The out of nowhere hitting action franchise John Wick has revolutionized action on the big screen. With its fast-paced fight scenes and genre-defining setpiece design, the iii films and multiple upcoming sequels or spin-offs are among the most influential films in the modern era.

The term "Martial Arts movie" is a loose and not-specific genre specification that debatably doesn't quite fit John Wick. Almost every film with a fight scene features at least a piffling inspiration from real-world fighting styles, only the iconic assassin's unique skillset takes articulate cues from a variety of fascinating sources.

The pulse-pounding method of violence executed by both Wick and his countless enemies is colloquially referred to as Gun fu. The term, interchangeable with terms similar gun kata or bullet ballet, originated with the Hong Kong action godfather, John Woo. Woo sought to observe a new method of filming shootouts, subverting the expectation of irksome gunfights by intermingling them with mitt-to-hand combat. Chow Yun-Fatty was the star of Woo's action catalogue and the showtime performer to bring gun fu to life on the large screen.

John Wick in John Wick

The offset large American film to borrow these techniques native to Asian action cinema, oddly enough, also centered around Keanu Reeves. The Matrix trilogy gained enormous fame by bringing the Hong Kong-style into their repertoire, and its leather-clad aesthetic became the new standard. Years afterward, John Wick would adapt the Hong Kong invention, the American refinement and put Keanu in the center once again with their own twist that made them the current go-to activeness film.

Mr. Wick's take on gun fu is an eclectic mix of fighting styles that combines multiple martial arts into one fluid style. The largest base element of Wick'southward martial arts mastery is Judo, a Japanese combat system created in 1882. Judo has been an Olympic sport since the 1960s, and its competitive variant is one of the nearly pop contact sports for years. The art of Judo is based effectually achieving maximum impact with minimal effort, allowing smaller or weaker fighters to defeat larger opponents.

The primary focus of Judo is throwing the opponent, points are scored in the sport through tossing the competitor and that element remains central to gainsay Judo. John Wick's well-nigh iconic move in the films is to throw his enemy to the ground and finish him off with a make clean gunshot. Wick uses Judo techniques like the Ippon Seoi Nage (ane arm shoulder throw) or the Hiza Guruma (knee bicycle) to knock opponents off their feet before the killing blow. Many of Wick's opponents likewise heavily rely upon Judo, opposing the assassinator with comparable grabs and flips.

Wick also wields styles that are derivative of Judo, primarily the art of Jiu-Jitsu. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu was created past the iconic Gracie family in 1920, interpreting Judo techniques into a newer fighting style. The art is based heavily around footing fighting and submissions, as a sport and equally a gainsay system, the goal is to restrain or disable the opponent through joint locks and chokeholds. The line betwixt Judo and Jiu-Jitsu tin can exist a flake tough to define, as they share several techniques, simply many of Wick's ground-based maneuvers were Brazilian developments. Wick loves to put an enemy in a triangle choke or an armlock before moving in with a weapon. Wick tin can also often be seen dropping onto his ain back in order to throw the opponent using his weight, a archetype BJJ technique.

John Wick's antique weapons fight in Parabellum

Wick's martial arts mastery isn't express to his paw-to-hand techniques, he is likewise known to be a master with a knife. For almost of Wick's bladed encounters, he relies upon a Filipino martial art known as Arnis. Wick favors a directly-bladed knife, similar the double-edged automatic knife he takes on consignment in John Wick: Affiliate 2, but many of his enemies wield the iconic karambit dagger. Arnis has an unclear history, merely is well-known as a native-inspired knife and stick gainsay system. The best unmarried scene for a close-up await at some of the techniques and footwork Wick takes from this art is conspicuously the railroad train pocketknife fight with Common's character Cassian. That archetype cruel pocketknife duel effectively showcases John Wick'south knife fighting way of choice through his complex live hand moves and elegant hakbang motility.

No give-and-take of John Wick'due south fighting mode would be consummate without his weapon of selection, his enormous selection of guns. Keanu Reeves trained extensively in a shooting sport known as 3-gun, which involves navigating a course full of agile targets and accurately taking them downwards while switching between multiple firearms. Fans have seen endless times how Wick effectively incorporates the weapons of his fallen enemies into his fluid rampages. Wick'due south mastery of close-quarters shooting blends perfectly with his many martial arts to course the combat system that fans know and love.

More than: John Wick iv: Clancy Brown Teases New Info About His Character