Bab 45: Chapter 44
John Wick's cold and solemn eyes said it all.
Beyond sympathizing with John Wick, the audience watching the film also felt a growing hatred for the gangsters. It takes so much effort for someone to find a reason to keep living—was it really so easy to strip that away?
All over a stolen car, not to mention a dog? All because John Wick said something to them?
The audience's anger mirrored that of John Wick's—a fierce rage, suppressed and waiting for the right moment to explode.
Those who had seen the trailer knew what was coming: John Wick's time for revenge. But many in the audience hadn't seen it. From the plot so far, John Wick seemed like an ordinary man, easily overpowered by a group of thugs. They could punch and kick him, leave him on the ground. Now, these thugs had returned to their turf, surrounded by countless subordinates. How could John Wick, alone, stand against them?
Meanwhile, the gangster who stole the car had driven it to a garage, planning to erase the vehicle's original information and claim it as his own. It was his usual modus operandi—like a real-life GTA player. But the moment the garage owner saw the car, his expression changed.
"Ford Mustang Boss 429! Where the hell did you get this car?"
...
John Wick, with his other car damaged and blood still on his face, took a bus to the garage. The owner, who seemed to know John, was waiting, a glass of wine in hand. Without many words exchanged, the owner poured a glass for John.
"Is it here?"
"It was. Iosef took it."
"Viggo's son."
John Wick knew this gang well—he knew the thug who killed his puppy was the son of the gang leader.
The garage owner called Viggo, the gang leader, to break the news: "Your son, sir, stole John Wick's car and killed his dog."
Viggo's heart sank. "Oh."
It seemed that, aside from the foolish young thugs, everyone knew what John Wick was capable of. This only made the audience more curious—who was John Wick, really? Could this man, who was so easily beaten earlier, be someone powerful?
The film slowly peeled back the layers of John Wick's character, bit by bit. It had been 21 minutes since the opening, and aside from the earlier sneak attack, there hadn't been any action scenes. In any other popcorn flick, wouldn't there have been a big action set piece by now? A plane blown up, a building destroyed, maybe a car chase?
But John Wick offered nothing of the sort—just the main character getting beaten down like an ordinary man.
The action scenes were chaotic, raw street fights, not the highly choreographed sequences expected in an R-rated action movie.
Yet, despite the doubts, the audience and critics weren't disappointed. Thanks to Xu Can's impeccable acting and sharp direction, the characters and emotions had been perfectly crafted. The suppressed anger, with nowhere to go, kept building—waiting for the moment when it would finally explode.
"Viggo, they agreed to your terms. Congratulations… Mr. Viggo?" a gang member reported. But Viggo didn't react. His son entered the room, a playful grin on his face, unaware of the storm brewing. He had done this before—stolen cars, killed dogs. But this time, Viggo didn't hold back. He punched his son hard.
"You did something stupid."
"It's just a car."
"The car isn't important. What's important is the owner."
"Who? Just some nobody?"
"That nobody is John Wick."
Even saying the name made Viggo tremble.
"He used to work with us. They called him Baba Yaga."
"The Boogeyman?"
"No, he's the one you send to kill the Boogeyman."
"He's a pure killing machine. I once saw him kill three men in a bar… with just a pencil."
"A fucking pencil!"
"Then one day, he wanted out—for a woman. I gave him an impossible task… the bodies he buried that day built the foundation of our empire."
"And right after his wife died, you took his car and killed the dog she gave him…"
Viggo's voice was low and gentle, but each word was a hammer blow to his son's heart. The young thug finally realized the kind of man he had crossed. Now he was desperate to find someone to get rid of John Wick first, but Viggo crushed his hopes.
"John Wick is coming for you, and there's nothing you can do…"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The film's BGM escalated from calm to intense as John Wick went to his basement, using a hammer to open a box that had been sealed for a long time. Inside was an arsenal of firearms and ammunition—neatly arranged, professional. This was John Wick's past—this was Baba Yaga. And now, Baba Yaga had awakened.
...
The audience's hearts pounded in time with John's hammer blows, anticipation growing. They couldn't help but wonder—how would this legendary figure carry out his revenge?
"John? Sorry to hear about your wife. Maybe it's fate that we're in this situation," Viggo tried to reason with John, hoping to avoid the inevitable. But John's silence on the other end of the phone was oppressive, full of unspoken menace.
"We should settle this like civilized men…"
Click.
John hung up. There would be no negotiation—only one outcome.
"Get the men ready," Viggo ordered.
"How many?"
"All of them."
In a dimly lit room, John Wick dressed in a suit, meticulously arranging his clothes. Though he still bore a beard, his killer's aura was undeniable. Only now did people truly believe—John Wick had once been a killer.
Female fans, their eyes gleaming, stared at the screen in excitement.
"Ahhh! So handsome!"
"This look really gets me!"
"I want to push this man to…"
"No, I'm already drooling."
The same actor who played the high-spirited Peter Parker now portrayed a cold, ruthless killing machine. Xu Can's range was unmistakable—whether playing a youthful hero or a seasoned assassin, he brought each character to life with equal skill. Even a decade later, his career would be going strong, with Hollywood blockbusters in his wake. And he was Chinese!
With a shrill post-rock drum beat, Viggo's men surrounded John Wick's house, guns raised, ready to finish him off. These were seasoned killers—ten against one. It should have been enough.
But it wasn't.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
In the darkness, Baba Yaga appeared. He dispatched his foes with three clean shots, following up with merciless shots to the ground. One shot per target, each one perfect.
It was obvious—a large-scale battle was expected, but John Wick ended it in a flash.
Huh?
Audiences accustomed to traditional 90s gunfight movies were taken aback. Shouldn't two groups of people engage in a lengthy shootout, with the protagonist pulling off exaggerated, physics-defying stunts to win?
Instead, the gunfight was smooth, realistic, and full of extreme violence.
The gangster was shot in the leg, fell, and then received a bullet to the head—no chances left for the villain. It was brutal, uncompromising.
And, for once, the pistol didn't have infinite bullets. John Wick's shots matched the ammunition in his weapon, his movements professional, his reloading seamless. Anyone with field experience or CQB training would recognize the authenticity.
What mattered was truth and realism.
"Oh my gosh! Xu Can could probably do this in real life!" someone exclaimed.
"When have you seen CQB in a movie? So hardcore!"
"Cool! Kill them! Kill those bastards!"
The film's buildup had ended, and what followed was an unstoppable wave of revenge—Baba Yaga's revenge.
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