After the sudden death of his beloved wife, John Wick receives one last gift from her: a beagle puppy named Daisy to help him cope with his grief. But when Iosef Tarasov, the arrogant son of a Russian mob boss, breaks into his home, steals his vintage Mustang, and kills the dog, he unknowingly reawakens a sleeping giant. John Wick is not just a retired hitman; he is the "Baba Yaga," a legendary assassin who will stop at nothing to dismantle the entire crime syndicate that wronged him.
Information |
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Language |
English Russian |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
October 24, 2014 |
Running time |
101 minutes |
Genre |
Action Thriller Crime |
Budget |
$20,000,000 |
Box Office |
$86,013,056 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Chad Stahelski |
Produced by |
Basil Iwanyk David Leitch Eva Longoria |
Written by |
Derek Kolstad |
Music by |
Tyler Bates Joel J. Richard |
Cinematography |
Jonathan Sela |
Edited by |
ElÃsabet Ronaldsdóttir |
Production Co. |
Summit Entertainment Thunder Road Pictures 87Eleven |
Distributed by |
Lionsgate |
Top Cast |
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Official Trailer |
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Movie Collection |
Movie Order: #01 in John Wick Collection
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The Plot
The Last Gift and the Violation
Former assassin John Wick suffers a devastating loss when his wife, Helen, succumbs to a terminal illness. In the wake of her death, John receives a final delivery arranged by Helen prior to her passing: a beagle puppy named Daisy. The note accompanying the puppy explains that Daisy is intended to help John grieve and find something to love again. Over the following days, John and Daisy form a bond, spending their time driving aimlessly in John's prized vintage 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1.
While refueling at a gas station, John encounters Iosef Tarasov, the arrogant son of the Russian crime lord Viggo Tarasov. Iosef takes an interest in the Mustang and insists on buying it, but John steadfastly refuses to sell. Angered by the rejection, Iosef insults John in Russian before leaving. That night, Iosef returns with his henchmen, breaking into John's home. They brutally attack John, beating him unconscious, and in a final act of cruelty, they kill Daisy before stealing the Mustang.
The Baba Yaga Returns
Iosef takes the stolen Mustang to Aurelio's chop shop to have the Vehicle Identification Number changed. Aurelio, immediately recognizing the car and realizing Iosef stole it from John Wick, refuses to do business. He berates the Russian for his recklessness, punches him, and throws him out of the shop. Shortly after, John visits Aurelio, who confirms that the thief is Viggo's son.
Viggo contacts Aurelio to demand an explanation for striking his son. When Aurelio explains the situation, Viggo’s anger instantly shifts to fear. He beats Iosef for his stupidity and explains exactly who he has antagonized. Viggo reveals that John was not just an assassin, but the legendary "Baba Yaga," or "The Boogeyman." He recounts how John once asked to retire to marry Helen, and Viggo assigned him an "impossible task"—a series of assassinations so difficult they laid the very foundations of the Tarasov syndicate. John succeeded, earning his freedom.
Desperate to stop the coming storm, Viggo calls John to apologize and ask him to spare Iosef. John listens silently and hangs up, refusing the peace offering. Viggo, knowing what comes next, dispatches a twelve-man hit squad to John's house to kill him before he can strike. However, John falls back into his old lethal rhythms, systematically eliminating all twelve assassins. Following the slaughter, he calls a professional cleaning service to dispose of the bodies and scrub the scene.
The Continental and the Red Circle
Realizing war is inevitable, Viggo places a $2 million bounty on John's head. He personally offers the contract to Marcus, John's former mentor and friend, who warily accepts the offer. Meanwhile, John unearths his arsenal of weapons and gold coins from beneath the concrete floor of his basement. He travels to the Continental Hotel, a neutral territory for the criminal underworld where "business" is strictly forbidden. In response, Viggo doubles the bounty for anyone willing to break the Continental's rules to kill John within its walls.
John meets with Winston Scott, the owner of the Continental, who provides a crucial tip: Iosef is being sequestered at the Red Circle nightclub, heavily guarded by Viggo's men. John infiltrates the club, carving a bloody path through the security team. He nearly reaches Iosef but is intercepted by Kirill, Viggo's formidable head henchman. After a brutal skirmish, John is forced to retreat and returns to the Continental to have his wounds treated.
While John recovers in his room, a fellow assassin named Ms. Perkins attempts to claim the double bounty. She sneaks into his room, intending to execute him while he sleeps. However, Marcus, who has been watching from a nearby rooftop, fires a warning shot that alerts John. John wakes up instantly and subdues Perkins. He interrogates her, forcing her to reveal the location of Viggo's front organization. He then leaves her unconscious in the custody of Harry, another assassin staying at the hotel, to await judgment for violating the Continental's rules. However, Perkins manages to dislocate her thumb to slip her handcuffs, kills Harry, and escapes.
Burning the Leverage
Acting on the information extracted from Perkins, John heads to a church in Little Russia which serves as a front for Viggo's operations. He destroys Viggo's private cache of money and sensitive blackmail material, effectively crippling the crime lord's power. Viggo and his team arrive at the church to assess the damage, giving John the opportunity to ambush them. Despite the surprise attack, Viggo's men eventually overpower John, capturing him.
Tied to a chair, John endures Viggo's taunts about his foolish belief that he could ever truly leave his criminal past behind. Before Viggo can have John executed, Marcus intervenes again, sniping one of the captors and creating a diversion. John frees himself, kills Kirill, and corners Viggo. Under threat of death, Viggo is forced to reveal Iosef’s location and cancel the $2 million contract on John’s head. With the information in hand, John travels to the safe house, easily dispatches the bodyguards, and finally kills Iosef.
Consequences
Ms. Perkins informs Viggo that Marcus and John have been communicating, revealing Marcus's betrayal. Enraged, Viggo goes to Marcus’s home, tortures him for information, and executes him. He then calls John to taunt him with the news of Marcus's death, revealing a plan to have Perkins ambush John. However, the underworld has its own justice system. Winston summons Perkins to a meeting at the Bethesda Terrace in Central Park. There, she is surrounded and executed by Winston’s enforcers for her earlier violation of the Continental's rules regarding the killing of Harry.
Winston contacts John to inform him that Viggo is planning to escape the city by helicopter. John races to the waterfront to intercept him. He eliminates the last of Viggo’s henchmen before engaging the crime lord in a brutal hand-to-hand fight on the dock. Viggo pulls a knife, and John, willing to sacrifice his own body to secure the kill, allows himself to be stabbed. This allows him to get close enough to wrestle the weapon away and fatally wound Viggo. As he dies, Viggo stares at John, and they share a final moment of acknowledgment before John leaves.
Badly wounded, John breaks into a waterfront animal clinic to treat his stab wound using staples and medical glue. While there, he notices a pit bull puppy scheduled to be euthanized. He frees the dog and takes it with him. The story concludes with John and his new companion walking along the boardwalk, the same location where he had his last date with Helen, ready to face whatever comes next.
