| Director | Chad Stahelski, David Leitch |
|---|---|
| Budget | $20 million |
| Box office | $86 million |
In New York City, John Wick is grieving the death of his wife Helen, who had arranged for him to receive a beagle puppy, Daisy, to help cope with his loss. A few days later, a group of Russian gangsters led by Iosef Tarasov accost John at a gas station and fail to intimidate him into selling them his 1969 Boss 429 Mustang. That night, they break into John's home, attack him, kill the puppy, and steal the car. Iosef takes the Mustang to a chop shop to remove its identifying details, but the shop owner, Aurelio, recognizes it and refuses service. Aurelio informs John that Iosef is the son of Viggo Tarasov, the boss of New York City's Russian Mafia.
Upon learning of his son's actions, Viggo berates Iosef for incurring John's wrath. He reveals John was once a hitman in his employ, and was renowned and feared in the criminal underworld as the "Baba Yaga", a ruthless, relentless "man of focus, commitment, and sheer will". After John fell in love with Helen, a civilian, Viggo gave him a seemingly impossible task to earn his freedom; he succeeded.
John recovers a concealed stash from his former career that includes weapons and gold coins. He rejects Viggo's attempt to make amends and kills the hit squad subsequently sent to his home. Viggo puts a $2million bounty on John and enlists John's former mentor, Marcus, to kill him. John lodges at the Continental, a luxurious hotel that serves as neutral ground for the underworld and where conducting criminal business is strictly forbidden. Winston, the hotel's owner and John's old friend, informs him that Iosef is at a nightclub called Red Circle. John infiltrates Red Circle and confronts Iosef, but he is attacked by Viggo's henchman Kirill and forced to retreat to the Continental for medical attention.
As John rests, a hitwoman, Ms. Perkins, sneaks into his room. Marcus sees Perkins from an adjacent building and fires a warning shot to alert John, who wakes up and subdues her. Perkins reveals that Viggo has doubled the bounty for her to kill John in the hotel and has concealed a high-value stash in a church. John hires another hitman, Harry, to secure Perkins, but she kills Harry and escapes.
At the church, John destroys Viggo's cache of cash and extensive blackmail material. When Viggo arrives to assess the damage, John assaults him and his men but is hit by Kirill's car and captured. John tells Viggo he will not stop until Iosef is dead because the puppy gave him hope and a chance to not be alone in his grief for Helen. Marcus again intervenes to save John, who kills Kirill and threatens Viggo into revealing Iosef's location in a safe house. John attacks the safehouse and kills Iosef. Marcus encourages John to return to his everyday life. Perkins witnesses this and reveals Marcus's duplicity to Viggo, who has him tortured and killed. Viggo calls John to taunt him with the details, drawing him back to the city.
Winston has Perkins executed for breaking the Continental's rules, then informs John that Viggo is preparing to leave the city by helicopter. John races to New York Harbor, where he fights and mortally wounds Viggo. John, resigned to dying from his injuries, watches a video on his phone of Helen telling him they need to go home. He breaks into a nearby animal clinic, treats his wounds, and adopts a pit bull puppy scheduled to be euthanized before beginning to walk home.