Ranking the John Wick Films from Worst to Best
“John Wick” (2014-2023) is perhaps the only (American) film series where gradual improvement was evident upon the release of each entry. Expanding the hinted mythology in the first revenge driven flick, “John Wick” (2014) became an action giant altering the way movies within the same genre were shot, edited and executed just like “The Matrix” (1999), “The Raid” (2011) and “Mad Max Fury Road” (2005) did; meanwhile several others tried to pull off the same trick but did not manage to catch that visceral feeling (e.g., “Atomic Blonde” (2017), “Fate of the Furious” (2017), “Polar“ (2019), “Birds of Prey” (2020), “Kate“ (2021), “Gunpowder Milkshake“ (2021)).
Pushing the boundaries of stuntwork with wide framing, long takes and frankly a novel and slick choreography that only Jiu-Jitsu grappling techniques and Judo throws can offer, each installment attempted to outdo its predecessor by increasing the number of inventive set pieces, intriguing supporting characters and levels of difficulty across some pretty straightforward plot points and a variety of impeccably designed settings.
Yet there is some remarkable melancholia throughout the whole franchise backed by interesting themes and a never ending expanding mythology about a secret world of assassins, shady dealings and a new world ranking order that requires only the finest environments in order to be brought to the big screen.
The release of the critically acclaimed “John Wick Chapter 4” (2023) marks potentially the final entry in the cinematic life of the stoic and suit worn assassin. Therefore, a ranking of the Wick entries from worst to best seems to be a necessity for cinephiles and adrenaline junkies.
Yet, there in lies a problem! There are no bad installments so a compromise must be reached accordingly. Thus, these are ordered from very good, excellent, exceptional and holy s**t. We hope you enjoy this ranking list and may the Wick be with you. Yeah, we think he is back too!
Body count
Budget and Box Office
Critical reception
Best moment: John Wick tearing apart the Red Circle to catch Alfie Allen’s Iosef under Le Castle Vania’s “Shot Fired”. History in the making.
4. John Wick (2014)
The film that started it all was at the beginning a tight story about a man dealing with grief. Offering snippets of intriguing mythology in a rainy New York, the catalyst was indeed the death of a puppy which initially might seem pointless but once you think about it, this four legged creature served as an excellent metaphor for the process of healing. Played with a straight face by Keanu Reeves, his characterization brings forward the tragedies that have pledged the actor in real life so when he announces “I think I am back”, there is an underlying honesty and ferocity in his delivery. Supported by an excellent cast in the likes of Dafoe, fan favorite McShane, Reddick, Allen, Palicki, Leguizamo and Nyqvist, Wick embarks on a mission to basically kill one person only to find several obstacles along the way. Swallowed by sheer determination, his older self, the unstoppable Baba Yaga highlights for the first time the practicality of Jiu-Jitsu and hyper-stylized gun fun that aims for the head instead of John Woo’s balletic chaos. Precision at its finest. Reeves did pretty much every stunt himself (except the one where he gets thrown off a club balcony!) nailing the quick thinking movements of Wick as elegant as a feather. Beautifully shot and scored, it is the birth of a wonderful franchise and a landmark shift in action cinema.
Direction
🎬🎬🎬
Stunt work
🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️
Cinematography
👓👓👓👓
Shoot outs
🔫🔫🔫
Fights
👊👊👊
Mythology
🏛️🏛️🏛️
Body count
💀💀💀💀💀
Characters
🎭🎭🎭
Locations
🏯🏯🏯
Inventiveness
🌸🌸🌸
Best moment: The fight amidst ancient weaponry is a nice nod to “The Matrix Reloaded” (2003) and spectacularly creative.
3. John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019)
In this threequel, a bigger budget allowed Stahelski to craft ingenuine set pieces involving sword fights on top of motorbikes, horse riding and shooting in the middle of NYC, a corridor brawl amidst ancient weaponry, dog fu(!) and why not, a three level face off inside a glass house where opponents come and go as they ninja please. Dan Laustsen really deserved an Oscar for his work here as the film’s cinematographer capturing a mesmerizing and highly saturated New York full of blues, amber and oranges straight out of a videogame. The script significantly expands the lore by adding the Adjudicator, Halle Berry’s Sofia and Anjelica Houston’s Director as well as giving a bigger role for the Bowery King, the Continental’s Winston and Reddick’s Charon (which means Death in Greek mind you). Yet for all of these eye candy, a U-turn halfway through renders some of the story choices pointless once you begin to think about it. Nevertheless, its technical efficiency, breathtaking stunts - watching Keanu leaning on the side while riding a horse in a busy NY street is one of life’s great joy’s - and distinct musical identity (Vivaldi’s “Winter” will never sound the same again) managed to push the action envelope to unexpected and occasionally thrilling places.
Direction
🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬
Stunt work
🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️
Cinematography
👓👓👓👓👓
Shoot outs
🔫🔫🔫🔫
Fights
👊👊👊👊👊
Mythology
🏛️🏛️🏛️🏛️
Body count
💀💀💀💀💀
Characters
🎭🎭🎭🎭
Locations
🏯🏯🏯
Inventiveness
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Best moment: The moment Vivaldi’s “Summer in G minor” explodes inside the museum shoot out, you know you are in good hands for exquisite and unmatchable action.
2. John Wick Chapter 2 (2017)
“Chapter 2” starts aggressively, significantly enriching the fascinating mythology established in the original by moving the action to the cosmopolitan flair of Rome. This is where John Wick was elevated from a cool character to the pop culture icon that he is today. The sequel’s framing and visual style will remain the most important components of this franchise until the very end. Dan Laustsen’s cinematography is stunning, the new characters intriguing enough but the action here is on a whole new level of complexity. Bigger, bloodier, messier and heavier than its predecessor, Stahelski finds his missing confidence to go steam ahead by staging innovative set pieces in the most unexpected areas: catacombs, public fountains, museums and a hall of mirrors dazzling scuffle that must be seen to be believed. Referencing simultaneously all time greats before him, Stahelski’s direction shines in the several fight sequences which are filled with cool, lethal locks, throws and visceral stuntwork. When it comes to an end, “Chapter 2” might be a bit exhausting (after all it bears the second highest body count in the franchise) but it is nonetheless an exhilarating and frankly beautiful orchestra of violence. At its core, rests Keanu, a synonymous face with John Wick deserving compliments for dedicating himself to the genre at a rather later age.
Direction
🎬🎬🎬🎬
Stunt work
🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️
Cinematography
👓👓👓👓👓
Shoot outs
🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫
Fights
👊👊👊👊👊
Mythology
🏛️🏛️🏛️🏛️
Body count
💀💀💀💀💀
Characters
🎭🎭🎭
Locations
🏯🏯🏯🏯
Inventiveness
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸
Best moment: Too many to choose from. But the Arc De Triomphe is truly something you have not seen before.
1. John Wick Chapter 4 (2023)
It did not feel possible after “Parabellum” for Stahelski and Keanu to outdo their work and yet with “Chapter 4”, they delivered one of the finest action films of all time. Similarly to what George Miller did in his own fourquel in “Mad Max Fury Road”, Stahelski crafted a superb three hour high octane masterpiece. His composition truly stands out among modern directors elevated by Laustsen’s mesmerising cinematography and Kavanaugh’s luscious production design. Bearing an expansive, epic feeling that is replicated several times throughout its ever difficulty escalating set pieces in gorgeous locations (e.g., a staircase free for all, a Parisian flat shoot out), the action sequences here have so much visual potency that multiple viewings are not recommended, they are a necessity. Yet for all its undeniable craftmanship and finesse, the emotional maturity of script provides a fitting epilogue for John Wick’s Odyssey making sure to springle some excellent visual storytelling throughout the lengthy running time. The addition of wonderful supporting players (Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rina Sawayama, Clancy Brown, Bill Skarsgard) bring additional class to a franchise that has been always bolstering quite the acting talent. With everyone having a few more things to do here, the thematically interesting concept of every-choice-has-an-action echoes figments of Greek tragedies who clearly serve as sources of inspiration in the entire series. By far, this is the franchise’s peak cinematic moment.
Direction
🎬🎬🎬🎬🎬
Stunt work
🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️🧗♂️
Cinematography
👓👓👓👓👓
Shoot outs
🔫🔫🔫🔫
Fights
👊👊👊👊👊
Mythology
🏛️🏛️🏛️
Body count
💀💀💀💀💀
Characters
🎭🎭🎭🎭🎭
Locations
🏯🏯🏯🏯🏯
Inventiveness
🌸🌸🌸🌸🌸