The myth of John Wick
John Wick celebrates its tenth anniversary. And, the more time passes and with it the saga continues its successes, the more it becomes clear that there was genius, audacity and luck in launching the first film. Throughout its production, David Leitch and Chad Stahelski’s feature film sought its own identity. This neo-noir action thriller was supposed to be an intriguing story of gangsters and revenge, a film Plot driven with its twists and its moral edifice, or a “character” film, character drivenbiopic about a demigod of death and myth-building? Could it be both?
Production was complex and its distribution even more so. First it was necessary to put together the version that would convince Lionsgate to distribute it to a minimum — and would delight audiences at the Austin Film Festival, triggering powerful word-of-mouth buzz that would make it an instant hit when it opened in theaters in late October 2014. Produced for $20 million, it grossed $14 million since its premiere week and will end its run in cinemas with a worldwide box office total of $86 million. The icing on the cake is that critics are mostly enthusiastic.
What were the determining elements of this success? There are many, but there are two things that were more than enough to convince, summed up in one sentence: “They shouldn’t have killed his dog.”
A dog and a title
The birth of the myth of John Wick, rather than the loss of the love of his life, is due to the murder of his puppy. A gift that his wife, condemned by illness, had prepared for him to alleviate his loneliness once she died. It is therefore the murder of the puppy by the son of a Russian mafia boss in New York that immediately establishes the character and solicits empathy from the audience. And it is by exercising their revenge that everyone understands that they would not have upset “John Wick”, the myth, the “Baba Yaga”.
At the beginning of its promotion, the film was not named John Wick But Contempt. This title was that of the story created and written by Derek Koldstad. Contempttranslatable as “contempt”, it was therefore the original and validated title. Problem, which however turned out to be a miraculous solution, Keanu Reeves in front of the press he referred to the film as “John Wick”. As Derek Kolstad recalled in an interview with Comic book in 2020:
The only reason the movie is called “John Wick” is because Keanu kept calling it that. Then the marketing department said, “Dude, that’s 4 or 5 million in free advertising, so it’s ‘John Wick’ instead of ‘Scorn’.” Today I can’t imagine the title of the film Contempt.
A very effective “forgetfulness”.
Keanu Reeves soon realized that the simplicity of the plot was enough and that the central point of the film was its main character. AND Contemptvalid title for the title that evokes the notion, the feeling that animates the character, is not as constitutive as is, simply, his name. Sincere or not, this “forgetting” of the original title by Keanu Reeves has nevertheless benefited, on all levels, this cult film and the first work of a successful saga.
Source: Cine Serie
Ray Ortiz is a journalist at Gossipify, known for his coverage of trending news and current events. He is committed to providing readers with accurate and unbiased reporting, and is respected for his ability to keep readers informed on the latest news and issues.
