The John Wick Movies Ranked
The John Wick series of films has emerged as a refreshing counter in today’s action blockbuster space. While leaning more and more on the legendary, implausible world of a vast secret society of assassins, the movies have upped the ante of incredible, creative, and intense displays of violence…and they do so legibly. That is, you can actually tell what is happening in the John Wick movies. Thankfully, clearing this very low bar not often passed by the sludgy visuals of many big budget power fantasies is not the extent of the series’ appeal. These films center their exhilarating sequences with a mythological approach to Keanu Reeves’ title character and his friends and enemies, a kind of hefty, aching emotion that has culminated, for now, in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4.
A major factor in the efficacy and refreshing nature of the John Wick movies’ success lies in its director(s). Chad Stahelski has been the sole credited director on each of the four movies released within the nearly nine years since 2014, although his partner David Leitch (who has gone on to direct other quite good films as well) was only able to take on a credited producer role on the first movie due to guild guidelines. Both Stahelski and Leitch are stuntmen and they brought to their first movie an informed eye to a genre that has lost much of its potency. Since JOHN WICK, however, Stahelski has indeed steered the ship of this “franchise” (and I only use that word because there is a TV show and more media based in this world apparently on the way) as the sequels’ lone director. The ranking of the John Wick movies here was no easy task; while they are uniform in their ability to deliver exceptional and clever action, each has notable elements that distinguish it.
#4 — JOHN WICK (2014)
I really struggled with putting JOHN WICK, the movie that started it all, in “last place.” But this is all relative, and from my perspective, it is the least great film in a series of great ones. It is certainly the most different from the entries that followed. JOHN WICK is a “simple” tale of a legendary hitman coming out of retirement to wipe out an entire Russian crime family after its prodigal son and his buddies killed his puppy. Oh, and his wife is dead. Although it dips here and there into the conspiracy of honor bound killers, the focus of JOHN WICK is certainly on the more basic emotional needs of a man getting revenge for his dead dog. But immediately, Stahelski and Leitch made their mark with balletic yet brutal fight choreography and a compositional eye that highlighted compelling elements of the one-man-versus-an-army battles. A theme in common with all the John Wick movies is their ability to serve up memorable sequences that one could recall with a “remember when Keanu [insert bonkers kill here]?” JOHN WICK delivers that immediately, but the sensation of its title character as an unstoppable force only gets stronger throughout the series.
#3 — JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 (2017)
The incredible rush of the John Wick films is essentially their spontaneity. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 basically picks up right where the first one left off and begins a headlong sprint into another series of wild murderous sprees. The “lore” of the assassin society, the High Table, is expanded and John’s place in its machinations is made all the more compelling as a lone wolf against seemingly impossible odds. But CHAPTER 2 also strengthens the bones of its predecessor with an expansion of his relationships with friends and those sympathetic to his “mission,” imparting a greater feel of a fateful epic. John visits more exotic locales and the stakes have also obviously been upped since the success of the first movie, as freewheeling sequences through lush and impressively well-lit sets show off an enlarged budget put to good use. CHAPTER 2 is the very definition of a good sequel, taking the original’s energy into new heights while retaining what made its predecessor so good.
#2 — JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 (2023)
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4, the latest entry in the series at the time of this writing, comes after the biggest gap between the movies. It’s been nearly four years since CHAPTER 3 and the wait was worth it. While it clearly does not reach the heights of its predecessor as I see it, there’s no denying it is a phenomenal culmination of nearly a decade of mythmaking, to the extent that many are proclaiming it the best in the series. Moving a bit forward in time past the cliffhangers and nonstop movement between each previous sequel, CHAPTER 4 also takes the opportunity, with a gargantuan runtime of 169 minutes, to create hefty suspense with supporting characters. Indeed, Reeves has very few lines, but then, eloquent speeches were never John’s strong suit. But this isn’t to say that he hasn’t been able to provide a great performance across all four movies. The physicality of Reeves as John Wick, even outside of the fight scenes, makes for a remarkable presence, a stoic force capable of breaking out into driven desperation. CHAPTER 4 constantly points to the character’s legendary persona, literally asking “where does this all go?” Well, throughout this movie, it goes into exhaustive action sequences that left me feeling a bit drained, if only because they were so energetic and intense. There is a bit of a less enjoyable drain stemming from the film’s reliance on hefty pauses and dramatic intrigue, but then, this contributes to CHAPTER 4’s sensation of a man compelled to find his destiny and culminates the whole series’ impression of killers’ codes, intense camaraderie, and business-like betrayal. This is especially demonstrated by Donnie Yen’s blind character, a friend and rival of John who comes into conflict with his old comrade. The choreography invented for Yen is especially notable because of the way it unconventionally shifts the moves he and the whole series is known for. That component of the film alone is quite genius. But ultimately, the whole of CHAPTER 4 is heavy with brilliantly crafted fights and fluid and strikingly lit cinematography, working with an elevated style that fulfills the series’ Romantic promise.
#1 — JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 — PARABELLUM (2019)
But when I think back on the most memorable scenes of the John Wick series, and the moments that solidify the character as the “Baba Yaga” of hitman myth, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 — PARABELLUM looms largest. Its opening, as just one example, is the best in the series and acts as a thesis for why its predecessors and sequel are great as well. CHAPTER 3’s place at the end of a few days of “in universe” time is not just a contextual fun fact; the energy of the film communicates that incredibly well. John is at his most harried here, on the run at a scale so ridiculous that it borders on farce. But that has always been (another) strength of these movies: not only making its superhuman premise entertaining, but also somehow simply emotionally resonant. Every installment aches with the knowledge that John was out. But his nature and ability to kill is what drove him into revenge for a symbol of his love…and that’s how we got to him participating in arcane rituals and rebelling against a nearly ironclad code governing a host of elite criminals. Not only does CHAPTER 3 embody these thematic tenets best, but in the briefest and most complementary way I can summarize things, it also kicks the most ass.
