TheJohn Wickfranchise revolutionized the action genre with its signature “Gun-Fu” fighting style, but Jason Statham almost stole it a few years earlier. Beginning with the release of the eponymous film in 2014, the series tells the story of a retired assassin who is pressed back into action after criminals destroy his newfound happy life. Though the simple revenge plot has been done a million times before, it was director Chad Stahelski’s blend of martial arts and gunplay that made the action sequences jump off the screen.
Naturally, a string of sequels followed in the ensuing decade, andJohn Wickhas even been spun off into TV shows, and standalone films. Outside their obvious box-office appeal, the franchise is also important because its approach to action and stylized visuals have become the go-to for Hollywood cinema. Nearly every big-budget action film made since has borrowed the franchise’s neon-drenched aesthetic and its approach to fight choreography. Director Chad Stahelski has been influential in the action genre for decades, and he almost gave awayJohn Wick’s “Gun-Fu” style to another movie.
Safe Debuted Two Years Before John Wick
In an exclusive interview withScreenRant, director Chad Stahelski revealed thathe tried to introduce the “Gun-Fu” style that would be popularized byJohn Wickin the 2012 film,Safe. Stahelski served as Second Unit Director on the Jason Statham vehicle, which meant he oversaw the action sequences that were filmed after principal photography wrapped. According to Stahelski, he pitched this newfound approach to action but “It [just] didn’t quite fit with the storytelling.“He would also concede that he “didn’t want to force the style” and that it wouldn’t have workedforSafe’s grounded story.
Read Stahelski’s full comments below:
The technology of being very safe with blanks and guns and all that, we just had the sweet spot [with John Wick]. In Safe, it wasn’t quite there yet. We had been doing a lot of work with Jason at the time, who still is a very good friend of ours and we still work with quite a bit. We had the idea, we pitched it, and we thought it was cool, [but] it didn’t quite fit with what the director was trying to do [with] the character and stuff.
It wasn’t like anybody said, ‘No, we hate it.’ It [just] didn’t quite fit with the storytelling because it was more a guy down on his luck that had been hidden. It just had to be a little bit more ballistic and bombastic, and it was a little bit more of a cat and mouse [situation]. We didn’t want to force the style. you’re able to’t force a style on someone.
It really wasn’t about missed opportunities or [that] somebody didn’t like what we were doing–it just didn’t fit. It’s like if we did John Wick and it was all wire like The Matrix. It just doesn’t fit. [Or] if we did grappling in The Matrix, it probably wouldn’t fit.
What Stahelski’s Comments Mean For The John Wick Franchise
The Timing Just Wasn’t Right For “Gun-Fu”
John Wickrepresented a major change in Hollywood action films, and that was because of Stahelski’s vision alongside safety improvements.
As Stahelski mentioned in his comments, the technology to safely execute his visionary “Gun-Fu” style was just becoming available whenSafewas filming, but it wasn’t quite there yet. This is crucial to the execution of the action sequences inJohn Wick, andthe dangers of filmmaking are being lessened by safer approaches to gun useas well asimprovements within the stunt professionin general.John Wickrepresented a major change in Hollywood action films, and that was because of Stahelski’s vision alongside safety improvements.
Chad Stahelski has directed all the mainlineJohn Wickfilms thus far, but he didn’t directBallerina.
Our Take On Stahelski’s Recent Comments About John Wick
John Wick Would Have Been Groundbreaking Either Way
While it’s true thatJohn Wickcaused such a splash because of its freshness, it probably wouldn’t have made much of a difference ifSafeused the “Gun-Fu” style. Not only isJohn Wickthe superior film in general, butthe success of the 2014 franchise starter was in the sum of its parts. Stahelski’s strong approach to the movie’s visuals plays just as big a role in its success ashis action scenes, and the film would not be the same without all aspects of its execution. Furthermore, Keanu Reeves deserves credit for his performance in the title role.
