Overview

• A €4,200 CGI shot replaced practical effects for the dog’s excrement in the first John Wick film.
• Directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch tested practical tricks like bacon to guide the puppy but turned to CGI when these methods proved unworkable.
• The inaugural film was produced on a roughly €25 million budget, setting the stage for a franchise built on high-intensity action and nuanced storytelling.
• The narrative’s emotional core hinges on Reeves’s role as a widowed assassin driven to avenge his wife’s death and the killing of their dog.
• The seamless blend of practical effects and targeted CGI has become a signature of the series, distinguishing it within modern action cinema.