[Perry] John Wick and Assassin’s Guilds

So Tami and I had a virtual arm wrestle to see who got to write about this topic.

I won, she lost flex.

…Or, you know, she had too many posts lined up so I took this one off her hands. Either one, really, you know? Whatever works!

Anyway, over the course of the weekend, I watched a movie called John Wick on Tami’s recommendation.

On John Wick

If you’re into action movies or vengeance type films? Definitely a solid movie to check out.

The story is serviceable, but not really anything to write home about. John Wick is a retired hitman. The son of the mob boss he used to work for invades his home, jacks his ride, and kills his dog without realizing who he is.

John Wick picks up his old lifestyle and goes on a vengeance fuelled rampage.

All of this is information that can apparently be gleaned from the trailer? Except, I never watched the trailer. So when they introduced the dog, I had a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.

And when the dog is killed? I had to pause the movie, track down my dog and cuddle her for a while as I watched the rest.

The movie itself is pretty good and moves at a decent clip. A little trope-y in the whole bit where all the people in ‘the know’ whisper this man’s name and equate him to the boogey man (literally), but still, a REALLY solid action movie.

Can’t remember the last time Keanu Reeves looked so badass on screen…maybe the first Matrix movie when it came out? Nothing really since then.

But that’s not the purpose of this post.

The Point

The movie features…like…the assassin’s ‘club’, if that makes sense. There’s a network of hitmen (and hit women!) in the movie that sort of operate under an aegis.

There’s a phone line they can call and ask for a “dinner reservation” which sends body cleanup crews out to a location. There’s a secret hotel that caters specifically to assassin’s, where doing “business” on company grounds is a heavily punished offence.

Ritual four shot executions of people that violate the rules…and best of all?

The coins.

These odd, antique-y looking gold coins that the assassin’s use to pay for these services, and to barter amongst each other.

The whole thing smacks of the secret clubhouse hidden in plain sight sort of vibe and it’s fabulous.

FABULOUS.

The Draw

I don’t know about you? But I LOVE this whole secret society business.

You know what? Scratch that. It’s not just the secret society thing I’m into? It’s the idea of a secret society of assassins that gets me going.

And the more…like, rituals? And conditions, and traditions that they have? The BETTER.

Some other examples?

The movie Wanted, stars James McAvoy and Angelina Jolie (among others). The movie itself, I thought was pretty lackluster, but the whole society thing? The healing tubs, the cryptic decoded target lists, and of course, the whole bullet curving training. Scrumptious!

Has anyone read The Death Gate Cycle by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickmann? It’s pretty run of the mill fantasy, obviously similar in vein and style to their other Dragonlance works…

But in that series? There’s an assassin’s guild who call themselves “The Brotherhood of the Hand”.

I love that name. I love that they have ranks and positions, and rules about who they can take jobs for or whatever. I LOVE that they have these secret means of recognizing each other out in the world…that they offer assistance to one another, despite the open animosity between elves and humans.

In the guild, race doesn’t matter. Just that you’re part of the society and therefore, are allies.

The whole secret society of assassins business is just…gold.

And if you’re going to do it? Make it distinctive. Make it unique. Add little touches and flairs. Secret callsigns, a hand signal method of communication. Special currency! Brotherhood among outcasts, family for orphans, killing targets!

Ahhhhh!

…I now feel the need to write a story about assassins…and they’ll have ALL the secret symbols and currencies and top secret weapons and cryptic target selection systems and dead drops where they receive their assignments and just…ALL THE MARMALADE!

pant, pant

But seriously.

If you’re into that type of movie, check out John Wick.

And please, for the love of god, whatever next project you’re working on, include a secret society of assassins.

Pretty please?

 

Related posts:

[Perry] Pacific Rim
[Perry] Too-Similar Sequels
[Perry] How the Ending Can Ruin the Tone of the Story