Olly Dyche on the best assassins in the John Wick franchise…
Assassins in movies are without a doubt, awesome. No matter their skill, or specific way of killing, assassins tend to be incredibly fascinating characters, and there is no franchise that shows the breadth and intricacy of the assassin underworld better – nor cooler – than John Wick.
The John Wick movies put the world of assassins at the forefront of the franchise, showcasing how the underworld essentially runs the entire globe, which is bonkers and at the same time, so awesome. The world’s most infamous assassin, John Wick, has faced off and befriended many of the franchise’s deadliest and coolest assassins across the first three films, and so heading into John Wick: Chapter 4 [read our review here], here are the best assassins in the John Wick franchise…
The Sumo Assassin
During an epic montage of assassins attempting to claim the bounty on John Wick’s head in Chapter 2, we see a sumo wrestler attempt to kill the Baba Yaga in the park outside of the subway. Although the assassin of course fell to the hands of John Wick, his brief appearance was certainly memorable. Played by real life sumo wrestler Yamamotoyama Ryuta, the Sumo Assassin is a brute force who puts up a great fight against John, throwing him through plans of glass and clotheslining him a handful of times. But no matter how many times John tries to fight back, the assassin is simply unkillable. John slices at his legs and groin, before attempting to shoot him in the gut, which has no effect. It takes John climbing on top of him and shooting the assassin directly through the top of his skull to eventually put him down. Seemingly out for the count, the towering assassin quickly wakes back up, forcing John to quickly turn and shoot one final bullet through his head.
Ms. Perkins
Appearing in the first film, Ms. Perkins breaks a major cardinal rule in that she attempts to claim a bounty placed on John’s head whilst in the Continental Hotel. A rule that, when broken, is punishable by ex-communicado, or death. Perkins, played by Adrianne Palicki, is a ruthless assassin who killed two of John’s friends, shooting Harry in the head, and snitching on Marcus to Vigo about Marcus working with Mr. Wick. Thankfully, she got her comeuppance as justice was swiftly served when Winston revoked her privileges to the Continental Hotel.
8. Ernest
Another assassin whose John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum appearance was brief yet so memorable due to the brutality of his death, Ernest attempts to claim John’s $40 million dollar bounty before his contract is officially open. A very sly move. The goliath assassin, played by professional basketball player Boban Marjanovic, uses his strength and stature to his advantage, smacking, slamming and tossing John into the many bookshelves that surround the library the fight takes place in. Ernest more than proves his deadly skills, yet he is still no match for the Baba Yaga, who uses a book to dislodge his jaw and break his neck.
Ares
John Wick: Chapter 2’s Ares, played by Ruby Rose, is another badass assassin who thinks she can defeat John Wick, but as we all know, that’s an impossible task. The mute assassin serves as Santino D’Antonio’s head assassin, protecting him at every cost. Ares’ unique characteristics makes her instantly memorable, but her fast and agile fighting style are what place her so high on the list. Sure, her battle with the baba yaga may have been fairly short, but Ares stole the screen every time she popped up. Be seeing you Ares.
The Shinobi
Pop in two villains from the martial arts masterpieces, The Raid movies, and you already have a pair of assassins that we can’t help but love. But calling them The Shinobi only makes us love them more. As expected from casting two bad guys from The Raid movies in Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian, The Shinobi twins are beyond deadly, throwing lightning fast punches and kicks at John, as well as demonstrating their mastery with blades. As deadly as The Shinobi twins are however, they are still no match for the Baba Yaga. Thankfully, the two are still alive so we can keep our fingers crossed that they may make another appearance somewhere in the franchise.
Marcus
John Wick’s dear friend Marcus, played by the legendary Willem Dafoe, was a great character whose fate was cut way too short. He proved his loyalty to John, saving his life twice, as well as occasionally giving him advice. Marcus is the only assassin in the franchise thus far to use a sniper rifle, which in itself makes him a memorable assassin, but match that with Willem Dafoe’s acting prowess and his loyalty to John, and you have one of the best, or at least the kindest, assassins in the franchise.
Zero
Perhaps the best way to describe Zero is that he’s a one of a kind character. As a fan of John Wick, Zero is filled with glee upon fighting his idol, making him a very intriguing and a delightful character to watch and filling every scene with his dynamite presence. Likewise, Mark Dacascos is a phenomenal martial artist, who helped bring Zero’s deadly efficiency to life. Zero is a methodical killer, but it’s his charisma and geeky nature when fighting and meeting John Wick that makes his character far more entertaining.
Sofia
John Wick and Sofia have a somewhat of a shady history, what with Sofia never being able to see her daughter again because of John. So yeah, we can understand why Sofia shot John when they first reunited. But after they put their differences aside and John used the Blood Oath Marker against her, a debt he has every right to claim, Sofia got her chance to prove how deadly she really is. The role was designed specifically for Halle Berry after she displayed her interest in joining the franchise, the star trained tirelessly to prove how badass Sofia is, and it more than paid off in some of the best action scenes in the franchise. Along with her deadly efficiency, Sofia comes with two dogs who attack on her command, allowing for more awesome action, and an assassin not to be trifled with. Even John won’t dare go against her.
Cassian
Common’s Cassian has been one of the best characters to come out of the John Wick franchise. His hinted at past friendship with John is intriguing and his deadliness as an assassin is not to be questioned. After John killed his ward, Cassian was on a revenge fuelled mission, attempting to kill John numerous times during John Wick: Chapter 2. Yet, John managed to outdo Cassian, and on their last encounter stuck a knife in Cassian’s chest leaving him on a train. However, you can bet your bottom dollar, or assassin gold coin, that Cassian survived, and we hope that he, like many of the assassins on this list, make a reappearance at some point in the franchise.
John Wick
Who else could top this list but the Baba Yaga himself, John Wick? The deadliest assassin in all of cinema has racked up a kill count of more than 300 in just his first three outings, and the highly anticipated John Wick: Chapter 4 promises to rack the kill count to at least 400. John has proved how deadly he is with a gun, shooting countless bad guys with ease, as well as showcasing his skills with a knife, car, horses, and even a freaking pencil! Keanu Reeves brings John Wick to life, training incredibly hard for the role and doing the majority of his stunts, and that echoes throughout his performances as the character. John Wick is a legend, and an assassin that will never be beaten.
Olly Dyche
