Summary
- The John Wick franchise is known for its memorable dialogue and numerous quotes, which add depth to the characters and the world they inhabit.
- The script and dialogue in the John Wick movies should not be overlooked, as they feature sharp writing with bone-chilling threats, darkly comedic one-liners, and well-placed monologues.
- John Wick quotes highlight the character's legendary status as an unstoppable killing machine, as well as the consequences of crossing him and the lengths he will go to seek revenge.
What sets the John Wick movies apart from most action movie franchises — besides its top-notch action choreography — is memorable dialogue and a near-endless supply of John Wick quotes. From 2014's John Wick through to 2023 spinoff prequel series The Continental, John Wick and his fellow characters have fired off just as many quips as they have bullets — with equally devastating precision in some cases. The memorable quotes from Keanu Reeves and the rest of the John Wick cast add to the epic quest of the character and to the mythology of the world he inhabits.
Whether it's John Wick sounding intimidating or a powerful criminal boss telling their old scary stories about the "Baba Yaga," the John Wick franchise is always quotable. While the actors and stunt performers understandably shine as the franchise's biggest stars, the best John Wick quotes from the movies serve as a reminder that the quality of the script and dialogue shouldn't be overlooked. There is some sharp writing throughout all four John Wick movies and the prequel series, with bone-chilling threats, darkly comedic one-liners, and some well-placed monologues all establishing John Wick's legend as an unstoppable killing machine.
30 "You Wanna Hole Up In This Place Until They Come and Kill You? That’s Not A Plan. That Is An Unscheduled Funeral."
Winston Scott in The Continental (2023)
The Continental takes a look at this world before the John Wick movies and introduces a variety of interesting characters. The most intriguing one to explore is Young Winston (Colin Woodell) long before the days when he was running the New York Continental. He is less assured and confident, however, the series also shows that he was always a man of action and enjoyed fighting for the underdog. After his older brother Frankie finds himself targeted by a powerful crime lord, Winston isn't about to wait around for trouble to find them. This quote might also help to explain why Winston has such a soft spot for John Wick.
29 “You Could Walk Outta Here Right Now, Leaving Your Family At Grave Risk. Or, You Can Spare Their Lives. Simply Find The Nearest Balcony… And Jump.”
Cormac O'Connor In The Continental (2023)
There are many memorable John Wick villains, and The Continental introduced another great one in the form of Cormac O'Connor (Mel Gibson). He is the crime lord who runs the New York establishment of The Continental in the 1970s. In an early scene, he shows his absolute viciousness and his merciless way of dealing with those who fail him. After his minions fail to retrieve an important stolen item, Cormac makes them pay. Knowing he can't kill within The Continental, he opens the balcony and tells the man to either go into hiding and forfeit his family's lives, or jump. It is a terrifying decision resulting in a brutal end.
28 "...He Stole John Wick's Car, Sir, And, Uhhh... Killed His Dog."
Aurelio in John Wick (2014)
Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nygvist) was one of the John Wick franchise's most intelligent criminals as well as one of its most violent, so it is a tense moment when he learned that Aurelio (John Leguizamo) had struck his son, Iosef (Alfie Allen). However, as soon as Aurelio explains the situation, Viggo simply responds with "...oh." This massive shift in tone is one of the first major John Wick quotes that establishes John Wick as a character and shows that even the most powerful men know not to cross the retired assassin.
27 "Well, John Wasn't Exactly 'The Boogeyman.' He Was The One You Sent To Kill The F***ing Boogeyman."
Viggo Tarasov in John Wick (2014)
The late great Michael Nyqvist delivered a brilliant performance in John Wick as Russian Mafia boss Viggo Tarasov, who was one of the most compelling action movie villains of the 2010s. Viggo is acutely aware of just how lethal John Wick is, and when his unruly son Iosef steals his car, breaks into his house, and kills his dog, it shifts their dynamic. Viggo has suddenly found himself on the wrong side of Wick, and that means his son is a dead man walking. Viggo's iconic explanation to Iosef really gets this point across in as few words as possible.
26 "Do I Look Civilized To You?"
John Wick in John Wick (2014)
Viggo Tarasov finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. On one hand, he is staring down the barrel of John Wick's fiery and unrelenting rage. On the other hand, that rage is also directed at his son Iosef, and he can't just sit back and allow him to be murdered. He chooses to protect his son and to try and take out John. It proves to be his undoing when the two finally come to blows. Tarasov regrets their fight, reminding him that they'd once been professional and civilized men. Wick replies with this chilling question before beating him down.
25 "I Get It."
John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
In John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the character Sofia (Halle Berry) is introduced, who is just as fond of dogs as John. So when her former boss, Berrada (Jerome Flynn), shoots one of her dogs, her mind is equally set on revenge, and she promptly starts a firefight with Berrada's men and shoots him twice in return. John tries to get her to keep a level head, which prompts Sofia to reply, "he shot my dog." Wick can only sympathize and say "I get it," which is very in keeping with his character. It is a fun meta moment, reminding the audience where all this mayhem and violence first began.
24 "You Want A War Or Do You Wanna Just Give Me A Gun?"
John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
John Wick's quest for payback against Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) eventually leads those in their shared circle to either join in or stay clear of the gunfire. The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) seems like he's going to sit out the bloodshed at first, but John quickly convinces him that helping to assassinate D'Antonio will be in his best interest. The Bowery King does give John a gun but, in a cruel twist, only supplies him with seven rounds to do the job with. However, this hardly phases John because, as he proves with this John Wick quote, one clip is all he needs to get the ball rolling.
23 "I Once Saw Him Kill Three Men In A Bar With A Pencil. With A F***ing Pencil!"
Viggo Tarasov John Wick (2014)
To try and get him to understand the gravity of their situation, Viggo told his son about one of John Wick's most resourceful executions. Viggo says that he was a witness to John killing three men in a bar with a pencil, and it's mentioned several times in the movies how absurd the story sounds, but fans actually got to see how John does it in John Wick: Chapter 2 when he picks up pencils and uses them two kill two would-be assassins. It's creative kills like these that make the John Wick franchise similar to the Jason Bourne movies and John himself one of the all-time great movie assassins.
22 "Evening, Jimmy. Noise Complaint?"
John Wick in John Wick (2014)
Though the John Wick movies are most well-known for their influence on the action genre, they also have many funny moments as this John Wick clip shows. The scene between John and local police officer Jimmy (Thomas Sadoski) in the first film is a comedic highlight. As John has just killed a bunch of assassins in his home, the police are called over a "noise complaint." The two men clearly know each other fairly well, greeting each other in a friendly manner. As Jimmy also seems to know exactly what John's line of work is, this relatively neighborly exchange is all the more comical.
21 "The Knife Is In Your Aorta. You Pull It Out, You Will Bleed, And You Will Die. Consider This A Professional Courtesy."
John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
Under normal circumstances, John and Cassian (Common) were two assassins who held mutual respect for one another. However, when Cassian finds out that John was responsible for murdering his ward, he sets out on a quest for bloody vengeance. The two eventually square off on a subway train where John jams a knife directly into his aorta but refuses to kill him outright. He still has huge respect for Cassian, even if the sentiment isn't reciprocated, and this act of mercy could see Cassian make a return later in the John Wick franchise.
20 "Victor's Dead. Everything's Got A Price."
John Wick in John Wick (2014)
Iosef's dread over John Wick doesn't fully kick in until he hears these words that now live on as one of the most chilling John Wick quotes. The scary part for Iosef is that he hears John say that line to him through his best friend's phone, expecting to hear his voice at first. Even more terrifying for Iosef is the fact that this is one of the first few lines Iosef says to John, regarding his coveted vintage '69 Ford Mustang. It later comes back to haunt him in a big way, with John's relentless pursuit destroying everything in his path.
19 "You Stabbed The Devil In The Back And Forced Him Back Into The Life He Had Just Left."
Winston Scott in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
John Wick: Chapter 2 has a memorable exchange between Winston (Ian McShane) and Santino D'Antonio over the latter's betrayal of John Wick. Santino uses the leverage of an assassin tradition to force John to kill for him so that he can rise up to the ranks of the High Table. Winston, of course, is aware of Santino's intentions all along. He knows that Santino is going to betray John, so he imparts these haunting words of wisdom to the backstabbing mob boss, who somehow forgot who John Wick was for a moment. He lives to regret it, but not for long.
18 "As I Live And Breathe! John Wick. The Man. The Myth, The Legend. You're Not Very Good At Retiring."
The Bowery King in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
This warm greeting comes from The Bowery King as he's first introduced into the franchise, and he makes sure to let everybody around him, and the audience, know he and John share a bit of history. This is very fitting as The Bowery King is played by none other than Keanu Reeves' famous Matrix co-star Laurence Fishburne. As director Chad Stahelski also worked on the Matrix movies, the reunion of all three in an action film was a big moment for action movies in general, not just the John Wick franchise.
17 "Rusty, I Guess."
John Wick in John Wick (2014)
John Wick is nearly unstoppable, but not every shot he fires hits the target. Obviously, he is still lethally accurate, but he'd been out of commission for a while before the first movie, leading to this comically nonchalant John Wick quote when the killer assesses his skills at ending lives. The line is also something of a meta-joke about Reeves leading an action movie. Keanu Reeves was well-known as an action star long before John Wick came out, but it had been just over a decade since the last Matrix movie up to that point, and the connections to Reeves' real-life career are some of the franchise's most charming idiosyncrasies.
16 "Tell Them All. Whoever Comes, Whoever It Is, I'll Kill Them. I'll Kill Them All."
John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
The end of John Wick: Chapter 2 sees John at his most vulnerable. This epic threat comes at the end of John Wick: Chapter 2, after being told that he will be considered "Excommunicado" for killing Santino D'Antonio on the strictly neutral grounds of the Continental Hotel. They're strong words considering that he's about to go up against potentially every single professional assassin in the world. John makes good on his promise eventually, as the opening of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum ups the franchise's kill count by quite a degree.
15 "$14 Million Dollar Bounty On His Head, And Every Interested Party In The City Wants A Piece Of It. I'd Say The Odds Are About Even."
Winston Scott in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
While Winston was forced to declare John Wick Excommunicado for breaking the Continental's sacred no-kill law, he did give him an hour to prepare for the oncoming storm. Winston shares this exchange with his hotel concierge, Charon (Lance Reddick), as they wait for that hour to run out. Winston is a tricky character as he's always trying to maintain a position of power and influence in a cutthroat world, but his faith in John is greater than perhaps anyone else's — as evidenced by this incredibly slick John Wick quote.
14 "Not If You Can't Spend It."
John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
One of the assassins that goes after John Wick in the opening of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is Ernest, with whom John is shown to have some kind of history, like with many of the assassins in the John Wick franchise. Ernest decides to bend the rules, however, by going after John before his grace period is up. John attempts to offer some advice about money being useless to a dead man before Ernest attacks John in the New York Public Library. It turns out that Ernest really should have listened to John because he didn't survive the encounter.
13 "How Good To See You Again So Soon, Mr. Wick."
Charon in John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
After such a long time out of the assassin game, Charon is pleased to see John Wick make a reappearance. It would become the first of many, with John moving in and out of the Continental in order to get information and resupply, at least until he breaks the hotel's no-kill rule. Charon is a brilliant supporting character who is a true scene-stealer. He is calm, collected, and to the point, which makes fans listen carefully to whatever he has to say. This particular quote best sums up his relationship with John, based on respect, with just a slight hint of sarcasm.
12 "It Wasn't Just A Puppy."
John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
John has something of a maternal figure in his life known as the "Director", the figurehead of the Ruska Roma seen in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. As soon as he is excommunicated, John seeks the Director's help. She admonishes him for causing so much trouble over the death of his dog in the first movie, but John corrects her about the tragic significance of the puppy. John's dog was a gift given posthumously by his deceased wife and represented a slither of hope for the dark character. The movies never forget this, as a love of dogs is a defining John Wick trait.
11 "People Keep Asking If I'm Back, And I Haven't Really Had An Answer. But Now, Yeah! I'm Thinking I'm Back!"
John Wick in John Wick (2014)
When moviegoers are first introduced to John Wick, he's fairly unassuming. It's only after a lengthy introduction that they get to see him in action and even then he's still getting his groove back. This John Wick quote comes at a turning point and marks the moment when the old Baba Yaga truly comes back in spirit and the intense rage in his eyes as he says this line really makes the audience understand the fear that hardened criminals have for the assassin.