Each John Wick movie is filled with exciting action. However, every entry in the saga has at least one scene that can already be considered a classic.
Known for its well-choreographed stunts and fight scenes, the John Wick franchise has showcased some of the best moments in action movies for nearly ten years. From the series’ masterful usage of cinematography and music to its perfectly cast lead, the John Wick movies have not only been a worldwide success, but they’ve reinvented the wheel regarding the genre’s capabilities. The franchise is so influential, that nearly any action scene from any of the four movies can be ranked among the best fight scenes ever.
In addition to the mind-blowing action scenes throughout the John Wick franchise, it has also enjoyed praise for its writing and world-building, both of which have led to the creation of a spin-off series. Atypical for an action movie let alone an entire franchise, the John Wick saga has gone to great lengths to ensure audiences have more than just gore and viscera to sink their teeth into. With a John Wick spinoff movie in the works and John Wick 5 potentially happening, the first four movies already offer some of the best moments in action cinema.
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4. John Wick – Spending Time With His Dog
The John Wick franchise is unique from other action series in that the inciting incident or, reason(s) why the plot happens, isn’t what most longtime action audiences are used to. Viewers have gotten accustomed to the inciting incident being something akin to a wife being murdered or a former marine being betrayed, but Wick offers its audience something much more unconventional. As seen in the first movie’s first act, Wick’s wife is already deceased by the events of the story, thus ruling that angle out, and the only things he wants to do are ride around in his Boss 429 Mustang and care for his puppy.
While audiences eventually see Wick bond with the puppy, it is his first minute with the beagle that ranks as its best moment. Up to this point, there hasn’t been a lot of time for Wick, or the audience, to get to know the puppy. However, considering the dog was a gift from his late wife, his willingness to bond with the puppy with no argument was a nice way to express that the dog was worth going to war for. Moreover, it shows that above anything else, Wick is loyal to those he trusts and loves, something that has paid dividends for him throughout the franchise.
3. John Wick: Chapter 2 – Wick and Cassian’s Intense Stare Down
Whereas John Wick introduced audiences to some of the most creative and realistic action scenes committed to film, John Wick: Chapter 2 took everything great about the franchise’s debut and outdid itself. In another subversion of action movie tropes, John Wick: Chapter 2 didn’t just add more blood and explosions, but it also delved even deeper into its lore surrounding the now iconic Continental. In addition to Wick, audiences learn that there are plenty of other highly skilled assassins, and they’re swiftly introduced to one of the deadliest, Cassian.
Played by rapper-actor Common, Cassian is presented to viewers as a soft-spoken, professional, stone-cold killer and is even the first antagonist to truly give Wick a run for his money in combat. While their subway shootout was hilariously deadly and their subsequent knife fight aboard the train among some of the best action in the John Wick franchise, it’s the minute in between the shootout and the knife fight that’s the best. Without a single word being exchanged, both men convey so much killer intent through their eyes that it raises the tension exponentially and could have been cut with one of their blades.
2. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum – Final Minute Of The Movie
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum continued the franchise’s trend of impressing viewers and making a killing at the box office. Released in 2019, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum raised the stakes considerably as it saw virtually any and every assassin under the Continental’s banner out for Wick’s blood. Moreover, it showed audiences who Wick’s truest friends were as Winston, Charon, and the Bowery King were the only people willing to stick their necks out for the marked man.
While John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is filled to the brim with incredible moments, one of the best comes during the final minute of the movie when, after watching Wick overcome grueling affairs one after the other, the Bowery King simply asks Wick if he’s pissed. Barely alive and nearly out of breath, Wick answers “Yeah,” but Keanu Reeves’ delivery of the line sums up the emotion of all three films and cuts to black. It’s a quick moment, but it lingers in one’s mind well beyond the credits and was a perfect way to set up John Wick: Chapter 4.
1. John Wick: Chapter 4 – Dragonbreath Shootout (Ending)
The most recent entry in the movies, John Wick: Chapter 4 once again left a strong positive impression on audiences. The movie had the creative action and clever writing that have now become staples of the franchise, but in a bid to outdo itself, John Wick: Chapter 4 may have set the bar a little too high in the action genre. Featuring the talents of beloved actor and martial artist Donnie Yen, viewers were expecting some of Wick’s most challenging fight scenes the franchise has ever seen, and the filmmakers delivered. However, the final action sequence itself was quite different from what the series had done so far.
While the fist fights were jaw-dropping, it was the Dragonbreath shootout that set a new standard as far as what can be achieved in action movies. While the entire affair is Oscar-worthy, it’s the sequence’s final minute that stands out as one of the best minutes in the franchise. The action is easy to follow and the choreography flows like water, but Wick’s refusal to pull the trigger on Mr. Nobody’s dog sells it. Despite everything he’s been through, Wick saves the dog’s life – a nice throwback to the franchise’s humble beginnings, and the best minute in John Wick movies.
