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The Original John Wick?

hbenthow

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@hbenthow 1 year later.... ;)

After your hint on Sunday, I remembered to get around to watching it, but couldn't find the time until tonight.

It definitely shares some similarities to "John Wick", although there are major differences as well.

Both movies feature a plotline in which a young punk has a run-in with the protagonist, then kills the protagonists' dog (who was given to him by his now-dead wife in both movies) out of spite, after which the consequences of the original deed pile up more and more as the punk's father tries to protect him from justice as the protagonist constantly refuses to let the matter go.

Beyond that, though, there's very little in common. "Red" is pretty realistic, and feels like something that could really happen in a sleepy Southern town (while John Wick is essentially a fantasy set in an alternate universe in which there are super-assassins hiding in plain sight on nearly every street). Unlike John Wick, Brian Cox's Avery Ludlow is dogged but peaceful in his pursuit of justice, pursuing every legal option and repeatedly asking everyone involved (including the culprit, his accomplices, and his father) to do the right thing. It's them, not him, who cause the escalation to violence, and he only resorts to violence in self-defense (and feels guilty for it even then). It's not an action movie, but more of a slow-burn drama/thriller with a philosophical edge.

I wouldn't be surprised if the makers of "John Wick" borrowed the premise from "Red" (or the book of the same name by horror legend Jack Ketchum upon which it was based). There are enough similarities that I can see where they might have been inspired by it, but it's also possible that it's just a coincidence. Overall, I'd recommend it. It's very well-done, but don't expect a fast pace or a lot of action. It's a very different take on the same basic concept.
 
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mnkykungfu

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Yeah, that setup sounds like basically the same film. lol Although I'm sure the suave Russian mafia veneer makes JW look far different. Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the first JW, isn't the only assassin JW himself? That whole super-assassin world didn't come until the sequel, right? I remember the first film feeling pretty grounded, with the only hint of broader connections being these "favors" that people owed John...
 

hbenthow

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Yeah, that setup sounds like basically the same film. lol Although I'm sure the suave Russian mafia veneer makes JW look far different.

It's more than a veneer, though. "Red" takes the same basic setup in a very different direction than 'John Wick" in multiple ways. Not only are the grounded setting and the tone and pacing different, but so are the protagonist's motivations. Avery Ludlow isn't out for revenge like John Wick. He wants the wrongdoers to confess, repent, and become better people. Instead, they keep retaliating against him in increasingly destructive and violent ways, eventually forcing him to use violence to defend himself.

Ludlow's wife also died in a very different (and much darker) manner than John Wick's wife, and her death is tied into his motivations. One of his sons had gone bad years before and killed her and his brother, making Ludlow want to help the boy who killed his dog get some discipline before it's too late for him like it is for his own son.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but in the first JW, isn't the only assassin JW himself? That whole super-assassin world didn't come until the sequel, right? I remember the first film feeling pretty grounded, with the only hint of broader connections being these "favors" that people owed John...

The Continental (the hotel for assassins in which killing wasn't allowed) was introduced in the first movie, as was the cleanup crew that assassins could call to destroy evidence. The sequels get increasingly more fantastical, but much of it was already there in the first movie. From the beginning, the John Wick universe was heavily inspired by Greek and Roman mythology.

https://reelentropy.com/2019/05/27/reely-understanding-john-wick-and-parallels-with-roman-mythology/
 

mnkykungfu

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^Gotcha. I was thinking the hotel didn't come up until the 2nd film, but yeah now that you say it I do remember being excited that they were expanding on that when I watched the 2nd one. (Though the 3rd one took it all too far for me.) And yeah, I grew up on that mythology so the references were very noticeable on first viewing.
Red sounds interesting. Will throw it on my list for when I want a kind of Straw Dogs slow burn. Thanks for the report back!
 
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