He didn't. The conversation between The King and Winston at his grave stone made that clear. The question about heaven/hell alludes to the question of if Wick will be at peace, not living "the life of an assasin". The Marquis told him during the film that he could not stand retirement. Now his friends/allies are asking if he was right. Also, the John Wick movies are not told as "actual events", they are a fable. The legend of John Wick. It's very meta that they talk about John Wick as the Baba Yaga, a folk tale, because the filmmakers are tellingt US a folk take themselves. That's why we can forgive the over-the-top action, and accept the punishment Wick can take. John Wick is the tale of Keiser Soze drawn out over several movies.
Ok I’ve been thinking about these 3 things with JW4:
1. Ring
2. Car
3. Dog
JW discussion at the church I think provides enough of an excuse why he didn’t get the ring and car back.
He was pretty much foreshadowing his return to Helen and the sacrifice of his earthly materials because ultimately a return to Helen was what mattered most not a car and a ring.
But the dog, we have a problem that can’t be overlooked.
Winston had it last in 3.
That dog was never leashed.
Bowery King in 4 has a dog on a leash in the subway and he never even addresses the dog and more importantly nor does Wick.
Ok I’ve been thinking about these 3 things with JW4:
1. Ring
2. Car
3. Dog
JW discussion at the church I think provides enough of an excuse why he didn’t get the ring and car back.
He was pretty much foreshadowing his return to Helen and the sacrifice of his earthly materials because ultimately a return to Helen was what mattered most not a car and a ring.
But the dog, we have a problem that can’t be overlooked.
Winston had it last in 3.
That dog was never leashed.
Bowery King in 4 has a dog on a leash in the subway and he never even addresses the dog and more importantly nor does Wick.
Fantastic movie that I'd say is definitely the best of the sequels, and really glad they had the balls to end it the way they did. And I really hope Keanu can resist the pleading from the studio to make another one, as I'm not sure they could pull off another ending as good as this one.
Of course when it comes to action, nothing will ever beat the antique armory scene in Part 3 for me, just for how insanely cool and off the wall that was.
Saw it last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. From the Lawrence Of Arabia match cut to the satisfying finale with some of the best action set-pieces put on film in between. Stunt performers really earning their money! Gotta appreciate the fact we got 4 extremely entertaining and ferocious action films with Keanu Reeves. The dude is awesome. Happy to leave it there though and don't feel like it needs any more exploring. Oh, and nunchucks!
Going to see this on Saturday, can't wait. Will probably finally pick up my first JW Hot Toys when they put it up too, no idea why I haven't already bought a previous one.
Has John Wick surpassed Neo as Keanu Reeves' signature role? Actors can have more than one, so Neo, Ted, Johnny Utah, and the film Speed are still among his iconic roles, but is John Wick # 1? In my opinion, yes. For me it was a draw between Neo and Wick, until JW4.
Anyway, I saw it again. It's a fun stylish film. Is it me, or was John going to heaven foreshadowed when he met with Winston at the cemetery? When John was walking up the snowy steps to go see Winston, it almost looked like he was going to heaven. Well, that's the way it looked to me anyway.
He's in a rare position to have been the lead in more than one successful franchise.
Zoe Saldana, for example, has been pretty lucky or had great timing to be in the Star Trek, Avatar and GOTG franchises. That's an incredible run for her age. But she's not the lead in any of those films and no one is going out of their way to see her in a movie ( not like Denzel Washington, Tom Hanks and Tom Cruise)
Some big franchises are built on a concept that's the draw ( Jurassic Park and the dinosaurs) or legacy franchises that the actor isn't carrying as much as filling a role ( James Bond, Dr Who, etc, etc) or just ensembles ( LOTR, Avengers, etc, etc)
Stallone has the Rocky and Rambo franchises. The Expendable is more of a fan service kind of ensemble. But he also has more than one major franchise. His run is pretty incredible - 5 Rambo films, 6 Rocky films plus two Creed films, 3 Expendable films.
I'm not sure if Wick surpasses The Matrix in terms of total impact, but I'd wager part of the appeal of Wick is, like Top Gun Maverick, that it's a film that's trying to have fun with audience and isn't trying to apologize for it. It's also not trying to lecture the audience nor shame it for what it loves.
That's what a lot of people like about Keanu Reeves. He's not trying to do anything but work hard and try to make a good movie for people to enjoy.
Has John Wick surpassed Neo as Keanu Reeves' signature role? Actors can have more than one, so Neo, Ted, Johnny Utah, and the film Speed are still among his iconic roles, but is John Wick # 1? In my opinion, yes. For me it was a draw between Neo and Wick, until JW4.
Anyway, I saw it again. It's a fun stylish film. Is it me, or was John going to heaven foreshadowed when he met with Winston at the cemetery? When John was walking up the snowy steps to go see Winston, it almost looked like he was going to heaven. Well, that's the way it looked to me anyway.
Has John Wick surpassed Neo as Keanu Reeves' signature role? Actors can have more than one, so Neo, Ted, Johnny Utah, and the film Speed are still among his iconic roles, but is John Wick # 1? In my opinion, yes. For me it was a draw between Neo and Wick, until JW4.
Anyway, I saw it again. It's a fun stylish film. Is it me, or was John going to heaven foreshadowed when he met with Winston at the cemetery? When John was walking up the snowy steps to go see Winston, it almost looked like he was going to heaven. Well, that's the way it looked to me anyway.
My son said that the first one is still his favorite with 4 being second just like you.
I agree with you and JAWS on John Wick being Keanu's most signature role at this point. Of course it helps that his character's name is also the title of the series, ha ha.