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I keep thinking about how the John Wick franchise uses spirituality & religion in a completely different way from typical US action cinema.
John Wick even uses the dead wife trope in a more spiritual way than most movies. Instead of flying into a rage because his wife was taken from him, John seeks revenge because someone interrupted his path to serenity/closure.
Most American action movies are either aggressively non-spiritual, or feature nonspecific cultural Christianity (ie Christmas in Die Hard).
Meanwhile John Wick is this unique mix of Russian Orthodox and Greek/Roman mythological imagery, set in a quasi-religious fantasy culture.
Meanwhile John Wick is this unique mix of Russian Orthodox and Greek/Roman mythological imagery, set in a quasi-religious fantasy culture.
John Wick's journey begins with a one-two punch of religious/spiritual imagery: John retrieving coins to pay the ferryman to the underworld (Charon), and exposing his tattoos: a crucifix & a Latin phrase about the goddess of luck. 
There are a bunch of ways to interpret John Wick's tattoos. Versions of "Fortunate favors the bold" are used by the US army/marines, although the films don't actually confirm that he's a veteran.
Despite having a giant crucifix tattoo, there's no hint that John Wick is a practising Christian. In fact, I always read it as a relic of his Russian mob days, something Chapter 3 confirms when he uses a Russian Orthodox rosary as a bartering token.
The true religion of the John Wick franchise is actually the code of honor around the High Table, where the Continental is a place of sanctuary, and people like John are expected to maintain total loyalty & self-denial.
The turning point of John Wick: Chapter 3 is SO RELIGIOUS.
1. John follows a prophetic message to meet a godlike figure in the desert.
2. He's then forced to align his personal faith (his desire to honor his wife's memory) with organized religion: pledging himself to The Elder.
1. John follows a prophetic message to meet a godlike figure in the desert.
2. He's then forced to align his personal faith (his desire to honor his wife's memory) with organized religion: pledging himself to The Elder.
I touched upon this in my Chapter 3 review, but the John Wick franchise is packed with fantasy worldbuilding, with each film structured around a mythic quest.
The spiritual/mythological themes of each John Wick movie are very clear:
Chapter 1 - Descent into the underworld.
Chapter 2 - An impossible quest (featuring a giant Hercules statue).
Chapter 3 - Rebellion against the gods.
Chapter 1 - Descent into the underworld.
Chapter 2 - An impossible quest (featuring a giant Hercules statue).
Chapter 3 - Rebellion against the gods.
(I should write about this in a professional capacity, shouldn't I. Check back tomorrow for a more coherent expansion of these ideas.)
I wrote about the spiritual themes of the John Wick franchise, from Greek mythology to the High Table's role as an organized religion: dailydot.com/parsec/john-wi…
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