John Wick: Chapter 4 Director Chad Stahelski Looked To Butch Cassidy And The Sundance Kid For Inspiration [Exclusive]
There are plenty of movies that you might expect to influence the "John Wick" franchise, but the George Roy Hill-helmed western "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" probably isn't one of them. The 1969 film stars Paul Newman as outlaw Butch Cassidy and Robert Redford as his buddy the Sundance Kid, and while there are a ton of outlaws in "John Wick," that's where the similarities end. The "Wick" flicks are action-packed, with more gunfights, martial arts, and explosions than you can shake a stick at, but "Butch Cassidy" is a bit more laid-back. Sure, Newman and Redford rob trains and escape the law (most of the time), but they aren't engaging in high-speed shootouts in city traffic or engaging in fierce hand-to-hand combat on the regular. Despite the surprising differences between them, "John Wick: Chapter 4" director Chad Stahelski told /Film's Vanessa Armstrong that the classic western had a huge influence on the latest "John Wick" outing.
Fans can check out "John Wick: Chapter 4" in theaters on March 23, 2023, but in the meantime, check out Stahelski's fascinating link between "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and the Keanu Reeves action-revenge movie below.
A matter of pacing
"John Wick: Chapter 4" is the culmination of all of the "John Wick" films that came before, following international assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) after he tries to retire and then gets back into the world of professional killing after some jerks kill his dog. The movies are action-packed and seriously intense, but Stahelski knew it was important for the audience to get a moment to breathe, something he learned from films like "Butch Cassidy":
"I'm a big fan of a lot of the '70s films, and there was just a different pacing for that era, like with Butch and Sundance [in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid"]. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. But sometimes that slow build really helps. So how do you mix action with the slow build?"
It turns out that the best way to do that was to think of the pacing in the same way you might compose music, building in breaks for air and silence in order to make the constant action feel continuously compelling. Stahelski discussed the film with his friend, composer Tyler Bates, and recognized that the idea of music being defined by "the space in between notes" could be applied to action filmmaking as well. Sure, the big fight scenes are going to get the audience hyped up and out of their seats cheering, but the quiet moments are what holds it all together and makes the whole thing sing.
Finding the right beats to pause on
Chad Stahelski started playing with the rhythm of the scenes in "John Wick: Chapter 4," and then took a step back to view the entire film as a single experience. There's a musicality to the "John Wick" films anyway, as the gunshots frequently line up with the score and the fighting often feels like a dance, but Stahelski took that even further when thinking about how to pace "Chapter 4":
"I think if you look at that in the micro, the macro, it's about, 'what is that great pause beat?' You need Keanu to stand up and just hit that pose and look exhausted in the waterfall. That one great shot of him just going, 'Ugh.' I need that. The audience needs that to go, 'What the? Oh! There's more. Okay.' But if you don't go, 'Whoa,' then it's just monotony, just da da da da da slamming you in the face with action."
The director knows what he's talking about. Action-packed films that don't give the audience a chance to breathe can feel overwhelming and can make you numb to the chaos onscreen. Every good horror director worth their salt knows when to let silence hang, so it's nice to see an action director working with the same intention.
"John Wick: Chapter 4" hits theaters nationwide on March 23, 2023.