Summary
- John Wick has set a new standard for action movies, inspiring numerous films that follow its template of assassin anti-heroes with mythological backstories and intense action scenes.
- Movies like Sisu, Violent Night, and Kate successfully incorporate the John Wick formula into different settings.
John Wick has raised the bar for modern action movies, and some have really risen to the challenge of meeting its standards. Keanu Reeves was first introduced as the eponymous anti-hero in 2014's John Wick, in which the legendary Baba Yaga comes out of retirement to avenge the killing of his beloved dog. John Wick would spawn three sequels (with a fourth said to be in development), multiple spin-offs, and set an overall new standard for action movies to aspire to.
The John Wick action movie template is malleable enough to be applicable to different settings or scenarios, but a few key elements are essential. These include assassin anti-heroes with colorful and even mythological backstories, along with a blend of gun fu and martial arts working in tandem to craft exhilarating action scenes. With these elements being so key to a John Wick-style action movie, numerous action films have used that template to superb effect in their own stories. Here are 10 John Wick-esque action movies that are worth giving a watch.
10 Sisu
Jalmari Helander's Sisu plugs the John Wick formula into a World War II setting, following Aatami Korpi (Jorma Tommila) as he singled-handedly battles Nazis during the Finland's Lepland War of 1944. It turns out that Aatami is a legendary one-man army known as "Koschei", or "The Immortal", something that comes across loud and clear in Sisu's hard-hitting action scenes. Sisu is 91 minutes of relentless action with Aatami taking down Nazi after Nazi with everything from guns to pickaxes to his own fists, and the movie is great popcorn fun in the vein of John Wick.
9 Violent Night
Jolly Ole' St. Nick breaks out some unexpected holiday season surprises in Violent Night, in which a cynical Santa Claus (David Harbour) is forced to fight a gang of thieves who have kidnapped a wealthy family to bust into their safe on Christmas Eve. Violent Night has an abundance of Yuletide heart, with Santa rediscovering his sense of purpose through the kind-hearted kid Trudy (Leah Brady). Violent Night also delivers the John Wick-style goods with Santa's butt-kicking, sledgehammer-wielding action scenes, along with an electrifying villain performance by John Leguizamo as the main baddie, Mr. Scrooge.
8 Kate
Netflix's 2021 actioner Kate centers on Mary Elizabeth-Winstead as the movie's eponymous assassin trying to get out of the game after one last mission and finding herself protecting Ani (Miku Martineau), the niece of a Yakuza boss. Winstead brings a wounded grit to her performance as Kate, with the film sending her on a redemption story in her reluctant but committedly maternal relationship with Ani. Kate also earns its place in the John Wick pantheon with fantastic action scenes of gun-fu, improvised weaponry, and hand-to-hand battles.
7 Headshot
Timo Tjajhjanto and Kimo Stamboel, a.k.a. the Mo Brothers, take no prisoners in 2017's Headshot, following an amnesiac man dubbed Ishmael (Iko Uwais) fighting for his freedom when he learns that he is an assassin named Abdi. Headshot puts a familial spin on John Wick's assassin underworld concept, with Abdi's dark upbringing under the vicious Lee (Sunny Pang) making him the villain's "son" from his twisted point of view. Headshot also has all the intensity of both The Raid movies and the John Wick franchise with martial arts battles that put its protagonist through the wringer, including with Uwais's co-stars from The Raid 2 Very Tri Yulisman and Julie Estelle.
6 Furie
The neon lighting of the John Wick franchise illuminates the powerful martial arts action of Le Van Kiet's Vietnamese actioner Furie, in which impoverished former gangster Hai Phuong (Veronica Ngo) fights with all her might to rescue her daughter Mai (Cat Vy) from human traffickers. Furie's action scenes bring Vietnamese Vovinam into a John Wick-style assassin story, with Ngo giving a gripping performance as a panicked mother fighting through tidal waves of pain to rescue her child. Ngo would return to direct and appear in the 2023 prequel Furies, which also brings plenty of the John Wick fireworks itself.
5 Extraction
When the world was first on lockdown in 2020, Chris Hemsworth's Tyler Rake was on a harrowing rescue mission in Sam Hagrave's Extraction, which become the year's big action hit with its incredible 11-minute one-shot action scene. Hemsworth trades Thor's hammer for guns, blades, and fists, and shows himself to be a worthy action hero as the grizzled Tyler Rake, with the character himself a true equal to John Wick. That much would be reiterated emphatically in the 2023 sequel Extraction 2, with Rake fighting his way through an even crazier one-shot action scene.
4 Atomic Blonde
The first action movie to really follow in John Wick's footsteps would be 2017's Atomic Blonde, based upon Atony Johnston and Sam Hart's graphic novel The Coldest City. Set in 1989, Atomic Blonde is told in flashbacks by its soft-spoken heroine Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron), who recounts a mission just ahead of the Berlin Wall's collapse. Helmed by John Wick co-director David Leitch, Atomic Blonde takes its time a bit more with its action scenes, but the wait is well worth it, especially for the movie's extended one-shot stairwell battle royale.
3 Nobody
Nobody's Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) might seem like an unassuming family man, but his life as a one-time assassin catches up with him after he lays waste to a gang in a bus brawl. Known for his work on shows like Breaking Bad, Odenkirk put in two years worth of training to prepare for the rigors of Nobody, and it really shows in the movie's gun battles and bare-knuckle brawls, especially the aforementioned bus fight. Hutch gets a hand from his father David (Christopher Lloyd) and adoptive brother Harry (RZA) in Nobody's Home Alone-esque finale, while the movie's ending suggests the three are likely to team up again.
2 Accident Man
The British comic book title Accident Man might not be the most recognizable in the mainstream, but it would not escape the attention of Scott Adkins, who would produce, co-write, and lead 2018's Accident Man. In contrast to the more straightforward methods of his fellow assassins, Mike Fallon (Adkins) makes his hits look like tragic mishaps, and must use his skills to track down the killer of his pregnant ex-girlfriend. 2022's Accident Man: Hitman's Holiday dials up the craziness even more, with both of Mike's adventures not only as action-packed as any John Wick movie, but each a laugh riot of dark comedy, as well.
1 Re:Born
Japanese action star Tak Sakaguchi leads one of the most intense yet overlooked assassin movies of recent years, Re:Born, in which mythical assassin Toshiro Kuroda, a.k.a. The Ghost, must protect a young child from his former compatriots. Re:Born is an absolute marvel of an action movie with an anti-hero who could be a genuine challenge for the Baba Yaga in a fight. Re:Born's fight scenes of blades and martial arts are thrilling throughout, but the movie's elongated forest battle is a sight to behold of Toshiro taking on over a hundred opponents single-handedly in a showdown that John Wick would surely tip his hat to.
