Image: Summit Entertainment / Thunder Road Pictures / 87Eleven Productions
About This Quiz
Keanu Reeves's career was on a bit of a downturn heading into 2014. He'd had a string of movies that failed to perform like "47 Ronin," "The Day the Earth Stood Still," and "The Lake House." Then along came "John Wick" and turned the tables in the most amazing way. Non-stop, stylized action and engaging and unpredictable mythology made Wick stand out like nothing else. The movie was an instant hit and spawned two sequels that did the impossible — they actually built and improved upon the original. After three movies, John Wick was cemented as one of the greatest action movie characters ever, and the films grossed over half a billion dollars worldwide. Not too shabby at all.
With a fourth Wick movie on the way and a TV show in the works as well, this intense universe of assassins keeps getting bigger and better. If you're a fan of the movies, then surely you'll be able to ace this little quiz by testing your knowledge of what goes on across those first three films. It won't even cost you a gold coin to get it done. So what are you waiting for? Take the quiz and see how you do.
The Grim Reaper
Baba Yaga
In the first "John Wick" film, we learn that he has a reputation amongst hitmen as a kind of boogeyman. They call him "Baba Yaga," which is actually a witch-like being from folklore.
The Shadow
The Ghost
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Dog Wick
Hound
Daisy
Though John picks up another dog later on, his original puppy was given to him as a present by his wife. That dog was named Daisy and was actually played by a male beagle. Good acting right there.
It has no name.
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Iosef Tarasov
Alfie Allen plays Iosef Tarasov in "John Wick." Allen was most famously known for his role as Theon Greyjoy on "Game of Thrones." He was still filming the show at the time but shot Wick during the downtime between seasons.
Aurelio Vicenzo
Winston Dance
Santino D'antonio
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To those about to die, we salute you.
Death before dishonor
If you want peace, prepare for war.
The full phrase in Latin is "si vis pacem, para bellum." It means "If you want peace, prepare for war." In modern parlance, parabellum is used to describe some kinds of ammunition, such as a 9mm parabellum round, so it's doubly appropriate for John Wick.
Fear the reaper
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2011 Dodge Charger
1969 Mustang
The car that starts all the trouble for John Wick is a 1969 Mustang GT, but it's worth noting that in the movie, they don't refer to it as such. Instead, it's a 1969 429 Boss Mustang. Why did they change it? Who knows!
1968 Dodge Charger
1970 Chevelle SS
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Perseus
Hades
Zeus
Charon
The quiet and not easily rattled hotel concierge at the Continental Hotel is named Charon. In Greek mythology, Charon was the ferryman who took souls across the River Styx in his boat and demanded payment, usually in the form of gold coins.
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His arm
His chest
His back
Not that you see it very often in the films, but John does have a tattoo on his back that's visible when he's taking a shower. The phrase "fortis fortuna adiuvat" means "fortune favors the strong."
His neck
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Ares
Ruby Rose plays the silent assassin Ares in the John Wick sequel. Ares is the God of War from Greek mythology, so it's something of a fitting name for such a brutal character, even if it's traditionally masculine.
Spike
Thorn
Wisp
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A pencil sharpener
A pencil
As part of the legend of John Wick, both Viggo Tarasov and later his brother Abram share the amazing tale of how John Wick is known to have killed three men with a pencil. He actually does us a pencil as a weapon later on.
A ruler
A stapler
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Runs a chop shop
Aurelio appears to be, if not a friend of John Wick's, then at least an acquaintance who knows enough to not mess with the man. He runs the chop shop where they bring John's stolen car early in the first film.
Assassin
Gun sommelier
Mobster
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D'Antonio saved John's life.
D'Antonio saved John's wife.
D'Antonio got John out of the assassin life.
In the first movie, we learn that John Wick used to be an assassin but had since retried to marry. In part two, we learn that he was able to retire because Santino D'Antonio allowed it to happen by helping John accomplish an impossible task at the cost of John owing him a blood debt.
D'Antonio is John's brother.
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One
Five
Seven
Laurence Fishburne, who was Keanu Reeve's co-star in "The Matrix" films, shows up as the Bowery King in "John Wick: Chapter 2." He's not an alley of Wick's by any means but not an enemy either. He gives John only seven bullets when he's in need and later pays for it by being sliced seven times.
12
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It was underwater.
It was all glass.
The bizarre room in which the film's climax takes place was a maze of glass floors and walls. Aside from a lot of things getting smashed, it's notable that the budget for making that room was a staggering $4 million.
It was on a rooftop.
It was on fire.
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Casablanca
John Wick leaves New York for Casablanca where he meets Sofia, an ex-assassin who reluctantly agrees to help him. Halle Berry spent six months training with the dogs she has in the film.
Istanbul
Prague
Lisbon
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Illya Ravenoff
Gregori Jonova
Jardani Jovonovich
We learn when John is on the run trying to save his own life after being excommunicated that his birth name was Jardani Jovonovich. It was sometime later in life he took on the mantle of John Wick.
Jarmira Rusikoff
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Stazi
Yakuza
Tarasov Russian mafia
John Wick seeks salvation from Anjelica Huston's The Director and the Tarasov Russian mafia. They took John in when he was a boy, apparently a Ruska Roma orphan from Belarus. They trained him to be an assassin. Fairly well, it seems.
Sicilian mob
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Bridget Moynahan
Though her role is remarkably brief, the character of Helen Wick, played by Bridget Moynahan, is integral to the plot and character of John Wick. Moynahan only read her part of the screenplay so as not to allow her portrayal of the character to be clouded by what else she might learn about John.
Adrienne Palicki
Ruby Rose
Halle Berry
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The Judge
The Adjudicator
The Adjudicator has no name as a character in the film. She represents the High Table and has come to mete out justice on everyone who has violated the rules, in particular, John and Winston. According to one of the producers, the idea for the Adjudicator came from Keanu Reeves himself.
The Viscount
The Fox
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Ivan Topovsky
Matthew McGrory
Boban Marjanovic
The 7'3" monster named Ernest was played by Boban Marjanovic, a Serbian basketball player from the Dallas Mavericks. Unbelievably, Marjanovic is actually only the second tallest player in the NBA. He's dwarfed by Tacko Fall, who, with his shoes on, stands 7'7" tall and can reach things that are 10 feet off the ground.
Andre Rousimoff
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"Be seeing you"
"Be seeing you" is a phrase that gets repeated many times throughout the John Wick movies. Viggo says it in the first movie just before he dies. Ares signs it to John before she dies. In the third film, Zero says he'll catch up with John. John says, "no, you won't."
"Good fight"
"Until next time"
"Whoa"
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Laurence Fishburne
Mos Def
Common
Common plays the role of Cassian and it's not the first time Common has taken on the role of a contract killer. He's actually played one in at several other films including "Smoking Aces" and "Wanted."
Mark Dacascos
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Ms. Perkins
Played by Adrianne Palicki, Ms. Perkins violates the rules to try to take out John Wick on the consecrated hotel grounds. During their fight sequences, Perkins uses Brazilian Jiu-jitsu to country John's judo.
Lillith
Ms. White
The Director
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Cuts off his own finger
Symbolic of giving up his wife, John removes his ring finger and ring, giving the ring to The Elder. The scenes where John travels through the desert to find the Elder were filmed in the Sahara desert, a place where Keanu Reeves had never been before.
Stabs his leg
Gets shot
Blinds one eye
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Gunshot wound
Poison
Illness
John lost his wife to a terminal illness, representing the sort of enemy John could not fight despite all of his skills. The character serves as the motivation for much of John's actions despite the fact she only gets a few minutes of screentime.
Drowning
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A sword
A lion
The gold coins in the John Wick universe feature the image of a lion and are used as currency for just about everything. They don't seem to have any recognizable cash value so much as the value of a favor given.
Fire
A hammer
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Leonard Cohen
Trent Reznor
Johnny Cash
Marilyn Manson
The song "Killing Strangers" is performed by Marilyn Manson. The producers originally wanted to use the song "God's Gonna Cut You Down" by Johnny Cash, which has a very different feel to it than Manson's song.
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Doberman
Belgian Malinois
Sofia's two extremely well-trained dogs are Belgian Malinois, and they were chosen very deliberately. This species is routinely used by police, armed forces and even the Secret Service as they take to training extremely well and are very effective in a fight.
Pitbull
Australian Shepherd
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Kimber 1911
After telling the Bowery King he's going to help him, John Wick is gifted a single Kimber 1911 and the seven rounds one magazine holds. He does manage to become better armed later in the film, of course.
Beretta 9mm
Desert Eagle 45
Walther PPK
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John has to hide.
The cop tries to arrest him.
The cop does nothing.
It's clear after the police officer arrives at John's house that the cop knows something about who John is and what he does. As such, he does nothing at all about what's happening at John's place.
John kills the cop.
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Spaghetti
Cat food
Hamburger
Cereal
Having not actually planned on getting a dog, John didn't have dog food in the house, so he and Daisy share some cereal for breakfast when they get up that first morning. He tells the dog he'll get some kibble later on.
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The Master
The Butler
The Sommelier
Peter Serafinowicz plays the Sommelier, which is usually what you'd call a wine steward. In a movie about assassins, maybe it's no small wonder that instead of providing alcohol, he offers a variety of guns complete with recommendations like a true sommelier.
The Chef
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$2 million
$5 million
$7 million
John gets a $7 million price tag put on his head, which is why the Bowery King only gives him seven bullets for his Kimber 1911. As he tells Wick when he does so, it's seven bullets for $7 million.
$10 million
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A bloodbath
A Herculean feat
An impossible task
Viggo tells his son Iosef that John Wick was given an impossible task to retire. Though the full details are not made clear, it's apparent that Wick took out all of Viggo's competition to allow him to become a massive crime lord.
An unsolvable puzzle
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Halle Berry
Realistic action comes at a price, or at least it did for Halle Berry on the set of "John Wick 3." Somewhat more bizarre is that when describing it during pres for the movie, she also mentioned no one was sure how it even happened.
Keanu Reeves
Mark Dacascos
Jerome Flynn
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Dave
Stan
Jimmy
In the first John Wick movie, after a failed attempt by Viggo to take John out, a police officer shows up to deal with a noise complaint. He knows John by name, and John knows him as well, calling him Jimmy. Jimmy asks if John is back to work and then leaves him to his business.
Ricky
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You Got:
/35
