John Wick Analysis: Part 2 - Acts and Structure

Hello and welcome to the Story Grid podcast. My name is Tim Grall. I'm the CEO of StoryGrid and I'm a struggling writer trying to figure out how to tell a story that works. Joining me shortly is Rachel Arsenault. She's a Story Grid certified editor, an editor mentor in the Story Grid Guild program, and she's here to make sure I stay on track as we break down the movie John Wick. Now, last week we came out with the first part and this week we're going to be looking at the acts and structure of the movie and going even deeper into those. It's a really fun one. But before I get into that, let me bring up a different Keanu Reeves movie that you may have heard of titled the Matrix. If you are interested in a deep dive in to genre, of really understanding how genre works, how structure of a story works, how to map out the 20 skeletal scenes that work at all six levels of genre, you're going to want to check out the genre blueprint training that Sean Coyne is going to be teaching coming up in the next couple weeks. I highly recommend you go to storygrid.com blueprint to see more about it. But this is the most in depth Shaun has ever gone on teaching genre and he's doing it using the Matrix as the masterwork. And as you're going to see, this goes really deep into looking at the six core genres of action status, love, morality, worldview and horror and how all of these are working in a masterwork and how you can apply this to your own masterwork story. So definitely go check out. This is going to be a live training that Sean teaches over 14 weeks. It's starting in just a couple of weeks. To see more information, make sure you go to storygrid.com blueprint okay, so now back to that other Keanu Reeves movie, John Wick. I'm going to go ahead and jump in and get started with me and Rachel as we look at the acts and structure of John Wick. Okay, so next let's look at the quadrant. So we break up a story into the beginning hook, middle breakdown, middle build up and ending payoff. And so let's talk a little bit about where we think those show up and what's, what's interesting about those moments. So what do you have for the beginning hook?

I classify the beginning hook as the part of the movie that I sobbed all the way through. That's it's like until John starts killing people. I and I've seen this movie so Many times. And I am just like. Just tears, just crying and.

Yeah.

So anyway, that's how I classify.

So I'm not the only one that cries in John. See, I don't cry at the beginning. I forgot there was one moment. It's at one of the moments, like in the middle of it, something about, for me, when this is what gets me in movies I've seen a pattern, is when heroes are forced into fighting, when they just want to go home. And so there's this moment I forget where it was in John Wick. I didn't. Because I didn't cry this last time I watched it. But there was a time before that, and it was like a moment where it's like, he just wants to go home. Just let him kill this kid. We all know he's going to get to him. You know, I cried there. There's a part in Django I hadn't watched Django and changed in years, and my oldest son was kind of working his way through the Tarantino library. And so I watch Django with them. There's the moment where they go to that plantation looking for those three brothers, and he starts, like, whipping the one brother. And it's showing flashbacks of him being at the. Their mercy when they were beating up his wife. And I just start. I'm, like, sitting there with Connor, and I just start sobbing. And he, like, looks at me. He's like, are you okay? I'm like, yeah, I'm fine. I'm fine. And the other time that gets me is in.

In Infinity War, in Avengers. Infinity War, where they're in Wakanda at the end. It's the final battle, and there's that screen, and all the bad guys are like, stopp screen. And then all the Avengers are running down towards it, and especially Captain America. I'm just like, he just. He does not want to fight. Like, he doesn't want to be here, but he's here because that's the right thing to do. And so anytime a hero would rather not fight and would rather just be.

Home.

Would rather be living in peace, but he stands up and fights when he has to. Man, that this destroys me. So, anyway, yeah, I lost track. So we're talking about the beginning. Hook, you sobbed through the whole thing. Go ahead.

Yes. Right. So. So the beginning Hook. Right. It just. It starts with the beginning of the movie. And I have it ending right before Viggo's men arrive at John's house. So it's like. It ends with Jon's refusal of Viggo's like, let us not be uncivilized, blah, blah, blah. And, like, him, like, kind of prepared unless sort of labeled it as, like his preparations for war. So sort of like everything right before VGo's Men, that scene where VGo's men arrive at the house.

Yeah, yeah, I had the same thing. I put the scene before the. I put. I stopped it when they showed up at the house. So there's like this. They show the outside of the house and then they show a man running up. And that's at 2806. And that's where I stopped it right before. That is when he's, like, showering and he's putting on his suit and he's getting ready. That was right at 2806, which, you know, I found a handy dandy time calculator on the Internet. And that was 28. You know, watch. I know that is 2806, 28 minutes into the movie. And that's roughly 30% of the movie. So.

Yeah. So when we're looking at that, like, what. What is significant about the crop in all stories, right? What are we looking for when we're looking at the move from the beginning hook into the middle Breakdown.

Yeah, I think there's a couple things that I'm looking for, especially with an action story. But in general, right, You're. You're looking at that. We call it, you know, moving into the extraordinary world. That's kind of how Sean also is, like, started labeling it of like, this is where we start to move into the. The new world. So the protagonist has already, in one way or another, accepted that they're moving into this world or they are going into this world.

And then they. They sort of. They experience it. And I'm also looking for an escalation of whatever has already happened, right? So, like, when you move into that Middle Build One. So for. So what I'm thinking is it's. It's an escalation. It starts with sort of an escalation of the stakes, right? So at the beginning, John's home is attacked. His dog is killed. He is beaten up, but he's not killed. And then at the beginning of Middle Build One, Vigo sends armed men to his home. So there's a lot more men. And the intent is not like, I'm going to take the car and kill the dog because I'm horrible. It is, we are coming to kill John Wick. Right? So that's also. I'm looking for that kind of escalation in an action story to sort of to see those stakes rising with that first inciting incident that happens at the start of the second quadrant.

And one thing I was thinking about is there's always a moment. We talk about this in Heroic Journey. You know, it's. We talk about in lots of different ways, but there's always a refusal of the call.

Is there a refusal of the call in the beginning Hook? Because I couldn't. Because the whole thing. And this is, this again is where it gets weird with the vengeance plot. Because to. In most action stories there is an, there is a attack by the villain that will not stop unless the hero stops it. Right. In a vengeance plot, all that has to happen to stop the dying and the killing and the threat is for the hero to stop. Right? That's. Now this is where I, you know, as I thought through this, I'm like, well, you've got this kid Joseph who's just randomly attacking random people because he's a snot nosed brat that wants what he wants. And by John putting an end to that, he will, he will stop future suffering that this person will cause. But in the context and confines of the movie, all he has to do is stop.

And the threat's gone. Like if when VGo called him, he picked up the phone, was like, vgo, we're cool, don't worry about it. I'll get a new dog. No big deal. The whole movie's over. Right. And so it's not like Vigo is going to keep coming for him if, if John decides to stop. So I don't know, what do you think about that in that first quadrant? Because I was trying to think like, is there a refusal of the call? Does that still apply when it's a vengeance plot? Like, what do you think about that?

Yeah, I also kind of wrestled with this and some of this was going to our obligatory moments in the action story. So like one of the ones that we have listed, right, Is like hero sidesteps responsibility to take action, that kind of thing. And I also struggled with this. And you know, my, my theory about this might be a stretch, but I kind of, this was my thinking. And we also have like inciting attack or threat by the villain. And I see the inciting attack sort of as happening in two phases. And it starts with a threat. He goes to the gas station and Yosef is like, oh, that's a nice car. Like, how much do you want for it? And John. And this is where I see John as also, I'm just, I've got A chip on my shoulder as I'm sobbing through this. This whole first quadrant. All I could think was, john, if you just drove a honda civic, none of this would have ever happened. Like, just, we could have avoided this whole drama. But no, you had to have the 1970 Mustang or whatever. So anyway, just me and my issues coming out here. But so what I'm thinking is that it starts with an inciting threat by the villain. And that's yosef. When he, you know, comes poking around, he's like, hey, man, how much you want for the car? And John's like, it's not for sale. And he. Everything has a price. And so. And so when I'm thinking about the. The sidestepping of responsibility, I'm thinking about when john just ignores yosef. He's like, right, not. Not everything has a price or not everything's. He says something in Russian and it's very dramatic. And so the way that I was sort of conceiving of this is that they sort of collapsed these moments down. This. This responsibility to take action. He. He doesn't rightly perceive the threat that yosef is, and he's out of it. So rather than being like, hey, kid, like, don't be a jerk, like, or whatever, you know, picking a fight or anything like that, he just tries to ignore him. He's just like, nope, not for sale. And he carries on his merry way. And I was kind of thinking that maybe what they did is they. They collapsed this moment down because we have audience expectations, but we also, like, the movie is set up. We know where this is going. And so I think it's not. It might not have been a great use of time to be like, you know, having John wick like, am I going to get involved? Am I not going to get involved? And so kind of shortening this moment. So we see him not opting for violence, like, wanting to kind of like sidestep this conflict and not rightly assessing what that conflict is and moving on. And that's kind of how we see. So that I wouldn't call that like a full blown refusal of the call, but I think that it might be an expression of sort of that sidestepping, taking action because he's trying to avoid the conflict. And instead. And that's when we get to the inciting attack where the conflict comes to him.

What do you think about the scene where he goes to see Aurelio, the. The guy running the car shop? Right. Because before that scene, Jon does not know that it's viggo's son that attacked John. Right. So this is what I was starting to think might be the placeholder for the refusal of the call. Because there's this level of, like, he goes. He goes to Aurelio because he's like, you know, I. You know, my car was stolen. It's a nice car. This is the guy in town who will know what happened to my car, right? And they're friends, so he goes to see him and. And when he tells him it's VGo's son, there's like, this shift of. This isn't just some kid, right? This isn't just some random person.

Like, I think the stakes raise in John's mind. Like, I'm not just tracking down some kid. I'm tracking down, you know, not only this huge crime boss's son, but this person I have a huge history with that is the reason I was able to get out of this life. Like, the. The stakes just shift completely. And again, I don't think it's on the page. And Danielle would get onto me for coming up with stuff that's not on the page. But. But. But I think there's this level of, like, there's a. There's a decision there of, like, am I still going to pursue this even though the stakes just, you know, went up a hundredfold?

I don't know. But, yeah, it's. It's weird and it's hard. Again, with a revenge plot, all you have to do is stop. So if he's like, I'm not going to do this, everybody'd be like, cool. Or like most. Most action stories, it's like, I'm not going to do this. Everybody's like, no, you do it. Or they get dragged into it or tricked into it or, you know, or the numin. Numinous pushes them into it anyway. All right, so that's quadrant one. We're looking now at the middle. Build one breakdown I have for that. It starts or it ends.

When Ms. Perkins comes into his room. So the red circle happens, and that's the fix it and forget it mission, which we'll get to. He goes back to his hotel, the doctor fixes him up, and then he lays down on the bed to rest. And that's at, like, 56, 44, I think, is when they show Ms. Perkins, like, coming into the room. What did you have?

I had something really close, and I was, like, constantly, like, fidgeting with, like, where exactly I saw that end happening. So I have it ending right before Ms. Perkins attacks John.

So I have it as. It's so. It's when. So John fails to capture Yosef at the red circle, and then he, like, is injured and he returns to the continental to get patched up. And I'm thinking in terms of.

Of.

And we'll get to this when we talk about the global five commandments. But the turn. The global turning point, right, happens at the end of quadrant two. And it sort of. It represents the success or failure of the protagonist. Essential tactic. And so my thinking here is that John fails to get what he wants, and he. It's sort of twofold, right? He falls into Vigo's trap because Vigo is like, oh, let's just. Let's put him at the red circle. John's definitely going to come, and we'll. We'll catch him there. And so John falls into the trap, and he also fails to. To get Josef. So now he has to change his strategy. And what does he do in quadrant three? Right? He starts going after, like, he tries to draw Vigo out to find out where his son is so he can go after him. And so I have it ending, like, right before. And then my inciting incident of quadrant three is Ms. Perkins attacking John.

I think we're saying the same thing. So, like, I would. I was going back. I. I have it up here, and I had it at 5644. 5644. And.

Yeah, that's like. It's when he lays down on the bed.

Oh, okay. And then it's. So immediately before she comes in.

Gotcha. So that when she comes in, that's the beginning of the second middle build.

Yeah. Sorry, I misunderstood you.

That's exactly what happened.

Yeah. And so, because. Okay, so we have that. And I'm really interested to talk about the second middle build. So we call this the middle build up.

So it starts when Ms. Perkins comes in. When do you have it ending?

I have it ending when John kills Yosef. And like, everything that sort of, like, happens, there's, like, a little bit of extra stuff that happens after he kills Yosef, right? He talks to Marcus.

And.

And as all that stuff, like. Like the very end of all that stuff, it's right before Vigo kidnaps Marcus. Like, it's sort of all the stuff up until Marcus gets kidnapped.

Yep. We have the same thing. So I have it. I have it ending when John has his final talk with Marcus, because that's like a. That's. I felt like that was the resolution of the middle build up is like that discussion he has With Marcus.

So.

What.

What do you think is so. So. And now, see, this is where I like, okay, Rachel's getting me. Because I think. Because what I. What I was seeing in the middle, the second middle build, is when Ms. Perkins tells him that Viggo sent her in the Continental. That's what, like. Because up until that point, everybody was following all the rules. Like, John was not offended that Vigo sent guys to kill him. Because that's what you do, right? And Viggo didn't take offense to the fact that John was killing all his men, because that's what you do. And.

And, yeah, even setting him up at the Red Circle and all of that, like, everybody's, like, following the path that they're supposed to follow. And. And it was When Viggo and Ms. Perkins broke the rules is when I feel like John was like, all right, I was mad before, but now I'm. I was mad at Yosef, but now I'm mad at Viggo because he broke the rules.

And so. And then. So when he goes to the church. And, like, I felt like that such a personal attack on Vigo.

But I. You know, I didn't even see it as drawing him out. That's so funny. That's so true. But I didn't even catch that. It was more like I felt like he was just pissed. So he went after Vigo. But. Yeah.

So talk a little bit about how you've read that third. That third quadrant, the middle build to.

In terms of, like, anything specifically or just how the events unfold generally.

Yeah. Like, how did you read the events? Because I'm just realizing you're reading them completely different than me.

Yeah.

Yeah.

Okay. So, yeah, I'm thinking. So for starters, I thought that Ms. Perkins attacking John as the inciting incident of Quadrant 3, which we. We agree on, sort of where it starts and ends. I thought that was such a specific escalation of the stakes because even in his own home, John is less safe at the Continental. There is an understanding that you don't do business on Continental grounds. And so this is. This is an escalation of risk to John because now there's someone who's willing to break Continental rules in an effort to kill him. And so.

Yeah, I mean, just the way that I was thinking about him going after Viggo stash was that this was a tactic change, because the Red Circle was a trap. And it. And it didn't. You know, technically for Vigo, it failed. And also for John, it failed. But now he's he's sort of like, all right, if, like, Vigo is. Is protecting his son, and he's also sort of like, trying to entrap me and kill me. So I need to. I need to get to Viggo if I'm going to get to Josef. And so I was. I was seeing that as, like, a tactic change of moving his attention from, like, just getting Josef to getting Viggo to sort of tell him himself, where's Josef? Right. And that's. That's eventually what he's able to do after. After Viggo captures him. And then after.

After he kills a lot more guys and finally gets. Gets Viggo to tell him that he's in the safe house. So if you have more specific questions about that, I can talk about any of those different pieces. But that's. That's kind of how I was seeing that all playing out.

Yeah. And why do you think Ms. Perkins was willing to break the Continental rules to go after John?

I. I honestly think that's just who Perkins is. I think she's an opportunist. Like, I think. And again, if I'm thinking in terms of, like, double factor, problem space, and the way different. Different characters navigate their context. Right. I mean, even John says to Perkins, he's like, I didn't think you got out of bed for less than two. Right. She's like, vigo's offering me four if I break Continental rules. And so she already has this established reputation that she only does, like, big jobs, and if there's enough pay, she'll do it. And it doesn't matter what you're asking her to do or what rules you're asking her to break. And this is how she has survived in this world. And then that's also the very thing that ends her survival in this world as well.

Yeah. You don't. You don't think it. So I think it's specifically about John. So. And the reason is because there's that line when they're fighting where she says, you always were a. And so there's this level of, like, John gets all this. You know, it's kind of like. So in the CrossFit world.

Early on, at the CrossFit Games, Rich Froning won over and over and over this guy named Rich Froning. And then he left. He retired. And this guy. There was one year where a guy named Ben Smith won, and then this. The other guy.

I forgot his name. Oh, man. Anyway, there's this other guy, and he won, like, everyone after that. But the Question is always, could he beat Rich Froning? Right? Because Froning went out on top. And in the CrossFit world, he's one of the most famous people. And. And so now, like, there's always this open question. And I feel like somebody like Perkins thinks she's better than everybody else, and she never got to prove it with John because he retired. And so I don't know. That one line got me wondering, like, would she have take. Would she have broken continental rules for anybody else but John? Right. But she wanted to prove she was better than John. Again, maybe I'm overreading it, but that was my take on it.

Could that. Could that be an issue of status and hierarchy?

Oh, my God.

I've got him on the ropes.

Oh, my God. You. You coaxed me right into it. Oh, man. Yeah. Yeah, that's right.

All right, so let's look at the ending payoffs. So now, this one's easy because we know when the middle build two ends. We know when the movie ends, so we have the ending payoff.

So talk to me a little bit about the ending payoff and how you. How you read that.

Yeah. So the ending payoff starts when Vigo kidnaps Marcus, right? And that's another escalation because now it's.

You know, Vigo is acting out against an ally of John's. And I think it's also, if you think about the ending payoff as an opportunity for the protagonist to enact whatever decision they made in the third quadrant crisis, this is where John sort of gets the opportunity to do that, right? So. Because in the third act, right, he's like, yeah, I'm thinking, I'm back, right? So he is sort of. He comes to this decision that, like, yeah, all right, I'm back. And then in quadrant four, he gets to, like, act on that decision that he's made by going after Viggo because he kidnapped Marcus. And so then. So that's sort of our inciting incident is Marcus being kidnapped. John goes and he. And the thing is this, like, you know, Viggo calls him, and John is like, there's no question that John is too late. He's never going to get to Marcus in time. But he comes back to the house, Marcus is already dead. And this is that decision to go after Vigo, right after killing Marcus. This is really like, I'm back in the business. And I think I'm just kind of riffing, like, thinking off the top of my head about this, but I kind of feel like.

Vigo is what is the word that I'm looking for. Like a. A cause of disorder in the world of Hitman, right? He has all this power, and he utilizes this power. And there's this sense that John Wick restores equilibrium by dealing with Vigo. Now, of course, there is a great deal of consequences to doing that. And John is mostly like. I don't think that he's thinking, like, oh, this guy is a problem. You know, he killed Marcus. He's going. And he's getting revenge now for. For Marcus. And they have their. They have their fight, which I'm really excited to talk about. The hero at the mercy of the villain scene and John expressing his gift because it's so freaking cool. And then, of course, the quadrant four ends with the end of the movie, right? When he. He has the fight. He wins the fight, goes and gets the dog, and then sort of walks off into the. Not sunset, into the night, into the darkness.

Yeah, yeah, of course. Of course. Yeah, yeah. I thought it was interesting that there was no hesitation on John's part. Like, when he got the call, he turned the car around and drove back.

Why do you think VGO called him?

Okay, without, like, offering, like, maybe taking my analytical hat, maybe just because VGO's an asshole. But.

I think.

Well, but I'm so. I'm putting myself in VGO's shoes, right? This guy just mowed through, you know? Well, at this point, roughly 70 people, you know, and including my son, who I basically sent him to kill.

And I could kill Marcus, and I could just walk away and, like, sure, maybe Wick would find out and decide that it was vgo, but he could also just, like, cover it up, and Wick would never come after him. And then there's the whole part where.

Wick is coming after him and he's, like, laughing the whole time in the car, and he's, like, joking around with Avi, the. His lawyer, you know, his fixer, the Vulture. And so, like, I was. I don't know. I have an opinion, but I want your thoughts on, like, why he would call John Wick while standing over Marcus's body.

Oh, yeah. Yeah. Okay. I actually. I can talk about this sensibly, I think, but I'm excited to hear hot takes on this. This decision. I think that. I think there are probably two things that I kind of read in that moment. Number one.

Viggo is like. Like, bereft of his son. He doesn't really like his son, right. But what he says to John, he's like, you had your Wife. And I have my son. That's all that I have. You got the better deal. My son's a little jerk, but. But he's. But he's mine. He's what I have. And so he's. He's been like. Even though he led his. He led John Wick to his son and he gave him the location, I think he's still, like, he's acting out of vengeance, right? Like, he's killing Marcus. Marcus betrayed him. Like, not like, kind of sort of. But he's acting out of. Out of vengeful anger and out of, like, you know, he's. Again, he's lost his son. And I also think that Vigo believes himself to have the upper hand here because he's about to run off in a helicopter, right? And he's. He has Avi, Right? He's like, oh, you know, get everything ready for the. For the helicopter. And so I think that Vigo kind of also believes himself to have the upper hand, but is open to the challenge of Jon coming after him, right? Because. Because Vigo now has his own. Like, he has. He's a bone to pick with John, like, at a new level, because John's not just hunting his son now, but has hunted his son and has killed him. And so I think that there's a. There's this aspect of Vigo I think, that is. That also wants to fight John Wick, and that is opening up the challenge if John can get there in time.

You know, there's this great. This is, like, just horrific line. And in the second, John Wick, when Santino.

You know, I don't have the exact quote, but he basically tells John, well, who would I be if I didn't try to avenge my. My sister's murder when he's the one that sent John to kill her? You know? And.

See, I'm wondering. In this. I think you're right. And I. I think there's a level of, like. I think VGO at the moment he gives up his son, he crossed into the damned territory, right? So we talk about, you know, the. The. There's death, and then there's the fate worse than death. And at this point, VGO has to live the rest of his life knowing he gave up his son to save himself. And that is a. That is such a breakdown of everything that is good and pure, right? Like, that's what every parent knows. They would sacrifice themselves for their kid. Vigo doesn't do that. He does not sacrifice himself for his kid. And so I'm looking At this as. Like, this almost. I. At one point, and I. I said this to Candace, and she's like, no, I don't think that's it. But I was like, I wonder if he's almost, like, committing suicide by John Wick, you know? Like.

You know, and it's. Because even with the helicopter, at the very, very end, before the big fight scene between Jon and Viggo, V goes almost to the helicopter, and Jon's far away, and he stops and turns around and waits for John to catch up so they can fight. And again, it's so interesting how, like, at the end of the Third Quadrant.

Vigo will give up anything to live. And then at the end, he goes into something knowing he's probably gonna die. Like, I don't think there's a point where he feels like, o can. I can best John Wick. You know, I'm an old man. And, like, I love the. Again, this is even where it's, like, this little subtle humor where, like, John, like, beats him up and he's sitting on the ground, he's just like, oh, oh. And he's like. He's just kind of like, oh, that was a. It's. He doesn't say it, but it's almost like, oh, that was a good shot, you know, and he's, like, telling John to, like, give him a second so he could get back up.

But, yeah, I don't. I. I just felt like there was something in there of, like, I have to face this guy, because if I let him go home and I escape, I've got to live with this fact that I. I let the. The boogeyman loose on my son to save myself. I don't know. What do you think of that?

Yeah, I. I do think that you're on to something, like, in terms of, like, Vigo at this point, has nothing left to lose because he also has lost all of his leverage on the city. Right. It was, like, artwork and cash and, like, okay, that had some value, but. But the leverage I had on this city. Right?

And so, yeah, yeah, yeah.

And then, like you said, you know, he does sell out his son so that he doesn't die. Like, Veto could have taken whatever that huge gun that John Wick is packing in that moment.

It would have been over very quickly and saved his son. But he doesn't do that. He's like, all right, all right, all right. I'll tell you where he is. And so I think that by this point, because we also. We see, like, VGO has kind of started to crack a little bit. Right. By the end, he's in the car, and he's laughing hysterically, and Avi is like, oh, my God. Like, what is happening?

Yeah, like, when he. When he hands Avi the gun and then, like, pulls it back and then hands it to him and then pulls it back, I was like, that part just cracks me up.

And so I think that there's this. I do think that you're seeing this thing happening in Vigo where, like, he doesn't. He doesn't have anything left. And so he is. He's acting out of that place. He's acting out of. I've lost my son. I've lost my son sort of by my own hand. John Wick is coming for me, and I. You know, if. If I'm gonna go down, I'm gonna go down in a blaze of glory, and I'm. I'm gonna, you know, take my shot at revenge on John Wick, even knowing that he's probably gonna lose.

And then do you think at the end. Because, of course, he's got. If he lost. You know, the inciting incident has to mirror the end, right? So he lost the dog. He has. He gets a dog at the end of the. And. And I just thought I. I felt like it was so significant that he picked a pit bull and not a cute little beagle. You know what I mean? Like, the fact that he. And it was a pit bull slated to die, like, so they were going to put that pit bull down. And so.

Yeah, I just felt like there was a significance of, like, I'm gonna find something to take care of. But it's a. It's a fighting dog, right? It's. It's that marriage of both. Right? I can still take some things from what I had, but I am this guy.

I don't know.

That's really interesting, because I didn't think, Like, I didn't think about the fact that it was a pit bull. Like, I wasn't, like, perceiving that as, like, this is a fighting dog. I was like, oh, look, he got a pit bull. That's very cute and very nice. Like, I just was, like. Didn't even think about it. But I do think that this is, like.

And this is. This is going back a little bit to, like, the way that I was thinking about the internal genre as well. It's like, John knows that he needs to grieve. His grieving was interrupted, and he knows that he has to do it, and he can't do it alone, right? So this was my chance to grieve unalone. So he recognizes that. Yeah, I can't. I need to do this. This was cut short by this attack, but I. I need. I need this. And so he goes and he gets the dog. And I'm thinking about it in terms of, like, this is his. Him, like, retaking that opportunity to grieve and that opportunity to do that with something to love, with something to look after, and following sort of the last mandate that his wife gave him, which is, you need something to love. And so he. He's doing that when he gets this new dog. And so feeling like John knew that his wife was right and that he needed to grieve and he couldn't do it alone. And so he's. He's taking that and he's integrating that at the end, and he's sort of at least internally picking back up where he was interrupted before with that opportunity to. To love something and to go through that process.

Yeah, no, that's good. I hadn't picked up on that. All right, so one more thing about the structure I wanted to mention is how the actual opening scene of John Wick is the end, right? So the moment when he's killed Vigo, he. He's driving the Suburban or whatever it is and kind of crashes it and falls out. That they show that right at the beginning, and they show him kind of lay down as if, like. And you're left wondering, like, is he dead? So what do.

You know? This is kind of a. You know, a thing that people do is they'll show you, right, A piece of the end at the beginning of a movie, and then they go into it. What do you think that does for the viewer? Like, why. If I. If I was able to, like, call the writer of the. Of the script and say, like, hey, why'd you do that? Why'd you put that at the beginning? What do you. What do you think that gets a writer by doing something like that?

That's a good question. So hopefully. So Derek Kolstadt is the guy who wrote this. Hopefully he doesn't call into Storygrid, and he's like, ma', am, you filled the world with falsity. This is not.

Yeah, I'm sure he's an avid listener.

To our podcast methodology to plot out the entire.

Right, Yeah, I think he said that in an interview somewhere.

So I think, you know, taking a piece from the end.

And using it at the beginning, I think, you know, what it can do is it can. It can do a couple Things number one, it helps set audience expectations for what kind of story you're in for. And I think this could be important for something like John Wick, because actually, the beginning hook takes up a surprising amount of time. Like, before we get to, like, killing people and kicking asses, we have a lot of internal stuff that goes on. And so by seeding this little bit of, like, there will be action, John Wick will get beat up. Like, we're. We are getting there, but we're not there yet. I think that that can be helpful to signal what kind of story we're in, especially because.

That entire beginning hook is not a lot of action except for, like. I mean, there's action in terms of, like, John Wick is getting beat up and his house is being attacked, but it's not like, if you're thinking even about, like, the movie trailer, probably not the stuff that you saw in the trailers and that you were looking for.

You'Re like, what is this? This isn't what I came for.

Yeah, I didn't sign up for this at all.

Right.

So, yeah, I think that it helps. It can help sort of seed that in.

Yeah, that's really good. Yeah, I hadn't. I hadn't thought of that because, like, the opening of John Wick 2 is that, like, where he goes back to get his car, you know, which is, again, just, like, so good. And apps in the. In VGo's brother, right, is the guy who's running the thing. And, like, he is such comic relief in that whole first opening scene because he's just, like, listening to the chaos that's happening outside of his door and just waiting for John to come in and kill him, you know, Anyway. Yeah, yeah, no, that's good. I hadn't thought about, like. Like, hey, we're gonna have car chases. People are going to get shot. People are going to die. That's coming. And that little, like, 20 seconds seeds that whole thing.

I think it also makes a good, like, little bit of parallel, right, because it opens with, like, John Wick. He kind of flops out of the car and he falls over, and then it moves into the video of him, like, him watching the video of his wife. And that's where the movie. Like, when we get back to that scene that had opened up, he looks at his phone, right? He's looking at his wife, and she says, let's go home, John. Right? And so it's what it does is it creates this nice little, like, parallel so that it bookends it really well. Where we move it sort of goes from like car into John watching the that video of his wife. And then at the end we watch him car, he flops over, watches the video of his wife, right? And so it kind of creates those nice bookends for the story as well to sort of like kind of close it all right, and create like a kind of closed loop in that way.

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