By Bill Friedell
It’s hard to believe that a $20-30 million action movie would turn into one of the most beloved action franchises of the decade (Agar). Where most are big, loud, CGI -filled and convoluted, John Wick (Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, 2014) thrives by doing the opposite – it contains a simple plot and characters, subtle worldbuilding, well choreographed action with little to no cuts, and solid acting. But for this analysis I would like to focus on the lighting of John Wick in order to display its central theme which would be used to expand this single film into a franchise.
To quickly recap: John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a former hitman who retired from his work after meeting his wife. After the loss of his wife due to illness, John is left grieving and alone, until a final gift from his wife arrives at his door: a puppy. Unfortunately, the son of his former employer (Alfie Allen) unknowingly stole his car and killed his new dog, sending John back into the criminal underworld to get revenge. The overall dramatic/thematic question brought up by this line of action: “Is John back in the game?”. Is this act of vengeance undoing his attempts to live a life away from violence or was he always going to fall back into this world of crime and death anyway? In order to show this struggle within himself, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch use distinct lighting and visual palettes to show John’s interactions with his old life and work.
For the majority of the first act, up to the end of the first action sequence in John’s house, the film has a melancholic, muted tone, complementing John’s mournful state. It isn’t until after a Russian mob crew attacks his house to preemptively stop John that we get our first big splash of color. After John takes out the crew, a police car pulls up to his house. The police lights shine through the window and door, flashing red and blue lights. The officer asks John if he’s working again, to which John says, “No, just sorting things out” (John Wick, Stahelski/Leitch, Keanu Reeves). John hasn’t fully stepped back into his old world yet, but that world found him again. It’s just outside his door.
To quickly recap: John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a former hitman who retired from his work after meeting his wife. After the loss of his wife due to illness, John is left grieving and alone, until a final gift from his wife arrives at his door: a puppy. Unfortunately, the son of his former employer (Alfie Allen) unknowingly stole his car and killed his new dog, sending John back into the criminal underworld to get revenge. The overall dramatic/thematic question brought up by this line of action: “Is John back in the game?”. Is this act of vengeance undoing his attempts to live a life away from violence or was he always going to fall back into this world of crime and death anyway? In order to show this struggle within himself, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch use distinct lighting and visual palettes to show John’s interactions with his old life and work.
For the majority of the first act, up to the end of the first action sequence in John’s house, the film has a melancholic, muted tone, complementing John’s mournful state. It isn’t until after a Russian mob crew attacks his house to preemptively stop John that we get our first big splash of color. After John takes out the crew, a police car pulls up to his house. The police lights shine through the window and door, flashing red and blue lights. The officer asks John if he’s working again, to which John says, “No, just sorting things out” (John Wick, Stahelski/Leitch, Keanu Reeves). John hasn’t fully stepped back into his old world yet, but that world found him again. It’s just outside his door.
 John Wick (Keanu Reeves) at his wife's funeral |  The police inquire if John is working again. |
It isn’t until he enters the bar of the Continental Hotel (a hotel which acts as a safe haven and neutral ground for denizens of the underworld) that we see the first use of extreme color. It’s the first instance where an entire location is given stark colors. The filmmakers even go to the lengths to spell out this contrast by showing John walking from his hotel room and going down an elevator straight into the hotel bar. The fact that it is a descent is also worth noting. This roots the drastic shift in lighting to the “underworld”. This is where the worldbuilding of John Wick comes into play. Not only do we learn of the rules of the Continental Hotel from the Hotel’s management (Ian McShane), but we also begin to fathom what this world looks like visually. This establishes the palette of the underworld. Stark greens, yellow, and hints of red (foreshadowing the role of a character later on in the narrative).
This color motif is further developed in John’s first attempt at revenge, attacking the red circle club. The club is primarily lit in red and blue hues. This color palette combined with the ethereal club music creates an otherworldly, dream-like atmosphere, one that separates the world above from the underworld below. By creating such a different environment through the lighting and music, there is a contrast between the world John inhabited away from crime and the world of crime. This shows the journey John is taking visually, taking a metaphorical descent, visualized by the levels of the club. The bottom level is drenched in red and blue, the dance club upstairs constantly changing, showing the fluctuation middle-ground, and the outside of the club, showing the drab city with the building of the club radiating different colors.
 John fighting in the Red Circle Club |  Suzy Bannion (Jessica Harper) in Dario Argento's Suspiria |
The drastic lighting recalls the lighting style of Dario Argento, particularly, his 1977 horror film Suspiria. Argento utilized a stylized colorful color palette to create a dream-like atmosphere. By doing this, Argento created an other-worldly feel that complemented the bizarre things that happen to its central characters within the dancing school in which they reside. In John Wick, the underworld takes up this bright color palette whenever John interacts with it to show his wrestling with his fate.
The next two instances of this use of lighting, while not as drastic and attention-calling, are still relevant. After John is captured by the boss of the Russian mob, Viggo (Michael Nyqvist), the scene is lit primarily in yellow due to the focused lights of the room. During this scene, John finally comes to terms with his inner nature. He finally decides to say that he is back, now finally accepting his nature and the trajectory he has decided to take. He is under the light of interrogation, allowing the truth to come forth.
The next two instances of this use of lighting, while not as drastic and attention-calling, are still relevant. After John is captured by the boss of the Russian mob, Viggo (Michael Nyqvist), the scene is lit primarily in yellow due to the focused lights of the room. During this scene, John finally comes to terms with his inner nature. He finally decides to say that he is back, now finally accepting his nature and the trajectory he has decided to take. He is under the light of interrogation, allowing the truth to come forth.
The final instance of lighting is found in the final fight between John and Viggo. Both fight without guns in the pouring rain. The lights on the dock fill in their faces with white. This can be seen as a purification of sorts. The rain and white light represent the absolution of this final fight, marking the end of John’s quest for vengeance. John has killed Viggo’s son, but there is still the question of if the Russian mob will let him go on after all the men John killed including his son.
 John (Keanu Reeves) face Viggo (Michael Nyqvist) in the rain with white back light |  White dock lights and rain symbolizes a cleansing of sorts |
The arc finally resolves as John cleans his wounds and finds a new dog in a shelter, taking the dog home with him as the city lights radiate multiple lights, continuing through the end credits. John has accepted his nature but now has hope again that he found on his own, without the need of his wife to guide him toward a better path.
The John Wick series has thrived on its simplicity. That doesn’t mean that it is trying less to tell its story, rather it is using the tools available to its full potential. The use of lighting thematically complements the scenes, making the film look distinct while also effectively telling the story of a man who is struggling to understand if there is a chance of living a life free of violence and crime. This thematic question and the world of John Wick is what allowed this small action film to become not only a franchise, but a benchmark for exemplary action and atmosphere. And the detail of lighting allows this question to visually bloom.
Works Cited
Agar, Chris. “What Is John Wick 3's Budget (& How It Compares To The Previous Movies)?” ScreenRant, Screen Rant, 15 May 2019, screenrant.com/john-wick-3-movie-budget-cost/.
Works Cited
Agar, Chris. “What Is John Wick 3's Budget (& How It Compares To The Previous Movies)?” ScreenRant, Screen Rant, 15 May 2019, screenrant.com/john-wick-3-movie-budget-cost/.
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