The John Wick movies are considered to have some of the greatest action sequences in modern cinema, but a close-quarters combat expert isn’t all that impressed with how well the fights stand up to scrutiny. The expert took a look at an epic battle in John Wick: Chapter 4 and tore it apart, pointing out all the unrealistic problems with how John Wick (Keanu Reeves) fights.
Said expert, former Navy SEAL DJ Shipley, speaking in a video for Insider, tears into John’s approach to the situation from the very beginning. “To run into what I would consider the center of a room with 12 adversaries is the worst scenario. Basically, as soon as he made entry, you run down the longest wall, take a right-hand turn, and then keep a wall to one of his shoulders the entire time.”
Shipley doesn’t stop there. He also criticizes how John handles an opponent who gets in close. Then he goes in on one of the central conceits of the John Wick series that makes most of the wild fight scenes possible.
“I know the concept of the movie. It’s a bulletproof suit,” Shipley says. “The issue is if you put on a bulletproof suit and I shoot you with 9 mil, it’s going to knock you on your a**.”
Shipley then points out what may be the biggest difference between how John Wick fights and how real close-quarters combatants would handle a situation. “When he cloaks, he’ll grab his jacket, cover his face, and then he does like this subtle present-and-shoot,” he says. “But he’s not looking down his sights. He’s not even really picking up a target. He’s really looking this way, and he’s just trying to get rounds down range.”
He continues, “You’re not going to hit anything, and you’re shooting precious ammo you clearly don’t have in reserve. For CQB and the professional, especially SWAT team guys, you have to be accountable for every single round that leaves this. There is no just winging it. We’re fighting armies of assassins inside of an apartment building? I guess John’s style will work. But for the reality of CQB, I wouldn’t do that.”
John Wick Is Entertaining But Unrealistic
Shipley doesn’t stop there. Once more, he takes issue with John’s handling of a close-quarters opponent.
“You’re one arm’s length away from each other, shooting actual bullets at each other. Just not where you want to be,” he explains. “You’d have better luck doing a distraction and then wrapping rapidly around one side and trying to ambush them straight on. Meaning, like if this pillar is between me and you, and I’m shooting over my left-hand shoulder, and I see you bounce back and forth two or three times, I’m going to send it and immediately spin around this way and try to ambush you.”
Ultimately, Shipley admits that the scene is highly entertaining. As far as realism goes? John Wick fails the test.
“For entertainment, I’d give it a 10,” Shipley says in his final judgment. “For realism, I’d give it a 1.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 is available to stream now on Starz.
Release Date
March 22, 2023
Runtime
170 minutes
Director
Chad Stahelski
