Top 10 INSANE Stunts in John Wick Movies

#10: A Great Fall

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“John Wick” (2014) During Wick’s journey to get justice for his dog and car, he has to fight a bunch of henchmen in the Red Circle nightclub. Watching Keanu Reeves make his way through the establishment was impressive enough. As the cherry on top, there’s a moment where Wick is thrown over a railing onto the floor. Stuntman Jackson Spidell was actually thrown off the high point onto boxes. However, he was also dropped directly onto the floor from a much safer height. The two shots were combined into a seamless fall that looks absurdly painful. Fortunately for us, neither the heroes nor the people behind the scenes were hurt during this great fall.

“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (2019) Near the beginning of the third installment, John Wick has to survive an attack from a towering assassin named Ernest in a library. The tall assailant was played by an athlete named Boban Marjanović. Since the production ran into issues finding someone who could match his height, he actually performed the tight fight choreography himself within the real New York Public Library. The team also added a prop book and trick knife so the actors could make the battle look more real. And when Ernest had to deliver a powerful kick, Spidell stepped in to play Wick. Thanks to careful preparation and a trip to the real-life location, the brawl became a textbook example of how to execute a fantastic action scene.

“John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017) Just after Wick managed to defeat a ton of enemies in Roman catacombs, he had to fight the intimidating Cassian. Reeves and Common respectively do a fantastic job of making the battle look tense and exciting every step of the way. When the fight goes literally sideways onto multiple flights of stairs, stuntmen Spidell and Daniel Graham rolled into the scene. This action-packed duo actually threw themselves into the scene with no reservations. The only pauses they took are the ones you see on screen. By rolling with the punches, the stuntmen made this fight scene really stand out.

“John Wick” (2014) Wick becomes even more of a threat when he gets behind the wheel of a car in the final section of his debut film. Anyone who tries to take him down quickly learns that he can drive and take out enemies at the same time. When it comes time for the villainous Avi to learn that lesson, we’re treated to some impressive driving. Reeves was behind the wheel when Wick decided to hit the antagonist with the car. According to first hand accounts, the actor managed to execute a vehicle slide perfectly without sliding off the mark at all. Reeves proved that he was just as impressive inside of a car as he was outside of one early in the franchise.

“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (2019) One of the most striking images from the third film is the sight of John Wick riding atop of a horse while a bunch of villains pursue him on motorcycles. Reeves definitely looks comfortable riding on the galloping animal. In order to up the ante, the actor does some great trick riding too. At one point during the chase, Reeves even hangs off the side and shoots one of his enemies. The production placed the actor on wires for that stunt and a few other tricky shots. After digitally erasing them in post, the end result looks breathtaking. Is there anything Reeves can’t drive or ride?

“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (2019) When Wick is traveling to the top of the Continental, he has to deal with a few goons and a whole lot of glass. During the scene, the assassin is knocked into several reflective cabinets. The production had charges rigged to the bottom to get the glass to explode when they needed it to. In another portion of the scene, multiple fighters find themselves hurtling down through the glass. Although the production had to stitch multiple shots together in the end, stuntmen were actually lowered down on wires so viewers could really feel the impact of the fall. It’s incredible that the actors were able to handle working around so much glass.

“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (2019) From the first moment Sofia’s dogs appeared onscreen, it was clear that they were not to be messed with. They demonstrated how ferocious they could truly be when they leaped into battle alongside their owner and Wick. Prior to the scene, the canines were taught how to target specific places on the bodies of stuntmen. Additionally, Halle Berry learned how to tell the duo what to do at a moment’s notice. This allowed them to jump and attack without having to edit a dog trainer out of each shot. While Berry didn’t perform every stunt with her canine pals, what she was able to do with them while they were nearby is stunning to watch. The two dogs definitely deserve extra treats and high praise.

#3: Car-Fu

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“John Wick: Chapter 2” (2017) The first car sequence in the sequel film is full of jaw-dropping stunt work. Reeves actually smashes right into a vehicle in the sequence. At another point, a stunt driver pulls off a jump through a very tight opening. At another impressive point, Wick needs to get rid of a guy who’s coming at him on a motorcycle while he’s driving. The assassin decides to open up his car door and let the assailant crash right into it. Reeves was once again behind the wheel while the motorcycle was launched with the help of a cannon. Fortunately, a dummy was the one who flipped in this scenario. Its crash was one of the many highlights of the high octane scene.

#2: Yet Another Great Fall

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“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (2019) It looked like Wick had finally earned some rest time after he slayed High Table Enforcers. Unfortunately, his ally Winston shoots him and he’s sent spiraling off the roof. The long and painful fall wouldn’t have looked as good without the work of the talented Jackson Spidell. After being raised to a certain height, he rolled off a premade structure and landed on a safe spot. Spidell then followed up that descent with a second fall onto yet another crash pad. Although the stunt man didn’t fall from the exact height the movie suggests, it was still an impressive scene that made Wick’s fall 100 percent believable.

#1: A Multi Layered Motorcycle Scene

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“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” (2019) Once Wick got on a motorcycle while being pursued by goons, we knew we were in for something truly special. A few stuntmen and dummies were filmed riding on the Verrazano bridge in New York to get realistic scenery. Outside of those shots, Reeves and stuntmen executed the up close fight choreography within a green screen warehouse. This allowed us to get a bunch of slick hand-to-hand combat without the actors having to risk trying to pull everything off at motorcycle speeds. Clever editing and great special effects brought all the footage together into one glorious package. With the bar set this high, it’s exciting to think of how the filmmakers will top fantastic stunt work like this in the future.