John Wick (2014)
Traumatized by the death of his wife, retired hitman John Wick is pulled back into the criminal underworld when his car is stolen and the puppy left to him by his wife is killed by the son of a powerful Russian mobster. Fueled by grief and revenge, he begins a violent campaign against those responsible. Along the way, he confronts old allies and enemies in a world governed by strict criminal codes.
Narrative Score
Full Plot & Ending Explained
Intro
After the death of his wife Helen, retired hitman John Wick receives one last gift from her: a beagle puppy named Daisy, meant to help him grieve and keep moving forward.
Turning Point 1
At a gas station, Iosef Tarasov, the reckless son of Russian mob boss Viggo Tarasov, spots John’s rare 1969 Mustang and tries to buy it; John refuses, and Iosef takes the rejection personally.
Turning Point 2
That night, Iosef and his men break into John’s house, beat him unconscious, steal the Mustang, and kill Daisy, which destroys the fragile peace John had been living in.
Turning Point 3
John digs up his old weapons and gold coins from beneath his concrete floor, then goes after Iosef; he kills the men sent to stop him and learns from Viggo that he is facing the legendary assassin once called “Baba Yaga.”
Turning Point 4
Viggo puts a massive bounty on John and sends assassins after him, but John survives, checks into the Continental Hotel, and begins working through the underworld network to reach Iosef.
Turning Point 5
John attacks the Red Circle nightclub, kills many of Viggo’s men, and confronts Iosef, but Kirill ambushes him and John is forced to retreat to the Continental for treatment.
Turning Point 6
Marcus, John’s former mentor, is hired to kill him but repeatedly hesitates to finish the job; meanwhile John is betrayed, captured, and tortured by Viggo before managing to escape and continue the hunt.
Ending
John storms the New York Harbor storage area, kills Iosef, and fatally wounds Viggo; afterward, John returns alone, takes a dog from a nearby shelter, and walks away with it, choosing a new companion as he leaves the past behind.
Cross-checked against Wikipedia and other public film references. View on Letterboxd ↗ The Narrative Score above is an experimental 5-axis rating, not a critic score.