Keanu Reeves Discusses Two Major Injuries on the sets of John Wick

Movies in the John Wick franchise are full of daring stunts that feature firearms, blades, and automobiles. Recently, Keanu Reeves, who plays the titular lead role in the franchise, shared that two stunt performers suffered significant injuries during filming.

Since the first movie’s unexpected triumph in 2016, the franchise has gained immense fame. The films are famous for their meticulously staged, merciless yet graceful action scenes, and Reeves has revealed that some of these sequences became a tad too authentic on a few occasions.

During an interview with ComicBook.com before the premiere of John Wick: Chapter 4, Keanu Reeves talked about two incidents that took place while filming the successful movie series.

While it’s apparent from the final product that minor scratches, abrasions, and contusions are perhaps frequent for Reeves and his fellow stuntmen, there were two instances where the injuries were more severe.

Here’s what Reeves said –

Well I mean everyone is pretty tired – but it’s the best kind of tired. It’s like you climbed a mountain now you’re resting; like you finished the game and you won. So in terms of accidents: I made a mistake once – I cut a gentleman’s head open. So that really f***ing sucked (excuse my language). But other than that – oh, one guy got hit by a car. He was in the car, so he had to go to the hospital, but he was okay.

Keanu Reeves

Despite being produced on a modest budget, the initial John Wick movie promptly attracted viewership owing to its unconventional approach to action filmmaking. Inspired by Asian action cinema, which minimizes the use of rapid cuts and unstable camera movements to portray action, John Wick positions Reeves’ protagonist as the focal point.

For the role, Reeves underwent rigorous training for several months, mastering skills such as shooting, driving, and fighting, enabling him to execute many of his own stunts.

Under the direction of Chad Stahelski, a previous stuntman and Reeves’ stunt double on The Matrix, the action design philosophy that drove the first John Wick film was further elevated in each subsequent installment. With a larger budget, Reeves underwent more extensive training, and in each movie, he confronts more foes in progressively imaginative manners.

Beyond the franchise’s trademark “gun fu” action, the protagonist uses his vehicle, knives, his bare hands, and even a pencil, on at least one occasion, to eliminate his adversaries.

Given that a significant portion of the action sequences in the John Wick movies comprises physical combat, falls, and car-drifting in genuine locations, it’s regrettable that injuries are more likely to occur. Moreover, as per Reeves’ observations, accidents are more probable when he and the John Wick stunt crew are exhausted after engaging in rigorous stunt work for prolonged periods.

Nevertheless, with only two incidents in nearly a decade of film production, the franchise’s safety record is not dreadful. It’s apparent that whatever is happening backstage of the John Wick films is producing outstanding outcomes for moviegoers.

About John Wick : Chapter 4

John Wick 4 is an American neo-noir action thriller film and the fourth installment in the John Wick franchise. The franchise is created by Derek Kolstad and stars Keanu Reeves in the role of a retired legendary hitman John Wick.

John Wick must avoid run-ins with The High Table and survive long enough to complete his mission, along with the help of The Bowery King, who was left for dead by The High Table and now is helping John Wick take them down.

John Wick 4 released on March 24, 2023.