Bound by an inescapable blood oath to a former associate, legendary hitman John Wick is forced back out of retirement to travel to Rome, where he must face off against some of the world's deadliest killers to fulfill a debt he cannot refuse. As he navigates the treacherous underworld of the High Table, John discovers that someone is plotting to seize control of the shadowy international assassins' guild, leading to a betrayal that threatens to strip him of the only sanctuary he has left.
Information |
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Language |
English Italian Russian |
Country |
United States |
Premiere date |
February 10, 2017 |
Running time |
122 minutes |
Genre |
Action Thriller Crime |
Budget |
$40,000,000 |
Box Office |
$171,539,887 |
Crew |
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Directed by |
Chad Stahelski |
Produced by |
Basil Iwanyk Erica Lee |
Written by |
Derek Kolstad |
Music by |
Tyler Bates Joel J. Richard |
Cinematography |
Dan Laustsen |
Edited by |
Evan Schiff |
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: #02 in John Wick Collection
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The Plot
The Reclamation of the Mustang
Days after the events that brought him back into the fold, John Wick is intent on tying up the final loose end. He infiltrates a taxi garage owned by Abram Tarasov, the brother of the late Viggo, to recover his stolen 1969 Ford Mustang Boss 429. What begins as a retrieval mission escalates into a violent rampage; John dispatches Tarasov's men with brutal efficiency, using his vehicle as a battering ram to crush his opposition, heavily damaging the prized car in the process. Despite the carnage, John forces his way into Abram’s office but chooses mercy over vengeance. He pours Abram a drink and offers a truce, sparing the crime boss under the promise of peace. With his car battered but reclaimed, John returns home, believing his violent past is finally buried.
The Marker and the Inferno
John’s attempt to return to a quiet retirement is shattered by a visit from Santino D'Antonio, a Camorra crime boss and a ghost from John's past. Santino reminds John that it was his resources and influence that helped John complete his "impossible task"—the very feat that allowed him to retire and marry his late wife, Helen. In exchange for that help, John swore to a "marker," an unbreakable blood oath symbolized by a medallion containing John's bloody fingerprint. Santino presents the marker, demanding John’s services to claim a seat at the High Table, a council of twelve high-level crime lords that govern the underworld.
John refuses, citing that he is retired. Santino acknowledges the refusal calmly, walking out of the house only to retrieve a grenade launcher from his vehicle. He fires a grenade into John’s home, obliterating the structure and burning it to the ground. John and his dog survive the inferno, but the sanctuary of his memories is destroyed.
The Rules of the Continental
With nowhere else to turn, John travels to the Continental Hotel in New York City. He meets with the proprietor, Winston, who reminds the furious assassin of the two unbreakable rules that govern their society: no killing on Continental grounds, and every marker must be honored. Winston warns John that rejecting the marker effectively violates the laws of the High Table, punishable by death. Reluctantly, John realizes he is trapped. He accepts the commitment and meets with Santino, who reveals the target: his own sister, Gianna D'Antonio. Santino intends to seize her seat at the High Table but cannot kill her himself. To ensure the job is done, Santino sends Ares, his mute and lethal bodyguard, to shadow John’s movements.
The Coronation in Rome
John travels to Rome, arming himself with tactical precision for the task. He infiltrates Gianna’s coronation party, slipping through the catacombs and ancient ruins to reach her private dressing room. When he confronts her, Gianna realizes her time has come. Rather than suffering the indignity of assassination, she chooses to take her own life, slitting her wrists in a bath. As she drifts into death, John holds her hand, and once she passes, he shoots her in the head to fulfill the technical requirements of the marker and end any potential suffering.
As John attempts to exfiltrate, he is spotted by Cassian, Gianna’s loyal bodyguard and an old acquaintance of John’s. Realizing what John has done, Cassian engages him in a ferocious gunfight. John flees into the catacombs, only to be ambushed by Ares and a tactical team of Santino’s henchmen. Santino, intending to tie up "loose ends" immediately, had ordered John’s execution upon the completion of the mission. John fights his way through the betrayal, decimating Santino’s team with high-velocity gun-fu before being pursued once again by a vengeful Cassian.
Sanctuary and Professional Courtesy
The brawl between John and Cassian spills out of the streets and violently crashes through the glass doors of the Rome Continental. The receptionist halts the fight immediately, invoking the hotel's strict policy against conducting business on the premises. Breathing heavily and bruised, the two assassins cease fire. They retreat to the hotel bar for a tense drink. John explains that he had no choice due to the marker, but Cassian, bound by duty and friendship to Gianna, promises John a quick and clean death as a sign of professional respect. John settles his bill and prepares to return to New York.
The Seven Million Dollar Contract
Back in New York City, Santino D'Antonio feigns outrage over his sister's murder to the High Table and opens a public contract on John Wick's life valued at $7 million. Ostensibly seeking justice, but largely covering his own tracks, Santino’s contract activates the city’s vast network of assassins. John is immediately besieged; he battles a violin-playing assassin in the subway, survives an attack by sumo wrestlers, and fights off gunmen on the streets.
Eventually, Cassian catches up to John in a subway station. The two engage in a brutal knife fight aboard a moving train. The duel ends when John jams a knife deep into Cassian’s aorta. Showing mercy to a man he respects, John leaves the knife in place, telling Cassian that pulling it out will kill him, but leaving it gives him a chance at survival if he seeks immediate medical attention. John leaves the incapacitated bodyguard behind.
The Bowery King’s Gift
Badly injured, bleeding, and hunted by the entire city, John seeks refuge with the Bowery King, an underground crime lord who controls a network of homeless spies and pigeons. The Bowery King, though wary, treats John's injuries. He is intrigued by John's sheer will and his intent to kill a member of the High Table—an act that would destabilize the hierarchy the Bowery King despises. He decides to aid John "sportingly." He provides John with a Kimber 1911 pistol and exactly seven bullets—one for every million dollars of the contract on his head. He then directs John to an art museum where Santino is holding a celebratory gala.
Reflections of the Soul
John infiltrates the museum, navigating the "Reflections of the Soul" exhibit, a labyrinth of mirrors that disorients his enemies. He systematically eliminates Santino’s remaining henchmen, making every shot count. The chaos forces Santino to flee, leaving Ares to stop John. In a final, gritty hand-to-hand confrontation amidst the shattered glass, John overpowers and kills Ares. However, the delay buys Santino enough time to escape the museum and retreat to the safety of the Continental Hotel.
Excommunicado
John pursues Santino all the way to the Continental. He finds the arrogant crime lord relaxing in the lounge, smug in the knowledge that he can stay within the hotel's sanctuary indefinitely, safe from John’s wrath. Winston appears, attempting to diffuse the situation, but John’s patience has evaporated. Ignoring Winston’s desperate warning to walk away, John raises his gun and shoots Santino in the head, executing him in the middle of the lounge. The lobby falls silent. John has violated the cardinal rule. He holsters his weapon and walks out, leaving the body and his future behind.
The World Against One
The following day, Winston meets John in Central Park. The consequences of his actions are catastrophic. Winston explains that the High Table has doubled the contract to $14 million and made it global; every assassin in the world will soon be hunting him. Furthermore, for conducting business on Continental grounds, Winston is forced to declare John "Excommunicado," stripping him of all access to underworld resources and protection. However, out of friendship, Winston delays the activation of the order by one hour, giving John a head start.
Winston hands John a marker for future use, a final token of alliance. Before turning to leave, John looks at Winston and delivers a chilling message: "Winston... tell them... tell them all... whoever comes, whoever it is... I'll kill them. I'll kill them all." Winston nods, and as John walks away, Winston makes the call to activate the status. Around the park and across the city, cell phones begin to ring in unison. Assassins disguised as civilians stop and look at John. Realizing the hour is up and the hunt has begun, John Wick grabs his dog’s leash and breaks into a run.
