- The John Wick film series, starring Keanu Reeves, is available to stream for free on Pluto TV, showcasing the story of an assassin seeking revenge against a criminal network.
- The franchise features intricate world-building, intense fight scenes, and an escalating plotline that culminates in a duel to the death in John Wick: Chapter 4.
- Despite potential spin-offs and sequels, John Wick is considered one of the greatest action series of all time, with standout performances from Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, and Lance Reddick.
No one knew what to expect from John Wick in 2014. At the time Keanu Reeves had pivoted to romantic comedies and drama. A lot of people even thought John Wick was another of his romantic dramas until they saw it in the theater and realized, that trailer of John and his wife was the first 90 seconds of the movie. After that, it was all about the Boogeyman. Now you can re-watch, or enjoy for the first time, the entire saga of an assassin coming out of retirement and tearing down a worldwide criminal network secretly controlling society for free on Pluto TV.
John Wick’s World Of Assassination
John Wick does the best job of world building of any film in years. We learn about the Continental, John’s former life as the world’s greatest assassin, how deep the criminal network goes, and the odd customs they’ve developed as result. Not even the murder of a puppy could keep it from becoming a hit. Likely because once Theon Greyjoy (well, Alfie Allen playing a Russian gangster’s son) makes the worst mistake of his life, the rest of the film is about getting revenge for John’s dog.
The rest of the John Wick franchise spirals out of that one instance of dog murder. In John Wick 2, now that he’s back in action, an old boss calls in a favor as we learn about The High Table that runs everything. John Wick 3: Parabellum than picks up exactly where the second film left, and now John’s on the run for his life from every assassin on the planet. John Wick: Chapter 4 escalates the war between John and the High Table to its logical conclusion: a duel to the death.
A Perfect Action Series
John Wick became one of the greatest action series of all time. Throughout the series’ escalating stakes one thing remains constant: incredible fight scenes. It’s hard to pick a favorite. Every movie includes at least two that would be the highpoint of any other film but here, that’s just how John Wick operates. Keanu Reeves gets beat up in most of them, to the point that the documentary behind the making of the series is called Wick is Pain. That’s also available on Pluto TV to stream when you’re caught up with the movies.
Missing from Pluto TV are the two side stories: The Continental, starring Mel Gibson, that goes into the history of the world of assassination, and Ballerina, starring Reeves’ Knock Knock co-star Ana de Armas. Both failed to meet the high-bar set by the mainline films and neither one is required viewing to enjoy John Wick’s quest for revenge. Amid threats of a John Wick 5, which would undermine the perfect ending of Chapter 4, another spin-off starring Donnie Yen as Caine is in the works.
Pound for pound, John Wick is in contention for the title of best action series of all time. Even the moments and characters that don’t really work (sorry Halle Berry) only falter because of the amazing work of Reeves, Ian McShane, and the late Lance Reddick. There’s worse ways to spend an evening than by binging all four films on Pluto TV.
