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Summary
FromEnter the DragontoLawrence of Arabia , theJohn Wickfranchise is jam - packed with references to classic moving-picture show . John Wickwas conceived as a mishmash of the visual style of neo - noir , the fight stage dancing of martial arts movies , and the operatic vehemence of spaghetti Western , so it makes sense that the franchise has eviscerate from a abstruse well of cinematic influences . From a nightclub diagnose after a Gallic heist motion-picture show to a vicious underworld receiving set station describe after a kung fu subgenre , theJohn Wickseries has more film homages and inner jokes than a Quentin Tarantino film .
Some of theJohn Wickfranchise ’s references are obvious , like a climactic accelerator pedal affaire d’honneur borrowed fromThe Good , the Bad , and the Ugly , while others are more insidious , like a background street performance borrow fromRocky . The movies have even homaged the cinematic legacy of their own star , Keanu Reeves , with nods toThe Matrix . It ’s clear that the film producer behind this franchise have a deep love and appreciation for cinema history . From a music cue taken fromDie Hardto a pestilent stairway taken fromThe Exorcist , theJohn Wickmovies have referenced all kinds of Hellenic movies .
10Die Hard (1988)
“Ode to Joy” on the church organ in John Wick
In the firstJohn Wickmovie , when John finds out about a huge cache of cash that Viggo has shroud in a church building , he heads to the church to burn it all . As he go into the church service , the church organist can be heard playing “ Ode to Joy ” from the fourth and final movement of Ludwig van Beethoven ’s Ninth Symphony . John Wickisn’t the first activity pic to have “ Ode to Joy ” on its soundtrack ; it was also used inDie Hard .
snuff it Harduses “ Ode to Joy ” as the theme line for Hans Gruber and his nefarious brother . It plays during their introduction and it comes back when Theo pull off to get the bank vault open . John Wick ’s use of “ Ode to Joy ” is likely a nod to the Sung ’s cellular inclusion in the previous action movie classic .
9The Warriors (1979)
The WUXIA radio DJ in John Wick: Chapter 4
When John is making his manner across Paris to present the Marquis in a duel inJohn Wick : Chapter 4 , audience are introduced to WUXIA , an undivided radio station within the criminal netherworld name after a subgenre of martial arts movies . Throughout John ’s Parisian mishap , the WUXIA DJ – played by Marie Pierra Kakoma – nock the action with diegetic songs ontheJohn Wick : Chapter 4soundtrack , like “ Marie Douceur , Marie Colère ” by Manon Hollander , a screen of the Rolling Stones ’ “ Paint It Black . ”
The closeup guess of the DJ ’s lips talk into the microphone is a direct court to a similar shaft fromThe Warriors . This shot was also homaged inPulp Fictionwhen Mia Wallace speak to Vincent Vega via her intercommunication system system . The scene further referencesThe Warriorswhen the DJ plays Lola Colette ’s cover of Martha and the Vandellas ’ “ Nowhere to Run . ”The Warriorsused a different cover charge of “ Nowhere to Run ” performed by Arnold McCuller .
8Enter The Dragon (1973)
The hall of mirrors fight in John Wick: Chapter 2
TheJohn Wickfilms were heavily influenced by martial artwork film , so it was appropriate for one of them to let in a nod to arguably the great warriorlike arts movie ever made : Bruce Lee ’s crowning cinematic accomplishment , put down the Dragon . In bothEnter the DragonandJohn Wick : Chapter 2 , the climactic face-off takes place in a hall of mirrors . The heroes of both picture show are environ by bad guy rope and their reflections .
Although it ended up being remembered as one of the motion-picture show ’s best scenes – and one of the most iconic achievements of Lee ’s career – Lee to begin with object toEnter the Dragon ’s mirror scene . Lee was worried that the many mirror featured on - projection screen would make it difficult for watcher to make out what was going on . When he saw the lot , he was win over that the disorientation would sum to the intensity of the final fight .
7The Tale Of Zatoichi (1962)
Donnie Yen’s Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4
Donnie Yen ’s part as unsighted warriorlike arts master CaineinJohn Wick : Chapter 4has been compared to Yen ’s previous performance as “ Guardian of the Whills ” Chirrut Îmwe inRogue One : A Star Wars Story . But the fibre was really inspired by a much earlier motion picture : the Greco-Roman samurai movieThe Tale of Zatoichi . The Tale of Zatoichirevolves around a blind masseur who also bump to be a master swordsman . Caine is n’t a masseur , but he is a master copy swordsman .
The similarities between the two character stretch out beyond their visual impairment . InThe Tale of Zatoichi , Zatoichi stumble into the crossfire of a struggle between revengeful geisha girl and rival yakuza gangs . InJohn Wick : Chapter 4 , Caine falter into the crossfire of a battle between Wick ’s musical accompaniment at the Osaka Continental and the force of the High Table .
6The Matrix (1999)
The “Guns, lots of guns” line in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
TheJohn Wickseries does n’t just court action movies that the filmmakers admire ; it also reference one of the moving picture that they actually worked on . John Wickdirector Chad Stahelski first worked with Reeves on the stunt forThe Matrix , and theJohn Wickmovies have a brace of nods to their earlier legal action masterpiece . The sequels reunited Reeves with hisMatrixco - star Laurence Fishburne in the office of the Bowery King .
The third moving picture , John Wick : Chapter 3 – Parabellum , take over an iconic billet from the firstMatrixfilm . When John and Charon are amaze ready to defend the New York Continental from the High Table ’s goons , John says they ’ll require “ heavy weapon , quite a little of guns . ” This is the same thing that Neo said when he was getting ready for the vestibule shootout inThe Matrix .
5The Exorcist (1973)
The deadly staircase in John Wick: Chapter 4
The climactic sequence inJohn Wick : Chapter 4sees John making his way up the giant stairway to the Sacré - Coeur Basilica for his final duel with the Marquis . On his way up the stairs , John kill a clustering of fellow assassins , and when he finally set out to the top , he ’s kicked all the way back down to the bottom , so he has to duplicate the Herculean struggle of getting back to the top . It ’s a great slapstick succession that brought the star sign down .
But it was also a sly point of reference to one of the great revulsion movies ever made . There ’s a similarly marvelous and deadly set of stairs outside Chris and Regan MacNeil ’s apartment in William Friedkin ’s groundbreaking ceremony horror opusThe Exorcist . Burke Dennings and by and by Father Karras both go from precipitate down these stair , like the many people killed by John on his way to the Basilica .
4Le Cercle Rouge (1970)
The Red Circle nightclub in John Wick
The stoical , moth-eaten - blooded antihero of theJohn Wickfranchise was for the most part inspired by Alain Delon ’s stoical , cold - blooded torpedo character Jef Costello in Jean - Pierre Melville’sLe Samouraï . But the first movie includes a lineal court to a different Melville - directed crime film : Le Cercle Rouge . The English translation of the film ’s title isThe Red Circle , and the nightclub where John tracks down Iosef inJohn Wickis bring up after this English - language championship .
Le Cercle Rougeis a chilling criminal offence thriller about an unlikely trine of crooks teaming up to be after an detailed stickup . The film is renowned for its tense climactic heist sequence , which have almost no dialogue and chronicles the nail - biting events of the robbery through entirely visual storytelling . The picture show as a whole exemplifies the gritty action and minimalist characterization that madeJohn Wickso great .
3Lawrence Of Arabia (1962)
The desert scenes in John Wick: Chapter 4
At the beginning ofJohn Wick : Chapter 4 , there ’s a stark cut from John get back into fighting shape at the Bowery King ’s den to John chasing down the High Table ’s hood on horseback in the desert . This is an homage to a standardised transition to the desert in David Lean ’s dazzling Technicolor epicLawrence of Arabia . The opening of Lean ’s moving-picture show cut from T.E. Lawrence ’s funeral in 1935 to his journeying across the desert during the First World War .
The breathtaking wide snapshot of the desert are a direct acknowledgment to Freddie A. Young ’s iconic cinematography fromLawrence of Arabia . In particular , the blaze sunrise in the background – which would ’ve been a nightmare to shoot around – cheer one ofLawrence of Arabia ’s most memorable image . The hogback Salmon Portland Chase , however , owe more to the western genre than it does to list ’s epic .
2Rocky (1976)
The street performance of “Take You Back” in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum
When John arrive at the library inJohn Wick : Chapter 3 – Parabellum , a group of street performers can be project outside vocalizing “ Take You Back . ” This is the same Sung dynasty whistle by Sylvester Stallone ’s brother , Frank Stallone , in the firstRockymovie . He write the song for the movie and it marked his on - projection screen vocalizing launching .
Stallone would go on to lead Sung dynasty to the soundtracks of a portion of his brother ’s picture . He babble out “ Angel Voice / Please Be Someone To Me ” forParadise Alley , “ Na Na Ninni / Two Kinds of Love ” forRocky II , “ Pushin ’ ” forRocky III , “ Far from Over ” forStaying Alive , “ peace of mind in Our Life ” forRambo : First Blood Part II , “ Bad Nite ” forOver the Top , and “ You Do n’t desire to fight back with Me ” forThe Expendables 2 . But “ Take You Back ” remains the most iconic .
1The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly (1966)
The climactic duel in John Wick: Chapter 4
The operatic violence of spaghetti western sandwich was a huge influence on the style of theJohn Wickmovies , and the climactic episode ofJohn Wick : Chapter 4homaged arguably the best - directed scene in the entire genre . The fourquel ’s final duel is an overweening nod to the final duel from Sergio Leone’sThe Good , the Bad , and the Ugly . When Clint Eastwood ’s Man with No Name in the end incur the graveyard where the Confederate gold is stashed , he find into an armed tie with the other two lineament .
Just as “ The Good ” gets into an armed standoff with “ The Bad ” and “ The Ugly , ” John gets into an armed draw with Caine and the Marquis . Stahelski replicated Leone ’s captivating blending of intense closeups and faraway wide shots , edited together with razor - sharp precision . Much likeThe Good , the Bad , and the Ugly ’s affaire d’honneur mark a meet conclusion to theDollarstrilogy , this sequence note a fitting conclusion to theJohn Wicksaga .
