John Wick: Chapter 4is doing better than any movie in the franchise before it. That may be partly down to Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski outclassing themselves in the stunt department, including a scene many viewers mistook for being inspired byHotline Miami.
That’s becauseJohn Wick4 features an action sequence filmed using a top-down view, much like the 2012 indie shooter, but with all the eye candy and flair these movies are known for. However, although Stahelski did not borrowthis trick fromHotline Miami, he did want to capture the same feeling from another video game for part of John Wick’s non-stop killing spree through the streets of Paris.
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In an interview withSlash Film, Stahelski gave the game that inspired the segment a proper shoutout. “I think it was called ‘Hong Kong Massacre’ — they did this top shot and we had been doing so much with the big muzzle flashes and it just kind of clicked,” Stahelski said, noting that he thought it would fit in very well withJohn Wick’s style. In that sense, the director is aware “No one does top shots” because looking at the floor and the top of characters’ heads isn’t eye-catching. However, they made it work using lighting and the gun flashes to recreate the video game feel that Stahelski calls an “etch a sketch” effect.
For a movie that sees John use such a wide variety of weapons, including nunchucks, and includes some of themost impressive kills in theJohn Wicksaga, the “Hong Kong Massacre” sure caught the eye of many gamers.The Hong Kong Massacrecame out in 2019 and is currently available on PC, PS4, and Nintendo Switch for $19.99. The gameplay pays homage toHotline Miami, John Woo movies, and evenMax Payne, thanks to slow-motion mechanics.
The game, published by Untold Tales, currently holds primarily positive reviews on Steam but a lower 68/100 on sites like Metacritic. Nevertheless, the game borrows slightly fromMax Payne’s bullet time, inspired byMatrix, so it’s funny how the relationship between all these comes full circle for Reeves. TheJohn Wickstar and Stahelski have commented on the protagonist’s destiny afterChapter 4’s surprise ending, with the franchise now focused on its two spinoffs:The ContinentalandBallerina.
Games being inspired by movies or vice versa is not a new fad. However, it’s impressive for a man of Stahelski’s experience to use this niche genre to add even moreamazing action to John Wick’s adventures.
