The John Wick franchise is brimming with outlandish stunts and creative action sequences, and Keanu Reeves is often the man at the helm. With the help of his various stunt doubles, the beloved actor has created some of the greatest stunts of the last decade as this high-octane action franchise got bigger, brasher, and bolder with its stories. While the first John Wick movie was a fairly self-contained thriller with lots of hand-to-hand combat, the later installments got much wider in their scope for action.
The John Wick series contains some of Keanu Reeves’ most rewatchable movies, and much of this comes down to the effort and dedication that was put into every single action sequence. Whether it’s five minutes of choreography during a throwaway fight scene, or extended set pieces that reach up to half an hour in length, director Chad Stahelski always knows how to use Reeves’ charisma and the talent of his stunt doubles to their full effect.
10 The Nightclub Brawl
John Wick (2014)
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In the first John Wick, Reeves’ titular hero sets out on a mission to get revenge against the family responsible for stealing his car and killing his dog. Fairly early into the film, he tracks the culprit down to a busy nightclub – and what ensues immediately sets the tone for the rest of the movie. There are many self-contained fight sequences and bold stunts encased in this single location, but arguably the most impressive is when Wick is thrown over a railing and lands harshly on the floor.
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Director David Leitch , Chad Stahelski Release Date October 24, 2014 Cast Keanu Reeves , Adrianne Palicki , Willem Dafoe , Bridget Moynahan , Jason Isaacs , Alfie Allen Runtime 101 Minutes
The stunt itself was performed by Jackson Spidell, the stuntman responsible for much of Reeves’ work in this movie, and he was actually thrown over the railing onto a pile of boxes. The shot that follows shows Spidell landing directly on the floor from a more reasonable height, and the result makes it seem like Wick has shaken off the tumble with no injury. It’s a hugely impressive stunt, and it immediately sets up John Wick as an action movie for the ages.
9 The Desert Horse Chase
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
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Despite the immense presence of stunt coordination teams on the John Wick sets, many of the franchise’s most iconic scenes were actually performed by Keanu Reeves himself. One such moment comes in the middle of John Wick: Chapter 3, when the character is seen riding through the streets on the back of a horse.
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Director Chad Stahelski Release Date May 17, 2019 Cast Halle Berry , Mark Dacascos , Cecep Arif Rahman , Keanu Reeves , Angelica Huston , Yayan Ruhian , Laurence Fishburne , Jason Mantzoukas , Ian McShane , Asia Kate Dillon , Lance Reddick , Tiger Hu Chen Runtime 131 minutes
His enemies chase him down on motorcycles, and he performs a series of complex maneuvers to dodge them. These include hanging off the side of the horse, shooting his enemies while riding forward, and dodging bullets coming from behind him.
The illusion was created using wires that were erased in post-production, but that is Keanu on the horse in this scene.
The illusion was created using wires that were erased in post-production, but that is Keanu on the horse in this scene. Reeves has claimed to have done most of his John Wick stunts before, which is likely why they always seem so intense and grounded.
8 Rolling Down The Stairs
John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
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One of the most exciting parts of John Wick: Chapter 2 is when the protagonist travels to Italy to pay his debt and take out his next target. Once he’s finished the task, Wick finds himself in a lengthy brawl with the intimidating Cassian, who tackles him down a huge flight of stairs during their fight.
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Director Chad Stahelski Release Date February 10, 2017 Cast John Leguizamo , Ian McShane , Thomas Sadoski , Common , Keanu Reeves , David Patrick Kelly , Lance Reddick , Laurence Fishburne , Ruby Rose , Peter Stormare , Bridget Moynahan Budget $40 million
As the music cuts out, the pair tumble for what feels like hours, as the punches continue to fly during their descent. While much of the fight choreography was performed by Reeves in this scene, the actual tumble was performed by stuntmen Jackson Spidell and Daniel Graham.
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The pair genuinely fell down the stairs to capture this sequence, filming the whole thing in real time without any breaks. Keanu Reeves was involved in a few close-up shots to make it seem realistic, but it’s Spidell and Graham who deserve commendation for this stunt.
7 The Dog Fight
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
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Some might say that working with animals is a recipe for disaster on a film set, but their involvement in John Wick: Chapter 3 resulted in one of the film’s greatest scenes. However, the dogs in this scene weren’t just any dogs: they were specially-trained canines who’d been instructed to attack certain areas of the stuntmen without hurting them. This was obviously one of the franchise’s most dangerous shoots, but these disciplined dogs made it look easy.
Halle Berry was even trained to command the dogs herself to prevent a professional trainer from having to be there every time the stunt was performed.
John Wick 3’s dog scenes are surprisingly accurate too, with lots of care being taken to ensure that everything ran as smoothly as possible. Halle Berry was even trained to command the dogs herself to prevent a professional trainer from having to be there every time the stunt was performed.
6 Grand Finale Car Tricks
John Wick (2014)
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In the final moments of John Wick, the titular character finally tracks down his target and enters a dangerous car chase with him in a rainy parking lot. The pair perform plenty of risky tricks and difficult maneuvers as they attempt to bring each other down, including doors flying off the vehicles and Reeves hanging out the driver’s side door. Unbelievably, Reeves didn’t need his stunt doubles at all for this scene, performing all the tricks himself.
With this scene, Reeves immediately proved that he was just as talented using vehicles as he is with hand-to-hand combat – so naturally, more car chases ensued in the following movie. Chapter 2 begins with an immense set piece where Reeves drives through a warehouse and kills plenty of henchmen, and most of the tricks in that sequence were performed without a double too.
5 Falling From The Continental
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
In the twist ending of John Wick: Chapter 3, John Wick is betrayed by Winston and shot off the rooftop of the Continental Hotel, where many of the franchise’s most intense scenes take place. After he stumbles over the edge, the film shows Wick falling to the ground, tumbling across balconies and gutters on the way down. It’s a fall that nobody (without their Kevlar suit) could survive, and yet the film shows all the injuries in excruciating detail.
Unsurprisingly, this scene was another result of camera trickery and the immense talents of Jackson Spidell. The film interspersed many different shots of Spidell falling from relatively safe heights, making it appear like one smooth fall. This dramatic climax cements Chapter 3 as one of the best John Wick movies, even if Reeves himself wasn’t involved in this stunt.
4 Arc de Triomphe Skirmish
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
The final act of John Wick: Chapter 4 has several different set pieces, comprising one of the most ambitious pieces of action filmmaking in recent memory, and they all rank among the franchise’s most impressive stunts. It’s an absolute masterclass in thrilling action, and it all begins at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. Here, Wick dodges an endless wave of enemies from his car, circling the iconic landmark as he takes down other drivers and motorcyclists in the middle of traffic.
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Director Chad Stahelski Release Date March 24, 2023 Cast Hiroyuki Sanada , Clancy Brown , Scott Adkins , Keanu Reeves , Ian McShane , Bill Skarsgard , Laurence Fishburne , Rina Sawayama , Donnie Yen , Lance Reddick , Shamier Anderson Runtime 169 minutes
In the scene, Wick’s car has no windows, no doors, and no windshield – which immediately lowers his odds against the combined forces of Paris’ mercenaries. And yet, by swerving around his enemies and picking up weapons from the ground mid-swerve, he manages to shake them all off. Most of the tricks were performed by Reeves on-set, though much of the background action was added in post.
3 Verrazano Bridge Motorbike Chase
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
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Another scene that was performed almost entirely by Reeves himself was the Verrazano Bridge chase in John Wick 3, which was shot against a greenscreen with other stunt performers. Though it doesn’t feature any of John Wick’s major villains, it’s still one of the most memorable fights because of how expertly and tightly the whole thing is shot, with the camera darting between characters and vehicles as they dash across the bridge.
What’s perhaps most impressive about the Verrazano Bridge scene is how smoothly everything runs, despite the practical effects that were involved behind the scenes. It’s one of Chad Stahelski’s greatest accomplishments as a director, and another testament to Reeves’ dedication to his stunt work.
2 The Overhead Apartment Fight
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
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Perhaps the franchise’s most creative and innovative action sequence of all, this fight scene is filmed entirely from overhead as Wick enters an apartment building in Paris. The bird’s eye view follows him as he moves from room to room, taking out enemies and using his enclosed environment to his advantage.
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The best movies like John Wick are the ones that–like John Wick the character and John Wick the film–go above and beyond what action fans expect.
The scene was created using a mixture of practical sets and visual effects, with Reeves dodging through the labyrinth of half-built rooms under the view of a spider-cam balancing across four wires. The flamethrower was added in post using a variety of special effects to prevent any potential injuries – because, unlike John Wick, the stunt team isn’t invincible,
1 One More Step
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
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The grand finale of John Wick: Chapter 4 features the best action sequence in the whole franchise; as Wick rushes to make his way to the sunrise duel, he’s stopped at the bottom of a tall staircase by a gang of mercenaries looking to take him down. What follows is a gripping, high-octane fight sequence as he climbs the stairs against all odds, battling his enemies and throwing them around as he rushes to make it to the top on time.
The choreography of John Wick: Chapter 4’s ending is flawless, with some non-stop action that was performed mostly by Reeves himself. While the stunt team took over for some of the more dangerous falls (such as when he tumbles to the bottom, just to get back up and climb again), this was mostly down to Reeves and the hand-to-hand combat skills that he’s acquired over the years before and during his John Wick days.
John Wick
“John Wick” is a neo-noir action-thriller franchise centered around a retired hitman who returns to the criminal underworld to seek vengeance. Known for its intense and stylistic action sequences, the franchise has redefined modern action cinema with its choreographed gunfights, hand-to-hand combat, and intricate world-building. The series explores themes of loyalty, honor, and survival in a secret society of assassins.
Created by Derek Kolstad First Film John Wick Latest Film John Wick: Chapter 4 Upcoming Films Ballerina First TV Show The Continental Video Game(s) John Wick Hex Expand