In his newest picture, John Wick: Chapter 4, Keanu Reeves says very little. But it turns out the original draft featured twice as much lines for his character. According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal, Reeves cut about half of his character’s lines, leaving Wick with a grand total of just 380 words throughout the entire film. Chad Stahelski, the film’s director, has said that Wick’s silence serves to heighten his mystique and encourages viewers to fill in the blanks.
John Wick: Chapter 4 has been met with universal acclaim, despite its low conversation count. This is because the action is crucial to both the film and the franchise as a whole. Reeves is renowned for his performance as Wick, a man on a quest for revenge against the man who killed his pet. The mystique that surrounds Wick is what makes this franchise so enjoyable, so viewers don’t need to know much about his backstory.
Wick is obviously a man who hasn’t gotten over the loss of his wife Helen, but beyond that, his history is very hazy. This allows viewers to form their own hypotheses, which increases the franchise’s attractiveness. The film’s particular charm, in my opinion, is enhanced by the lack of conversation rather than diminished by it.
