The John Wick series might fall under the action genre when it comes to the type of movie it is, but we know the truth. It’s really all about the dogs.
Going into the movie John Wick, you know right away that it is an action movie with Keanu Reeves (Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Point Break, The Matrix) at the helm. He is the star of the movie and he owns his role as a retired mercenary/assassin for hire whose wife dies and leaves him a dog as a way to help him move on with his life. And when the worst thing ever happens and the dog is killed by men who break into his home, Reeves’ Wick proves that he is still as deadly retired, as he was when he was still working.
If you are wondering why a movie that did the most despicable thing by killing the dog would be a dog lovers film, I can explain. While plenty of people joked that the reason John Wick came out of retirement was because they killed his dog, we know there is so much more to the story than that.
The impetus of the story stems from the murder of his puppy, which was also a token of his deceased wife. And after seeking vengeance for that death, John Wick actually rescues a pit bull puppy that was slated to be euthanized. I don’t know about you, but this deadly assassin sounds like a dog lover to me.
Happy birthday to the one and only Keanu Reeves. What’s your favorite moment from John Wick Chapters 1 & 2? pic.twitter.com/ubmCvrb6cS
— John Wick: Chapter 4 (@JohnWickMovie) September 2, 2018
And then we get into the second movie, John Wick: Chapter 2, where the story continues, including the addition of his new pup. However, while we do get to see John interacting with his dog in the second movie, the story does not give us quite as much dog love as the first. And yet in the end, who was at Wick’s side as he was “declared excommunicado” – his new pit bull.
However, while the third film has not been released yet (releasing May 17), we do know that dogs once more play an important role in the movie. And that’s why we have to give this entire series credit for being a dog lovers’ action thriller.
As Collider explained, in John Wick 3 Halle Berry’s character not only has her own dogs, but she actually became a dog trainer in order to make the experience as real as possible for the film. This means that more than one main character in the film has at least one dog, and that dog is a vital part of who they are within the story.
Welcome to the next chapter. #JohnWick3 pic.twitter.com/qtvXepVEvw
— John Wick: Chapter 4 (@JohnWickMovie) December 19, 2018
Chad Stahelski, the director of the third movie shared that, “We wanted Halle – or, Sophia, our character – to be our on-screen dog trainer. So it wasn’t acting like these were her dogs, these actually were her dogs.”
Since the first movie, this franchise has had a dog at its core. From the puppy that was killed to kick everything off, the rescue pit bull who stayed at John Wick’s side even as he ran from other assassins, or the dogs that are said to be at Sophia’s side as a symbol of her own loss. These movies are dog-based movies.
And while we may have to wait to see how the new dogs in the third film make an impact on the story, we have no problem claiming the John Wick series for the dog lovers. This means that these films have to make our list of dog movies for dog lovers.
John Wick 3 – Parabellum releases to theaters May 17.
Do you think the John Wick series is all about the dogs? Would you consider these movies a dog lovers action flick? Tell us what you think in the comments.