Keanu’ Reeves’ latest flagship franchise, the John Wick films, has been consistently lauded for their stunning visuals and innovative action sequences. The films have even led to a welcomed resurgence in Keanu’s career, aptly named the “Keanussance”.
Ostensibly, the John Wick films may seem like they are all intense action-packed films with absolutely no room for comedic moments, especially with Keanu’s vengeful and grieving John Wick. However, between all the neon lights and impressive fights, each film has managed to squeeze in truly hilarious moments. Here are a few humorous scenes that cut the tension and delivered much needed comic relief.
“That’s a Million Dollars a Round, Baby”
The long-awaited Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne reunion finally happens in John Wick: Chapter 2, nearly 15 years after The Matrix Revolutions. Having Fishburne play the Bowery King, the leader of the homeless division of the criminal underworld, is funny in and of itself but Fishburne fully invests in the performance.
The Bowery King agrees to help the fugitive Wick but only offers him a gun with 7 bullets, one for each million on Wick’s head. Not only are those ridiculously expensive bullets, but it is also an absurdly low amount of firepower to fight an entire squad with. But then again John Wick is deadly with 7 bullets or 700 bullets
Viggo Calls Aurelio
Before the phone call, Michael Nyvquist’s Viggo is ready to bring hell to the Aurelio for punching his brat of a son. But after Aurelio explains the context of his son’s actions, Viggo realizes that his son is royally screwed with a simple response, “Oh”.
Nyquist’s apologetic delivery of the line speaks volumes with just one word. Viggo acts like a big shot before making the call, but with just the mention of Wick’s name, Viggo’s entire perception changes. It is a complete tonal shift that is not expected from action-movie antagonists which is why it never fails to crack up audiences.
Noise Complaint
After effortlessly warding off his home intruders, John Wick unsurprisingly finds the police knocking on his door. While Wick’s actions are considered self-defense, Officer Jimmy shrugs off the dead bodies like nothing. He only asks Wick if he is “working again."
It is a great scene that establishes the reach of the criminal underworld early on in the film. What is even better is the police officer’s return in the second installment asking the same futile question.
Zero’s Admiration For John Wick
The John Wick franchise consistently produces nuanced antagonists rather than those excessively evil villains seen in most conventional action films. Zero in John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum is no exception. He might be an intimidating and ruthless assassin, but the second he sits next to John Wick he’s instantly reduced to a starstruck fanboy.
At the Continental lobby, Zero decides to sit uncomfortably close to Wick, despite the empty seats everywhere else. You cannot blame Zero for being a fan, but the awkwardness of the situation makes the entire scene hilarious. It’s a well placed comic relief right before arguably the franchise’s biggest fight scene to date.
“He Once Killed Three Men in a Bar with a Pencil”
This is not really one particular scene, but a buildup of three different scenes that culminate in a bloody payoff. When Viggo tells Avi how Wick once killed three men with only a pencil, it seems like a far-fetched tale made to inflate the feats of Wick. It’s funny at first because it seems so implausible. Then, in John Wick: Chapter 2 Viggo’s brother, Abram, terrifyingly recites the same tale. Abram is literally shaking as he tells the story.
Only later on in the film, in the middle of a fight, Wick grabs a pencil and proves the tales true as he brutally kills two assassins with it. It’s a gruesome scene but the payoff is hilarious and well deserved.
Subway Shootout
John Wick and Common’s Cassian had an amazing rivalry that led to some of the franchise’s most memorable fight scenes. In their penultimate fight, Wick and Cassian shoot at each other with silenced pistols in a crowded New York subway. With near-perfect accuracy, the shots narrowly miss Wick and Cassian, and yet somehow none of the busy passersby in the station seem to notice or care about the shootout surrounding them. It is a ridiculous scene, but the performances of Reeves and Common makes it a joy to watch.
Winston Hangs Up On the Adjudicator
Despite starting a war between The Continental and The High Table, Winston comfortably relaxes inside a secure vault while sipping on cognac. Not even the interruptions of Wick and Charon as they restock on weapons and ammo can bother him. Also, Winston’s vault remote gives this scene extra points.
So, when the Adjudicator attempts to call Winston with some wordy intimidation, Winston immediately hangs up. Winston ‘s hilarious indifference towards the antics of The Adjudicator is the cherry on top of one of the franchise’s greatest fight scenes.
“Are You Here For The Pope?”
John Wick is so renowned and feared that everyone wonders who he will be tasked with killing next. When Wick arrives at The Continental in Rome, the manager, Julius, naturally asks if the target is The Pope. It’s a simple yet important question, and undeniably funny. Julius knows that an assassin as skilled as Wick must be in Rome to off someone important. Thankfully, the religious leader was not on the chopping block this time.
The icing on the cake of this scene is Wick’s unflinching response, “no.” Wick is not surprised by the question or offended. In fact, he might have assassinated world leaders in the past.
“I Get It”
John Wick might be the world’s deadliest dog lover, but apparently, he is not the only one. Sofia shoots her former boss, Berrada, in retaliation after he shoots one of her combat dogs. Justifying her actions, Sophia says “He shot my dog”, to which Wick replies “I get it."
There are three movies and a fourth on the way that definitely shows that Wick “gets it”. Needless to say, Berrada is lucky that he shot Sofia’s dog and not Wick’s. Wick would not be as merciful.
The Sommelier
Peter Serafinowicz’s Sommelier is not the person you would seek for advice about which wine works well with your dish. He has nothing to do with wine and everything to do with supplying assassins with the right weaponry and gear. Except, The Sommelier still speaks as if he is in a restaurant which makes this scene hilariously entertaining.
The delight in Serafinowicz’s eyes when Wick says desert automatically makes this one of the funniest moments in the franchise. The actual lore-building this scene expands on and the entire dinner date façade elevates this scene even more.
