There is no John Woo-esque cheating when it comes to the number of rounds in every magazine. Every bullet is accounted for, with the action choreography accounting for him reloading his weapons after the proper number of shots are fired. Similarly, the John Wick movies pad their inherent outrageousness with just enough realism to sell it. They're patently and knowingly ridiculous, much like how Buster Keaton knew that it was patently and knowingly ridiculous for his character to survive the front of a house around him in Steamboat Bill Jr. But to pull off that famous stunt, Keaton and his team had to actually execute it, to sell something so silly as something that could actually happen.because they made it actually happen. That's not to say John Wick and its sequel are realistic films. These are movies that understand the visceral, giddy thrill of watching someone survive a perilous and impossible situation, especially when that perilous and impossible situation feels real. When someone takes a fall or when a car slams into them, the John Wick movies are making a promise: they're not faking this and they're not editing around people who don't know how to fight. The faces of performers, including Reeves, are kept in frame as much as possible to make sure we know they're actually participating in the action. Shots are long and avoid extreme close-ups. There are modern tricks in the John Wick movies and digital technology helps ensure the safety of performers and a smoother production process, but the spirit is very much alive in how Stahelski shoots his action and how his stunt team stages it. The John Wick movies arrive a century after the heyday of the silent comedians, but they're very much a throwback to the days where filmmakers had no choice but to put it all in camera. In John Wick, he has found a character (and world) that feels like it was custom built for his specific set of skills. In director Chad Stalelski, Reeves has found a storyteller who knows how to use him best. But look at the face of the leading man! He's taking it so seriously. For the bulk of both movies, Reeves is stone-faced, the source of an unending and intentional punchline. Although John Wick is a more emotional guy than Keaton's characters, his outbursts of rage and anger only come at a breaking point. The John Wick movies have an entirely appropriate love for early silent comedies, and Reeves demands comparison with Buster Keaton, who built an entire career on maintaining a rigid composure and an expressionless face in the midst of absurd and (literally) dangerous situations. Reeves' natural stillness is not something every actor can pick up – there's a fine art to doing very little.
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