How A Quirky French Indie Romcom Gave John Wick 4 One Of Its Best Fights
The "John Wick" movies are a masterclass in worldbuilding, expanding the scope of the story and fleshing out the world the characters live in without forcing an expanded universe from the get-go. Each film introduces new ludicrous elements of this heightened world of international assassins, yet it never breaks verisimilitude.
Likewise, by expanding the world, the "John Wick" movies also expanded its borders, showing new and exciting locations and exploiting their possibilities for kick-ass action set pieces — like ancient Roman ruins, a subway station in New York, and the Arc de Triomphe. Each new location offers a unique opportunity for a new way of John Wick to shoot and stab his way through a mob.
In an interview with The New York Times, director Chad Stahelski talked about the process of scouting for new locations and the incredible hour-long fight scene in Paris. It turns out, the reason we got that stunning fight up the Rue Foyatier stairs is all thanks to Jean-Pierre Jeunet's "Amélie," which Stahelski is a fan of and wanted to visit the film locations for. One of those locations is the Sacré-Coeur Basilica, which is where the final showdown takes place. Stahelski was intrigued by the daunting set of 222 stone steps to the left of the church.
"You never saw three stunt guys smile faster when we saw those stairs," Stahelski said. "Everybody instantly knew what we were going to do. There was no verbal communication. It was just big smiles."
A Herculean task inspired by Buster Keaton
Indeed, that scene in particular is the highlight of the movie, a sequence that evokes a Greek myth, a whole mini three-act story contained within an action scene. All this, while also being rather funny, a scene clearly inspired by Buster Keaton. As stunt coordinator Scott Rogers told NYT, "I'm thinking, mechanically, a guy's got to go down these steps."
As for "Amélie," this just adds to the film's impressive legacy. The 2001 romantic comedy is a highly stylized film, which has a whimsical portrayal of contemporary life in Paris, was nominated for five Academy Awards, and would go on to inspire a musical and even a species of frog. It may not be a movie we would normally associate with action cinema, but then again, that's the beauty of Jean-Pierre Jeunet's film, you never know how it will inspire you.
As for "John Wick," get ready for more of Keanu grunting and saying "yeah," because we're thinking he's back, with "John Wick 5" now in development because nothing ever really dies in Hollywood.