I Watched The John Wick Documentary, And I Think Keanu Reeves Makes A Great Point About The Character Moving Forward

The John Wick franchise isn’t going anywhere anytime soon, as evidenced by Donnie Yen’s Caine spinoff and the anime prequel about the Impossible Task following the release of Ballerina on the 2025 movies schedule in June. However, the future of the main film series remains uncertain, despite Keanu Reeves’ character seemingly dying at the end of Chapter 4. In April, Lionsgate announced that John Wick: Chapter 5 is in development, but then in June, director Chad Stahelski indicated it’s not a sure thing yet.

I’m not here to talk about whether or not Chapter 5 should happen for narrative reasons. Instead, after watching the documentary Wick is Pain, which chronicles the making of the four John Wick movies, I’d rather focus on how Keanu Reeves makes a good point about the title assassin moving forward. Specifically, even by action movie standards, this franchise asks a lot of the actor physically.

Wick Is Pain Delves Into How Physically Demanding Playing John Wick Is

Now obviously an action movie star needs to be in good physical condition, and anyone who’s seen a John Wick movie could surmise that Keanu Reeves walked away with some bruises and scrapes. Still, Wick is Pain does a good job of laying out the physical toll that playing the title assassin has taken.

To name some examples, Jeremy Marinas, who did stunts on Chapter 2 and was Chapter 4’s stunt coordinator, said that he’s seen Reeves cough for 10 minutes straight or go to throw up in the bathroom during training. He also mentioned that Reeves is limping for real when John is limping because “his knee doesn’t work, his right shoulder doesn’t work, and his neck has a fusion.” Jackson Spidell, Reeves’ stunt double, said that when we “see Reeves in pain on screen, it’s probably real.” Producer Basil Iwanyk said that Chad Stahelski pushing Reeves past his comfort zone to play John Wick was “kind of healthy” for the first two movies, but was “almost barbaric” on the next two.

And yet, Keanu Reeves put his body through the wringer willingly, and because Chad Stahelski has worked with him for so long, he knows what the actor can handle physically and mentally. And yet, at the end of Wick is Pain, Reeves voiced this thought:

The title Wick is Pain even comes from a real-life interaction between Keanu Reeves and Chad Stahelski on the John Wick: Chapter 3 set. Reeves had a swollen knee while they were shooting the antique store fight scene, and when he asked Stahelski how he was doing, the director just looked him over and answered “Wick is pain.” Is that pain really worth him enduring now that he’s in his 60s?

Keanu Reeves Has Shared Concerns Before About Continuing To Play John Wick

This documentary isn’t the first time that Keanu Reeves has said he’s concerned about what continuing to play John Wick could do to his body. Last December, he shared that he doesn’t think his knees could handle doing John Wick: Chapter 5. Granted, it was reported in July that he’s receiving a sweet payday for Chapter 5, but he’s also allegedly been “perfectly honest about what he’s willing and not willing to do stunt-wise” given that he’s “put his body through hell for these movies.”

Even putting aside my opinion that John Wick: Chapter 4 ended the film series on a nearly-perfect note, I don’t think it’s a good idea to move forward with another movie if there’s added risk of doing permanent harm to Reeves’ body. We should consider ourselves fortunate he agreed to co-star with Ana de Armas in Ballerina, allowing us to spend sometime with the character between the events of Chapter 3 and Chapter 4. Keanu Reeves went through a lot to make these John Wick movies, and if his body is telling him he can’t handle the same kind of beatings going forward, maybe he should listen to it.

Whether you agree with me on this subject or not, every John Wick fan reading should watch Wick is Pain if they haven’t already. The documentary is only available to rent or purchase as of this writing, but it’s well worth the price. After that, you can revisit the John Wick movies with your Hulu subscription.