"Wick Is Pain" Review: A Worthy Expansion on the Franchise

Wick is Pain is a new documentary about the true story behind the John Wick franchise, starring Keanu Reeves. Join Reeves, director Chad Stahelski, and the extended Wick cast and crew as they go behind the scenes of this billion-dollar franchise that almost never happened. The film also stars Basil Iwanyk, Tiger Chen, and Derek Kolstad.

When I initially heard about this being released, I didn’t expect it to be turned into a documentary I would be hearing about everywhere. Between Ballerina, a fifth John Wick in the works, and a Caine spinoff in the works, it makes sense why Lionsgate chose to release this as something big as this is perhaps one of their biggest properties at the moment. With the fourth movie being released two years ago now, I can’t say I was ready to go down memory lane nor did I feel like this is something that I needed to see, although with all the hype, I knew I would see it eventually. When a screening opportunity came my way with a small screening window, it felt like a great opportunity to finally check it out, and it did not disappoint.

I feel like this is something that that I may have said before. When it comes to documentaries, they are perhaps one of the toughest genres to critique. I typically don’t always see them being reviewed. Some may think documentaries are valid as long as the information is there; however, I’d argue that they need to prove its existence through giving us something to tell with something visually appealing. That’s exactly what this documentary does. Fans of the franchise like myself will find something to enjoy here as Lionsgate works on more entries to deliver to the fans. With four solid entries with perhaps a perfect conclusion with the fourth entry, there is a lot to enjoy with this documentary.

Many know about the financial and creative struggles this film endured in the beginning. I was personally surprised to see how a camera crew was able to capture these moments in real time. Under a different title and a little bit of a different plot, the film eventually found its leading man in Keanu Reeves. At the time, the actor just got done shooting movies that were not well received, resulting in a small amount of directors to pull from. Getting Chad Stahelski & David Leitch as directors pulled off a miracle for the film.

Having these two first-time directors pull off what I believe to be a perfect movie changed the game for action movies for the last decade. Even though Leitch went on to direct other projects afterward, Stahelski stayed behind, showing that he was more than fit to direct the incredible action set pieces this franchise is known for. Between the financial struggles the film faced in the beginning and dealing with a personal matter, I was blown away to learn what he did while filming the first movie. I would have liked to have seen the film lean more into his story more, but I will take it for what it is.

When Stahelski is first introduced, I was also not expecting the film to cover his beginnings as a stuntman and how he helped finish 1994’s The Crow. I have seen that film countless times. This film actually shows the scenes he helped stand in for and I don’t think I would have ever noticed. His work on other film also added an intriguing layer that I think made him a perfect fit for director. Even though Keanu Reeves endured a lot physically during production on these films in his 50’s, his trust for Stahelski shines through.

As the film captures the franchise’s humble beginning, it still manages to add a lot of information over its 2-hour runtime. It was nice going back through memory lane as I remember where I was every single time I saw a new John Wick movie. It was also interesting to hear the actor & director talk about how they wanted to end this franchise, showing how much love they have for the character and this world. It just makes me curious as to how the fifth film is going to get made now considering what we hear from the two.

The documentary also serves as a great tribute to the stunt work. Reeves is humble enough to know the stuntmen are playing the character as much as he is. There are scenes that provide more context as to what these stuntmen do, with one scene standing out the most due to how intense it was when I first saw it. It’s a true love letter to stuntmen in general as it is a love letter to this franchise.

Overall, Wick is Pain is a great addition to this franchise that adds more context, giving something to the fans as we await for the future of this franchise. With a 2-hour runtime, the film never wastes it time, providing as much intensity as the four entries itself. If you have the opportunity to check this out, I highly encourage you to do so.

VERDICT: 4.5/5 (Amazing)