Keanu Reeves channeling Buster Keaton in John Wick has transformed the franchise’s action, blending silent-era comedic genius with modern choreography in all four films. Director Chad Stahelski not only wanted to pay homage to legendary action filmmakers like Jackie Chan and John Woo, but also to bring the unexpected influence of Buster Keaton into every major fight, shaping the narrative and visual style throughout the series.
Buster Keaton’s Enduring Mark on the John Wick Franchise
From the first John Wick film, audiences witnessed Keanu Reeves’s character on a relentless mission of vengeance following the murder of his dog. As the story evolved with each sequel, John Wick faced new adversaries and impossible odds—yet the foundations of his epic fight scenes owed as much to silent film stars as to contemporary action legends. Action sequences have drawn widely from martial arts epics and the stylized shoot-outs of John Woo, but Chad Stahelski, the director, was also deeply inspired by the wit and physicality of early comedy legends such as Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, and Harold Lloyd. Throughout the series, references to their works have appeared both openly and subtly, informing everything from choreography to visual storytelling.
Chad Stahelski has never been shy about crediting his influences while crafting the world of John Wick. He repeatedly pointed to Jackie Chan as a master of continuous movement in action—keeping the protagonist perpetually engaged, outmaneuvering his foes. Yet, the director revealed a lesser-known inspiration: the silent comedy star Buster Keaton, whose work shaped not just Chan’s approach, but Stahelski’s vision for John Wick.
“My grandfather, for whatever reason, had a ton of 8 mm films of all the old silent comedians. He liked to play Charlie Chaplin in the background. So I’ve already seen Little Tramp, I’ve already seen Buster Keaton, I’ve already seen Harold Lloyd. I’ve already seen it, but it’s not clicking yet until I have a couple conversations with Yuen Woo-ping and his team. And then I meet Jackie Chan for the first time, and he’s telling me how it came about with him.”
—Chad Stahelski, Director
Stahelski explained that his early exposure to the masters of silent comedy unexpectedly shaped his approach later on, especially after conversations with martial arts choreographer Yuen Woo-ping and star Jackie Chan. These discussions reinforced the notion that physical comedy and storytelling without words could be just as impactful in tense, violent environments as they were in lighthearted slapstick routines.
Notably, Buster Keaton influenced Jackie Chan profoundly. Keaton, Harold Lloyd, and Charlie Chaplin were the titans of silent slapstick, using exaggerated physicality, falls, and visual storytelling to create both humor and emotion. John Wick’s choreography often channels similar energy—fight scenes that blend action with the intricate timing and physical expressiveness of silent films, creating sequences where every gesture and movement tells part of the story.
The parallels between Keanu Reeves and Buster Keaton go beyond just the action: both manage to communicate volumes without uttering a word. Stahelski was struck by their ability to illuminate entire narratives through expression and subtle physicality.
“You watch Buster Keaton, he had to give the looks—like, when he’s in love, the twinkling eyes. You go back and watch any of the Harold Lloyds or the Buster Keatons, and are you kidding me? They’re selling whole stories without a word. I don’t think people appreciate how fucking crazy that is. They were getting across love, fear, astonishment. They made you laugh with the shrug of the shoulders. You have to pay attention to that.”
—Chad Stahelski, Director
This understanding of how emotion and story could be conveyed purely by “the look in their eyes” redefined the way Reeves plays John Wick. The audience experiences the character’s pain, drive, and complexities with minimal dialogue, using pauses, reactions, and subtle glances to express inner turmoil—mirroring Keaton’s timeless style.
How John Wick’s Action Became a Playground for Silent Era Flourishes
Chad Stahelski incorporated Buster Keaton’s influence throughout the series, using moments of visual humor and resilience that recall silent-era pratfalls. Instead of verbal exposition or melodramatic reaction, John Wick’s endurance and setbacks are often shown through kinetic, physical setbacks reminiscent of Keaton’s most memorable gags. Stahelski explained his process for weaving Keaton’s style into the franchise. The films turn the hero’s endless barrage of obstacles—from running out of bullets, to surprise attacks, to unexpected falls—into a rhythm that is both suspenseful and subtly comic in its unpredictability.
In interviews, Stahelski shared,
“No matter what I do, just when you think it’s over, I’m going to throw him down the stairs,”
emphasizing the physical toll and seemingly endless string of hurdles reminiscent of Keaton’s relentless misadventures. The John Wick saga uses these elements not for cheap laughs, but to underscore the character’s resilience and the endurance required to continue his quest. Whether it’s being attacked by unlikely foes, or having victory snatched away at the last moment, Wick’s journey is deliberately filled with unexpected reversals, much like Keaton’s films.
The use of Buster Keaton’s visual legacy even seeps into the films’ design. In John Wick: Chapter 2, for example, a Buster Keaton movie was projected onto the side of a building in a chase scene, and in John Wick 4, a projection of Keaton appears in a train station, reinforcing Stahelski’s admiration. Other callbacks include a Hall of Mirrors sequence that nods to Charlie Chaplin’s The Circus, and promotional posters referencing Harold Lloyd. These Easter eggs do more than pay homage—they ground the intense violence and high-stakes drama in a tradition of silent-era storytelling, balancing tension with history and wit.
Stairway Fights and Banter: Replicating Buster Keaton’s Unyielding Spirit in John Wick 4
Perhaps the strongest example of Buster Keaton’s impact on the John Wick franchise is the famous stairway battle in John Wick 4. In this pivotal moment, John Wick must ascend an imposing flight of stairs to reach the Sacré-Cœur for his climactic duel with the Marquis. The setup and execution echo a perfect silent movie gag, stripped of overt comedy but layered with irony and pathos.
The sequence unfolds with Wick painstakingly battling his way up, only to be knocked down, tumbling back to the bottom in dramatic fashion. The fall itself is a direct character and narrative device borrowed from Keaton, who was infamous for his elaborate stunts and spectacular, repeated failures that revealed grit and humor in equal measure.
“All I could think about was Buster Keaton. How would Buster Keaton do it? Buster would walk all the way up, he’d fight his way up, he’d trip at the top step, he’d fall all the way back down, then look back up and go “F—.” I always look at it from a silent film perspective. And that’s how it all came about.”
—Chad Stahelski, Director
This stairway scene was not played for slapstick laughs, but as a moment that encapsulates the relentless nature of Wick’s world. The fall is brutal and real, showing that even for a skilled assassin like John Wick, setbacks are inevitable and often humbling. According to Stahelski, this was more than just another stunt or action sequence—he described the stairway fall as
“a metaphor for the movie as a whole.”
In this sense, the stairway gag underlines the franchise’s larger themes of resilience and cyclical struggle, using a visual language inherited from Buster Keaton.
Further nods to Keaton’s influence can be found in John Wick 4’s earlier scene where Wick falls from a window and awnings break his fall—a clear tribute to Keaton’s Three Ages. Even as the setting and stakes are much higher and more violent, the DNA of silent cinema remains omnipresent, showing that modern action can be enhanced, not just through special effects or gun choreography, but through an understanding of classical timing and physical storytelling.
The Future of John Wick and Buster Keaton’s Legacy in Action Cinema
As the John Wick franchise prepares for a potential fifth installment, the task of keeping the action fresh and the narrative meaningful becomes more challenging. For Stahelski and the creative team, the lesson from Buster Keaton remains essential: the fusion of relentless action with moments of unexpected vulnerability. This formula pulls the audience into the emotional core of the story, transforming even the wildest set pieces into scenes with soul.
For Keanu Reeves, embodying the role of John Wick has meant channeling the ability to communicate turmoil, determination, and humanity—often with nothing more than a glance. Each film has continued to reference and celebrate the greats of the silent era, making the franchise not just a showcase for impossible stunts or intricate choreography, but also an ode to an art form that shaped action cinema as we know it. Screenings and discussions of the films now often mention the clever, deliberate insertions of homage—from projected images of Keaton to visual gags embedded amid deadly violence.
This approach has cemented the John Wick franchise’s unique position among modern action films. By integrating Buster Keaton’s legacy, the series bridges past and present, proving that the timeless principles of expressive storytelling remain as effective and powerful in today’s intense narratives as they were a century ago. As audiences eagerly await the next chapter, the influence of silent era comedy and drama will likely continue to guide the franchise’s creative direction, ensuring that John Wick’s battles are not just fights for survival, but lessons in cinematic history brought to life.
