This article is about the 2014 film.

For the entertainment franchise, see John

Wick.
John Wick
John Wick TeaserPoster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Chad Stahelski[a]
Produced by
Basil Iwanyk
David Leitch
Eva Longoria
Michael Witherill
Written by Derek Kolstad
Starring
Keanu Reeves
Michael Nyqvist
Alfie Allen
Adrianne Palicki
Bridget Moynahan
Dean Winters
Ian McShane
John Leguizamo
Willem Dafoe
Music by
Tyler Bates
Joel J. Richard
Cinematography Jonathan Sela
Edited by El�sabet Ronalds
Production
companies
Thunder Road Pictures
87Eleven Productions
MJW Films
DefyNite Films
Distributed by Summit Entertainment
Release date
September 19, 2014 (Fantastic Fest)
October 24, 2014 (United States)
Running time
101 minutes[2]
Country United States
Language English
Russian
Budget $20�30 million[3][4][5]
Box office $88.8 million[3]
John Wick is a 2014 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad
Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. It stars Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist,
Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John
Leguizamo, and Willem Dafoe. It is the first installment in the John Wick film
series.

The story focuses on John Wick (Reeves), searching for the men who broke into his
home, stole his vintage car and killed his puppy, which was a last gift to him from
his recently deceased wife (Moynahan).[6] Stahelski and David Leitch directed the
film together, though only Stahelski was credited.[1]

Kolstad had completed the screenplay in 2012 and further developed it for Thunder
Road Pictures.[7] The film was produced by Basil Iwanyk of Thunder Road Pictures,
Leitch, Eva Longoria, and Michael Witherill. It marks Stahelski and Leitch's
directorial debut as a team after multiple separate credits as second-unit
directors and stunt coordinators. They previously worked with Reeves as stunt
doubles on The Matrix trilogy.[8]

Stahelski and Leitch's approach to action scenes drew upon their admiration for
anime[9] and martial arts films.[10] The film used fight choreographers[11] and gun
fu techniques[12] from Hong Kong action cinema.[13] The film also pays homage to
works such as John Woo's The Killer, Jean-Pierre Melville's Le Cercle Rouge and Le
Samoura�,[14] John Boorman's Point Blank, and the spaghetti western films.[15]

The film was met with positive reviews, with critics calling it one of Reeves' best
performances and one of the best action films of 2014. It grossed $88 million
worldwide against a production budget of $20 million. Two sequels, John Wick:
Chapter 2, and John Wick: Chapter 3 � Parabellum, were released on February 2017
and May 2019 respectively, both to a comparable critical and commercial success. It
is also the only film in the series to be distributed by Summit Entertainment, as
the other films are distributed by Lionsgate Films.

Contents
1 Plot
2 Cast
3 Production
3.1 Development
3.2 Filming
3.3 Cinematography
3.4 Design
3.4.1 Costume
3.4.2 Set
3.4.3 Sound
3.5 Visual effects
4 Music
5 Influences
6 Marketing
7 Release
7.1 Pre-release screenings
7.2 Theatrical run
7.3 Box office
8 Critical response
9 Video game
10 Sequels
11 TV series
12 See also
13 Notes
14 References
15 External links
Plot
After John Wick loses his wife, Helen, to a terminal illness, he receives a beagle
puppy named Daisy from his late wife to help him cope with his grief. Despite
John�s stoic demeanor, he bonds with the puppy and they spend their day driving
around in his vintage 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1. At a gas station, he encounters a
trio of Russian gangsters whose leader, Iosef Tarasov, insists on buying his car,
but John repeatedly states that it is not for sale. Angered, Iosef and his mobsters
follow John to his home that night, knock him unconscious, steal his car, and kill
Daisy.

Iosef takes the Mustang to a chop shop run by Aurelio to have the VIN changed.
Aurelio recognizes the car and, upon learning that Iosef stole it from John,
punches him before throwing him out of his shop. John visits Aurelio, who tells him
Iosef is the son of Viggo Tarasov, the head of the Russian crime syndicate in New
York City. Viggo, informed by Aurelio of Iosef's activity with John, beats and
berates Iosef before explaining to him who John Wick is: an assassin, formerly in
Viggo's employ, nicknamed "Baba Yaga" (translated in the film as Russian for
"Boogeyman") due to his lethal works. When John wanted to retire and marry Helen,
Viggo gave him an "impossible task," implied to involve multiple assassinations in
a short period of time. John succeeded, and his efforts were key in establishing
the Tarasov syndicate.

Viggo tries to talk John out of seeking retribution, but John silently refuses.
Viggo then sends a twelve-man hit squad to John's house, but John kills them all
and has the bodies professionally removed. An unsurprised Viggo places a $2 million
bounty on John's head and personally offer