The full explanation for why John Wick cut off his finger in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is something that the writers seem to be reserving for John Wick: Chapter 4. Before the ending of Chapter 3, John Wick finds himself in the presence of the Elder, the head of the High Table. The Elder is willing to forgive John Wick, but only if he pledges loyalty to the High Table for the rest of his life (and kills Winston).
John Wick accepts and seals the deal by chopping off his ring finger, with John surrendering both his finger and wedding ring to the Elder and the High Table. There are actually several reasons why John specifically cut off his ring finger, even though no straightforward explanation is given in John Wick: Chapter 3. Mostly, this painful scene is about John Wick's wife Helen and John's fate in the next chapters of the franchise. However, the meaning of John Wick cutting off his ring finger goes beyond symbolism.
Why Did John Wick Cut Off His Finger?
This John Wick scene cleverly subverts yubitsume, a traditional Japanese ritual where the pinky finger is amputated to atone for an offense, made infamous by the Yakuza. The reason the pinky is sacrificed in yubitsume is that this finger directly influences how effectively a person can wield any weapon. Studies show losing a pinky decreases the affected hand's grip strength by about 50 percent (via New York Times). Grip strength is vital for someone like John Wick who utilizes a number of martial arts that focus on momentum and throws. Why did John Wick cut off his ring finger? Because he needed to show fealty without compromising his fighting ability.
Curiously, John Wick cutting off his ring finger also echoes why assassins cut off their left ring fingers in Assassin's Creed, the popular video game franchise. Like John Wick, Assassin's Creed is about an ancient order of killers-for-hire, whose traditional weapon is the retracting hidden blade. These assassins remove their fingers to clear a path for the hidden blade to strike and retract without injuring its user. This could suggest a shift in John Wick's fighting style in Chapter 4 — especially since it's clear, more than ever, that John has nothing to lose.
What John Wick Not Having His Ring Finger Means For Chapter 4
When John Wick cuts off his ring finger, he also hands over his wedding ring to the Elder. Even though his loyalty pledge is really just for show, John understands that he needs to let go of his past life including his wife. Chapter 3 marked a full return to the assassin world for John and his renewed determination to get revenge against John Wick's Elder and the High Table.
Chopping off his ring finger certainly has the most symbolic impact - but doing so also preserves John Wick's pinky finger. A highly proficient killer honed in various martial arts like John Wick definitely knows how important the pinky is — for both gun-fu and close-quarters combat. In fact, with the John Wick 4 teaser showing John Wick training his damaged left hand by repeatedly punching a padded post called makiwara, John could also take a cue from Assassin's Creed and use his missing ring finger as an advantage. Death by hidden blade would certainly be a fitting end to any member of the High Table.
John Wick Cutting His Finger Off Nearly Didn't Make It In
Despite how John Wick's weapons have doled out some of the most violent movie deaths in the last decade, the studio reportedly didn't want to release John Wick's finger scene. However, Keanu Reeves and John Wick director Chad Stahelski fought for the scene to be included. Apart from its importance to John's story arc, it had to be done to get around Reeves injuring his hand.
“You have a left-handed actor who’s just deformed his left hand and that left hand is in every shot of the third act of the movie,” explains Stahelski (via Hollywood Reporter). “VFX wise, there’s a cost associated with that... The studio does their job of questioning my visions and my methods to see if I really like it. It was an issue.” Thankfully, Stahelski and Reeves agreed to concessions that pushed the studio to allow the finger scene in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, which is bound to be a crucial factor in the plot of John Wick 4.
