Just when you thought that Keanu Reeves couldn’t be any cooler, he goes and stars in the John Wick franchise.
What’s even better is that we can expect at least two more films to come!
To celebrate this joyous news and to get you caught up on the first three installments, check out these 10+ hidden details in John Wick fans didn’t notice.
1. A nod to *The Iron Chef*.
This takes place in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum . There’s a reason why Zero is a sushi chef. Mark Dacascos was The Chairman on the American TV version of The Iron Chef for many years.
It’s a clever Easter Egg and homage.
2. An ode to Buster Keaton.
John Wick: Chapter 2 opens as an homage to the silent era in film, especially to the works of Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton .
If you watch closely to the picture on the screen, it’s actually an old Buster Keaton film.
3. The timeline of the first three films is only about one week long.
The third film starts off immediately where the second chapter left off: John is still bleeding from his stab wound and the minutes are counting down until he’s officially ex-communicated.
Keep in mind that the second film begins just four days after the events of John Wick . That’s one crappy week.
4. A dangerous drink for a dangerous man.
In the first film, Aurelio offers John a drink of Peligrosso. Peligrosso is a brand of tequila. Roughly translated, it means ” Dangerous ” in English.
Which is pretty fitting for a guy like John Wick, wouldn’t you agree?
5. Who is Baba Yaga?
You probably heard Viggo referring to John as “Baba Yaga“. In Slavic folklore, Baba Yaga is a demonic version of mother-nature, who enjoys eating those who fail in their appointed tasks.
She can give life or take it away if provoked.
6. There’s an NBA cameo in *John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum*.
Remember the giant would-be assassin whom John managed to kill with nothing more than a novel?
That was none other than Philadelphia 76ers’ Center, Boban Marjanovic . If you don’t know too much about the NBA you likely missed it.
7. There’s a reference to Keanu Reeves’ old band!
John is told to walk into the desert and follow Canis Minor. One of the accepted translations of Canis Minor is “lesser dog”.
Believe it or not, Keanu once played in a band called Dogstar ! They even performed on The Tonight Show !
8. Several villains make allusions to John’s damnation.
In each of the three films, the villains utter almost the identical dying words.
When John kills Viggo, he says “Be seeing you, John.” So does Ares, verbatim, in John Wick: Chapter 2 .
Zero paraphrases by telling John that he’ll catch up with him shortly.
To which John replies “No, you won’t.” Could this be a reference to Hell? Is John affirming that his soul and conscience are cleansed?
What do you think? Definitely let us know.
9. Pay the Boatman.
Charon is the concierge at the Continental Hotel who often plays a facilitator role for John who takes payment in gold coins.
In Greek mythology, Charon was the Boatman who ferried the dead to the land of the underworld. If you didn’t have a gold coin, your soul would be forever stranded on the banks of the River Styx.
10. John Wick quotes Neo in *John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum*.
John tells Winston that he needs “Guns. Lots of guns.” This is not only an incredibly badass piece of dialogue but it’s a direct quote from The Matrix .
It happens when Tank asks Neo what he needs in order to save Morpheus. Neo’s reply? ” Guns . Lots of guns.”
11. The motorcycle chase scene might look familiar.
That’s because it’s almost a shot-for-shot remake of a popular Korean film called The Villainess .
Rotten Tomatoes describes it as “A hyper-violent revenge movie with fight scenes to die for.” Sound familiar?
12. Pay attention to the tattoo on John’s back.
You can see it clearly during the shower scene in the first film. The text across John’s back reads ” Fortis Fortuna Adiuvat .”
This is a very common Latin proverb that translates to “Fortune favors the strong/brave.”
13. “Now I am become death: the Destroyer of Worlds.”
There’s an incredibly ominous and forboding scene where Winston cautions Santino of the wrath of John Wick. If you pay close attention to the statue over his head, you’ll notice it is the Hindu god Kali ; an avatar of Vishnu.
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Simply put, Kali is the Destroyer of Worlds.
14. There’s a reason why John Wick wears his watch upside down.
You may have noticed in the first film that John wears his watch upside down . Meaning that the face is on the inside of his wrist, not the outside.
Special Forces and combat soldiers are trained to wear their watches this way so as to not reflect light from the sun or moon.
