Known for its neon-drenched cinematography and incredibly well-choreographed stunts, the John Wick franchise has wowed audiences for the past nine years. With the most recent entry into the series finally making its way to movie theater screens, John Wick: Chapter 4 sees our titular character, played phenomenally by Keanu Reeves, with the price on his head continuing to increase as he uncovers a way to defeat the High Table and gain true freedom.
What started out as a former assassin’s simple tale of revenge has now spiraled into a saga of violence that showcases the complex rules of this secretive underworld he got himself back into. Wick may have descended into a world of chaos by enacting revenge on those who wronged him, but the journey that the “Baba Yaga” embarks on has also resulted in the creation of some of the most exciting fight scenes in cinematic history.
With a former assassin who earned a reputation as the literal boogeyman due to the brutal nature of his kills as the protagonist, it is inevitable that there would be some fantastic fight scenes in this franchise. Director Chad Stahelski is a former kickboxer who first entered the film industry as a stunt performer and as a stunt coordinator, so the action sequences in each installment of this franchise are constructed with expertise. The incredible use of hand-to-hand combat mixed with master stunt work mesh together to create visually stunning set pieces that grow bigger in scale with each film.
The fight scenes typically leave you on the edge of your seat, completely baffled by Wick’s resilience and unwavering determination. Even though the action sequences follow a certain visual standard, each scene offers something to distinguish it from the others. It’s honestly difficult to pick the best fight scenes in a franchise that consists almost entirely of them. Nevertheless, here are some of the best fight scenes in the John Wick franchise, ranked:
12 New York Public Library – Chapter 3
We have seen our ruthless hero take down his enemies with various weapons, but not quite like this. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum starts right where the sequel left off, with the clock counting down to him being excommunicado within his world of assassins. John finds himself deep within the shelves of the famous New York Public Library, where a giant of an assassin named Ernest is waiting for him. He quotes Dante to John before attempting to kill him, but of course, that’s not how this fight plays out. Punches are thrown, kicks land, and heads are bashed into bookshelves.
What causes Ernst to bite the dust isn’t accomplished by any of those tactics, however. John takes the book that Ernst had in his hands at the beginning of the scene and wacks him repeatedly in the face with it before finally breaking his neck with the book.
11 Home Invasion – Chapter 1
Taking it back to the fight that started it all, the home invasion scene in John Wick sets the tone for the movie and starts the domino effect that continues throughout each movie. In a matter of seconds, the movie transforms from a story about a reclusive widower mourning the death of his wife to a violent tale of revenge that proved to audiences early on that he earned his reputation as the boogeyman and is in fact someone to fear. John takes down the masked intruders with such ease that it makes the fight seem like a training exercise for the merciless assassin. It also establishes early on that you don’t mess with someone’s dog in this franchise, ever.
10 Club in Berlin – Chapter 4
John Wick: Chapter 4 has the longest runtime of all the other movies in the franchise, which means that the movie is jam-packed with fight scene after fight scene. After meeting with the Ruska Roma to ask them to be part of their family, so he can obtain a family crest in order to challenge Marquis to a duel, John first needs to assassinate the man who killed the former head of the Ruska Roma. Before he actually gets to fight him one-on-one, John must take out the numerous thugs that work for Killa in his casino and adjoining nightclub.
It’s one of the most visually compelling fights in the series, with water fixtures cascading from the ceiling and the franchise’s signature use of neon lighting. The packed dance floor filled mostly with people who don’t even realize the violence occurring around them adds to the tense nature of the fight as John forces his way through the crowd toward Killa.
9 Reflection of the Soul – Chapter 2
Shooting a complicated fight scene in a room full of mirrors is not a simple task. Trying to avoid the camera being seen in the reflection of the mirrors is incredibly difficult. Stahelski uses this to his advantage though as John’s skills as a fighter and an assassin are seen from every angle available in that room. While the pacing is slower than most action sequences in the series, it is just as intense due to the advantages and disadvantages the mirrors provide. The reflections help the assassins see things they wouldn’t normally be able to see around them, but it also makes it difficult for them to discern whether their shot is clear. The fight is a bit more cautious because an enemy could be behind any of the mirrors. Fighting in an environment that is both beneficial and detrimental to survival is wildly entertaining.
8 Red Circle Club – Chapter 1
Packed clubs with colorful lighting and people dancing to EDM have consistently been used as backdrops for fight sequences in the John Wick franchise, and one of the most beautiful uses of this background can be seen in the first movie. John goes to the Red Circle Club to find Viggo Tarasov, who is his main target in the original film. He makes his way down to the private Bath House, where the fight begins underneath the crowded dance floor. He makes his way through the dark seamlessly as he takes down each of Tarasov’s men, completely unfazed.
John’s sights are locked on Tarasov, so when he gets away, the fight is brought upstairs into the club and utter chaos ensues. The music is thumping throughout the dance floor and the club is lit up in red and purple lighting as John fights his way through seemingly never-ending waves of henchmen.
7 Escaping Casablanca – Chapter 3
The team-up between Halle Berry’s Sofia and John Wick makes for one of the most entertaining and memorable fights in the franchise. With some help from Sofia’s ferocious but loyal German Shepards, the duo teaches their enemies once again that you don’t mess with a person’s dogs. John and Sofia launch bullets and volleys of kicks and punches while the dogs chomp down on every assassin that crosses their paths in their rage-fueled escape from a fortress in Casablanca. John and Sofia make for an epic pairing made even better by her fierce canine friends, one who even keeps a flailing bad guy locked in its jaws at Sofia’s command until John delivers the killing blow.
6 Continental Shootout – Chapter 3 – Parabellum
Fighting in the hallowed grounds of a Continental Hotel guarantees the desecration of that hotel, but that is exactly what occurs in Chapter 3. Heavily armed forces wearing bulletproof armor are sent to the Continental Hotel in New York to kill John and Winston. John brings out the big guns, which happen to be shotguns that are capable of bursting through the bulletproof armor. The blasts from these shotguns are so powerful that just one shot pierces through the armor. We also finally get to see Charon (Lance Reddick) in action as he aids John in the battle for the Continental. The two of them take down enemies in the neon-green light that washes the walls of the hotel’s lobby. Plus, John and Charon take a little break to gather more ammunition where Winston is sitting comfortably with a drink in hand as he waits for the fighting to cease.
5 Car Fu – Chapter 4
Something that the John Wick movies have been excellent at delivering is car combat scenes. The franchise took a break from it with Parabellum and replaced it with a thrilling motorcycle fight instead, but brought back car fu for Chapter 4. Caught in Paris traffic surrounding the Arc de Triomphe with hordes of assassins out to prevent him from making his way to duel with Marquis, John is forced to battle his way through moving cars, motorcycles, and dozens of guns aimed at him.
The choreography is insane in this scene, with Keanu Reeves doing much of the stunt driving himself as he has in previous installments, making the car combat even more exhilarating to watch. Other than repeatedly getting hit by vehicles and somehow continuing to get up, one of the most impressive moments during the scene occurs when John has to pull off an extended drift to mow down a cluster of assassins as he circles around them in the Paris traffic.
4 Dragon’s Breath in the Apartment Building – Chapter 4
There are many, many fight scenes in the latest installment of the John Wick franchise. So many that it almost feels like the entire movie is just one enormous fight scene. One of the best sequences in the film happens shortly before the last big fight in an apartment building in Paris. In this gunfight, John finds himself armed with a new kind of gun that doesn’t expel regular bullets, but Dragon’s Breath shells that cause fiery explosions once it hits its target. The Dragon’s Breath causes its victim’s entire body to go up in flames. It’s a creative invention that once again changes the formula for action movies, but that’s not what truly makes this scene great.
For the first time in any of the John Wick films, the audience gets to experience a bird’s eye view of the fight playing out in front of them. We see the fight in full detail as John maneuvers his way through the apartment building in a series of seamlessly put-together camera shots and spectacular stunt coordination.
3 Knife Fight – Chapter 3
At this point in the movie, John is officially excommunicado and therefore fair game to every other assassin in their world. Naturally, he finds himself surrounded by people who want his head on a spike. He flees to a nearby antique store that happens to have an extensive knife collection. The scene plays out in three perfectly choreographed parts. First, John constructs a customized gun to wield on his attackers. Then, he and his opponents smash the glass cases displaying the knives and start hurling them at each other. Finally, John ends the last of his adversaries by stabbing him in the eye. He once again proves that he is a force to be reckoned with.
2 Battle at the Osaka Continental – Chapter 4
Once again breaking the rules regarding battle on Continental ground, what transpires on the Osaka Continental’s property is even more brutal, bloody, and audacious than the battle in the previous film. The hotel turns into a full-blown warzone, as Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his employees skillfully take out the seemingly endless supply of High Table henchmen in a swords-against-guns fight. The battle is so long that it could easily be broken down into at least three separate fights. Shimazu’s determined daughter Akira (Rina Sawayama) fights like hell against their enemies, using a rather large man’s size against him and her small stature to her advantage as she takes him down on one of the hotel’s staircases.
Caine, played by famous Hong Kong actor and martial artist Donnie Yen, is a blind but masterful assassin who uses his other senses to defeat his enemies. He takes out an entire group of men in the kitchen of the hotel using his sword and doorbells he uses to track the movement of his foes. It’s a rare sequence that doesn’t just showcase John’s skill sets, but also lets the talent of other characters shine in one of the best fight scenes in the entire franchise.
1 Stairway Tumble – Chapter 4
While it’s not technically the last fight in Chapter 4, it is the last fight with hand-to-hand combat and full-blown action. John has almost made it to the Sacre-Coeur Basilica where the duel to finally free him of any obligations to the High Table will take place. After a restless night battling assassins out to claim the money from the hit that has been out on him, he now faces an endless supply of opponents as he desperately tries to make his way up the 200+ stairs in front of him. His painful determination is palpable through the screen as he limps his way up each step and continues to fight off each person that comes his way. When he finally reaches the top of the 222-step staircase, the movie sweeps the rug out from under him and the audience as Chidi (Marko Zaror) sends him tumbling down every single step.
Left sweaty and completely battered, John looks genuinely finished by this point. Until Caine shows up to inspire John to finish what he started. Despite the fact that they are supposed to duel to the death once they reach the top of the stairs, the two of them work together to demolish everyone who shows up on that staircase. They even get a little surprise help from Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson) as a sort of “thank you” to John for saving his dog.