This fast-moving doc is filled with behind the scenes details that you're just not going to get on the 'extras' of any DVD in the John Wick franchise. It's narrated mostly by Reeves and Chad Stahelski, the Director of JW 1,2 and 3. And, as Keanu likes to say, 'it's personal'.
You'll get the backstory on Reeves' perspective on John Wick, and why this character, who is a serial killer, remains a hero in the eyes of the audience.
Sitting back, just shooting the breeze about their work, the creative team tell us that they 'like that (the films) feel like a 'B' movie but taken to an artsy level'. They know they are giving us 'pulp', but with each successive film they've increased the artistry of the shots.
They see JW 4 as the most 'anime', dripping in tone. In each film, the DP move the camera as much as they can, whether they're in the desert or on the steps of the Arc De Triomphe. One of the most exciting and complex action sequences in JW4, or in any other action movie in recent years, was the top-down sequence in that film, where you see the action inside a location but are watching it as if the roof was removed...'top-down'. Everyone, from the camera operators and the stunt team, knew where they had to be at every single beat of the action. They tell us 'we didn't let the production company know we were going to do this, we just planned it out and by the time they knew, it was already too late to stop it'. Wick Is Pain takes you INSIDE this amazing shoot.
The Wickiverse is chock-full of memorable sequences like this. And to think that the entire series almost did not get off the ground. The team lost millions of dollars in funding the day before shooting was supposed to start. Wick Is Pain takes you through the financial struggles, the personal breakups and makeups, the intense training that Reeves goes through prior to the shooting of any of the films. Every installment has the 'revenge' theme, including the one that almost killed the first film... killing off the puppy. One of the worst things you can do in a film, and that call almost sank it.
Reeves decides if there's something that Wick would do that isn't in the script. The horseback riding scene under the train - all Reeves' idea. We get the technical details on how the team made that happen.
You'll hear from the martial arts trainers and stunt coordinators. The backstory on how The Crow and The Matrix films influenced the development of the Wickiverse. The evolution of 'the Marker'. The importance of character development driving the story. Wick's foes may be on opposite sides, but they still honor each other. Reeves' stunt double relates the story of how he crash landed during one of the building fall stunts.
What you come away with is the fact that Reeves is one of the hardest working men in the business. He works while in pain, when he's sick, even when injured. He just never wants to let the cast and crew down. And hell, yeah... you can tell that he enjoys every moment of being John Wick, though he admits he'd love to also ressurect a different character from his past. You'll have to watch to find out who. Wick is Pain is available to stream now on VOD.
