John Wick
Ex-hitman John Wick comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters that took everything from him.
Despite a respectable budget of $20.0M, John Wick became a solid performer, earning $88.8M worldwide—a 344% return.
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
John Wick (2014) demonstrates deliberately positioned plot construction, characteristic of Chad Stahelski's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 13-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 1 hour and 41 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.2, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 1 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes John Wick, bloodied and wounded, crawls from a wrecked car and watches a video of his late wife Helen on his phone, establishing him as a man haunted by profound loss.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 12 minutes when Iosef Tarasov and his crew break into John's home, beat him unconscious, kill his puppy Daisy, and steal his 1969 Mustang—destroying the last gift from his dying wife and forcing John back into his violent past.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 26 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 26% of the runtime. This reveals the protagonist's commitment to John checks into the Continental Hotel, the neutral ground for assassins, and fully re-enters the criminal underworld he had left behind. He is now committed to his path of vengeance., moving from reaction to action.
At 51 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Notably, this crucial beat Viggo captures John after Ms. Perkins betrays the Continental's rules and works with Viggo's men. John is bound and helpless before Viggo, appearing defeated. The stakes are raised as the antagonist gains the upper hand., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 76 minutes (76% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Marcus is killed by Viggo for helping John, tortured and shot in front of John over the phone. John loses his ally and mentor figure—the "whiff of death" that marks his lowest point., demonstrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Synthesis at 81 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 81% of the runtime. John executes his final plan: he kills Iosef at Viggo's safehouse, then confronts Viggo himself on the docks. After a brutal hand-to-hand fight, John kills Viggo and walks away, wounded but victorious., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
John Wick's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 13 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping John Wick against these established plot points, we can identify how Chad Stahelski utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish John Wick within the action genre.
Chad Stahelski's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Chad Stahelski films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. John Wick represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Chad Stahelski filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Chad Stahelski analyses, see John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 2 and John Wick: Chapter 4.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
John Wick, bloodied and wounded, crawls from a wrecked car and watches a video of his late wife Helen on his phone, establishing him as a man haunted by profound loss.
Theme
Viggo tells his son Iosef: "It's not what you did, son, that angers me so. It's who you did it to." The theme of consequences and the impossibility of escaping one's past is introduced.
Worldbuilding
Flashback reveals John's life with Helen before her death from illness. She leaves him a puppy named Daisy to help him grieve. We see John struggling to cope with overwhelming grief in his isolated modern home.
Disruption
Iosef Tarasov and his crew break into John's home, beat him unconscious, kill his puppy Daisy, and steal his 1969 Mustang—destroying the last gift from his dying wife and forcing John back into his violent past.
Resistance
John tries to resolve things peacefully by calling Viggo, Iosef's father and crime lord. Viggo realizes what his son has done and attempts to reason with Iosef. John digs up his buried weapons and prepares to return to his former life as an assassin.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
John checks into the Continental Hotel, the neutral ground for assassins, and fully re-enters the criminal underworld he had left behind. He is now committed to his path of vengeance.
Mirror World
John reconnects with Winston, the Continental's manager, and Marcus, his old friend and fellow assassin. These relationships represent the code and honor within the criminal world—a stark contrast to Viggo's organization.
Premise
John systematically hunts Iosef through the criminal underworld, showcasing his legendary skills. He takes on waves of assassins at the Red Circle nightclub, demonstrating why he is known as the Boogeyman. The world learns John Wick is back.
Midpoint
Viggo captures John after Ms. Perkins betrays the Continental's rules and works with Viggo's men. John is bound and helpless before Viggo, appearing defeated. The stakes are raised as the antagonist gains the upper hand.
Opposition
John escapes and continues pursuing Iosef, but Viggo escalates by doubling the contract on John's life. Marcus helps John survive multiple assassination attempts. The pressure intensifies as the entire underworld hunts John.
Collapse
Marcus is killed by Viggo for helping John, tortured and shot in front of John over the phone. John loses his ally and mentor figure—the "whiff of death" that marks his lowest point.
Crisis
John sits alone, processing Marcus's death and the weight of the violence he's unleashed. He confronts the emptiness of his vengeance and what he's become, but finds resolve to finish what he started.
Act III
ResolutionSynthesis
John executes his final plan: he kills Iosef at Viggo's safehouse, then confronts Viggo himself on the docks. After a brutal hand-to-hand fight, John kills Viggo and walks away, wounded but victorious.