support system that John Wick had. Wick had a clean up crew to take care of the dead bodies, he had the law on his side, he even had a 5 star hotel to stay at while he was on the job that specialized in hosting killers for hire.

Remember the dump that Kersey had to crash at in Death Wish 2? And let’s face it, his friend Charley’s apartment in Death Wish 3 was no Waldorf Astoria either. That was no way for an architect/vigilante to live.

To further prove my point, Kersey did have a licence to kill from Lt. Shriker in Death Wish 3 and look at how his kill count numbers rose over the first two Death Wish films. And while he did not have the police on his side in Death Wish 4: The Crackdown, he did have unlimited funds to buy all the weapons and equipment he needed, plus he had valuable intel. Which again made him more effective.

I can’t help but wonder how different Paul Kersey’s life would have been if he was in John Wick’s shoes. I also can’t help but wonder if there was a Death Wish 6 script some where that called for Kersey’s dog to be killed.

3. Does Daniel Bernhardt age?

I look at Daniel Bernhardt from Bloodsport II and I look at Daniel Bernhardt from John Wick and it is hard to believe that there were 18 years between the two movies. The man has taken care of himself over the years.

4. Do you think John regretted having his “tools of the trade” buried in cement?

Had Wick not had all the other connections he did, I’d question how he got a contractor to bury his weapons in a cement floor to begin with. But I’m sure the contractor was just another guy on John Wick’s speed dial, so I get that. And I’m also pretty sure at the time this work was done, it was a very symbolic thing to do for John. He was literally burying his past so he could move on and have a normal life with his wife. But I’m guessing about 3 or 4 swings of the sledgehammer and he was wishing he had just tucked them away in a dark corner of his basement or maybe up in the attic next to the Christmas tree.

5. Is anyone else sad that Adrianne Palicki won’t be in John Wick 2? 

While the character of Ms. Perkins deserved to be killed in John Wick (although I’m not sure how her executioners didn’t shoot one another), it still makes me sad that when John Wick 2 rolls around I won’t have the pleasure of seeing Adrianne Palicki grace my screen. She definitely makes any movie she’s in more visually appealing with the possible exception of the awful Red Dawn remake.

Bonus question, and this is one I’m sure all the John Wick fans are asking themselves… when does John Wick 2 hit theaters? I believe we are all ready for more!