In one of the best action franchises of all time, only the first John Wick film achieves true greatness

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We all love the John Wick series. They are some of the best action movies of the last decade and have consistently given us unforgettable fights and great scenes to discuss. As much as I love seeing the tension build in each film, I also can’t get over the fact that each subsequent John Wick film becomes less exciting, less engaging, and less unique than the last. Not because they don’t deliver on the action, but because they give too much away about the underground world of assassins at the heart of John Wick.

I’ve made this argument before when talking about Stranger Things – when it comes to world-building, sometimes less is more. Knowing the intricacies of the Continental Hotel didn’t exactly help me enjoy the films, any more than John’s past as Baba Yaga made him a more compelling character. In fact, the opposite was true for me. As the scope of the films increased and we learned about the international intrigue of the High Table and everyone involved, I found myself longing for a simpler time when it was just about a man running amok all over town over a dog.

That’s why, for me, the first John Wick film is the only one that does a great job. It tells you exactly what you need to know and nothing else. It allows the John Wick mythos to grow simply by watching people’s reactions to him. Do we need to know about the coins John digs up in his basement? Or how he won his freedom from the High Table? Or every rule and nicety on the neutral ground of the Continental? These are details that get in the way of what this series is about – a man whose name alone is enough to strike fear into even the hardest criminals.

Check out this scene where Viggo calls Aurelio from John Wick. This phone call consists of less than 30 words, none of which are about John Wick’s past exploits, and yet it tells us everything we need to know about them. Viggo has been portrayed as a fearsome figure, likely calling Aurelio with the intention of threatening him for disrespecting his son. The mention of John Wick changes his mind and, judging by the look on Michael Nyqvist’s face, makes him reflect on his own mortality with a newfound sense of necessity. That’s the impact of a man whose ability to murder is legendary, and it’s all we need to understand the grave mistake Viggo’s son made.

At the end of the first film, we still know very little about the world of John Wick. We know there are rules and there are consequences for breaking them, but we don’t know the elaborate ceremonies and rituals because that’s not important. It feels like the writers have imagined an entire universe in this film and are only showing us the tip of it, and damn, that’s so much more compelling than explaining it all to us. Mystery, when used correctly, is so much more valuable a storytelling tool than mere explanation.

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