John Wick (film)

John Wick
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Chad Stahelski[i]
Written by	Derek Kolstad
Produced by	Basil Iwanyk David Leitch Eva Longoria Michael Witherill
Starring	Keanu Reeves Michael Nyqvist Alfie Allen Adrianne Palicki Bridget Moynahan Dean Winters Ian McShane John Leguizamo Willem Dafoe
Cinematography	Jonathan Sela
Edited by	Elísabet Ronaldsdóttir
Music by	Tyler Bates Joel J. Richard
Production companies	Thunder Road Pictures 87Eleven Productions MJW Films DefyNite Films
Distributed by	Summit Entertainment
Release date	October 24, 2014 (2014-10-24)
Running time	101 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$20–30 million
Box office	$86 million

John Wick is a 2014 American action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. Keanu Reeves stars as John Wick, a legendary hitman who comes out of retirement to seek revenge against the men who killed his dog, a final gift from his recently deceased wife. The film also stars Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, and Willem Dafoe.

Kolstad's script drew on his interest in action, revenge, and neo noir films. The producer Basil Iwanyk purchased the rights as his first independent film production. Reeves, whose career was declining, liked the script and recommended that the experienced stunt choreographers Stahelski and David Leitch direct the action scenes; Stahelski and Leitch successfully lobbied to co-direct the project. Principal photography began in October 2013, on a $20–$30 million budget, and concluded that December. Stahelski and Leitch focused on long, highly choreographed single takes to convey action, eschewing the rapid cuts and closeup shots of contemporary action films.

Iwanyk struggled to secure theatrical distributors because industry executives were dismissive of an action film by first-time directors, and Reeves's recent films had financially underperformed. Lionsgate Films purchased the distribution rights to the film two months before its release date on October 24, 2014. Following a successful marketing campaign that changed its perception from disposable entertainment to a prestige event helmed by an affable leading actor, John Wick exceeded box-office projections and became a modest success, grossing $86 million worldwide. It received generally positive reviews for its style and its action sequences. Critics hailed John Wick as a comeback for Reeves, in a role that played to his acting strengths. The film's mythology of a criminal underworld with rituals and rules was praised as its most distinctive and interesting feature.

John Wick began a successful franchise which includes three sequels (John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)), the prequel television series The Continental (2023), and the spin-off film Ballerina (2025), as well as video games and comic books. It is seen as having revitalized the action genre and popularized long single takes with choreographed, detailed action.

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