Warning: Contains SPOILERS for Monkey Man!

Summary

• Monkey Man cleverly references John Wick through a notable Easter egg with similar gun choices for the main character, Kid.
• Dev Patel's film acknowledges the widespread comparisons to John Wick, but also distinguishes itself with different thematic elements.
• The arms dealer scene in Monkey Man serves as a way to nod towards John Wick's influence while showing Kid's unique character traits.

Monkey Man's ending.

Monkey Man is the latest film to copy the John Wick approach to action movies, ing the likes of Atomic Blonde, Nobody, and Gunpowder Milkshake. The influence of Keanu Reeves' original movie grew as the franchise expanded and became more popular. While there are some connections between the John Wick clones and the main movies, there are rarely any direct references made to Keanu Reeves' assassin. That changes thanks to a clever John Wick Easter egg in Monkey Man included by Dev Patel.

Monkey Man Directly References The Gun Keanu Reeves Uses In John Wick

The Heckler & Koch P30L Makes A Return

The John Wick Easter egg in Monkey Man comes fairly early on in the film. Dev Patel's character, Kid, goes to an underground arms dealer to buy a gun as a part of his quest to get revenge on the people who killed his mother. This leads to the arms dealer showing Kid an entire collection of firearms that are for sale for the right price. Monkey Man directly references John Wick by noting that one of the guns for sale is the same type of gun used by Keanu Reeves' character in the first movie.

Keanu Reeves uses several different guns in John Wick, but the primary one used in the original 2014 movie is the Heckler & Koch P30L. Wick uses the semi-automatic pistol throughout the film after receiving it from his hidden gun collection. He also uses a Glock 26 at different points, but it is a secondary gun choice for when the P30L runs out of ammo. In Monkey Man, Kid is given the option to buy a P30L and make his John Wick similarities even more apparent. But, he elects to buy a different model instead.

Kid uses a revolver in Monkey Man

Why Monkey Man's John Wick Easter Egg Is So Perfect

The Monkey Man & John Wick Comparisons Were Already Obvious

Referencing John Wick head on the way Monkey Man does is a clever way for the film to acknowledge what most audiences are already thinking. The arms dealer directly says, "Do you like John Wick?" to Kid, but he might as well be speaking to audiences, too. Patel knows that viewers expect the movie to be like John Wick in many ways. Instead of trying to completely hide from those comparisons, Monkey Man's John Wick Easter egg is a smart way of referencing just how influential Keanu Reeves' movie was to this production.

However, this scene is also a key part in Dev Patel helping audiences understand that Monkey Man is not exactly like John Wick. Kid's decision to choose a different gun as his primary weapon for the movie should be seen as a sign that Patel's character is no John Wick. He's not a skilled and highly-trained assassin. He's just a man still devastated by the death of his mom and has a penchant for taking a beating. Monkey Man does fully embrace its action expectations eventually, but the movie is much more personal and thematically heavy than John Wick.