How Keanu Reeves Pulled Off John Wick 4's Arc de Triomphe Car ...

John Wick: Chapter 4 second unit director and stunt coordinator Scott Rogers explains how Keanu Reeves was trained to be able to pull off the driving required for the movie's Arc de Triomphe sequence. John Wick: Chapter 4 hit theaters last week, earning rave reviews and pulling in a franchise-best opening weekend box office haul. The sequel, which is again directed by Chad Stahelski, features some of the franchise's most impressive action sequences ever, including a standout car chase/ shootout around the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

In a recent interview with IndieWire, Rogers breaks down Reeves' role in bringing the exceptional John Wick: Chapter 4 sequence to life. Considering Reeves would be doing most of his own driving for this sequence behind the wheel of a 500-horsepower muscle car, the actor was actually paired with professional race car driver Tanner Foust in order to hone his skills. Much of this training and the crafting of the specifics of the sequence actually took place about a year in advance of filming, in keeping with Stahelski's adherence to long prep times. Check out Rogers' comment below:

"It’s what’s happening in the car that makes what’s happening outside of the car interesting. There’s a reason Keanu Reeves is a movie star, because we want to see Keanu Reeves do what Keanu Reeves does. Keanu comes with a skillset already, and you just add to that foundation.

“Tanner said, ‘Wouldn’t it be cool if, since the door is off, he drifts the car and reaches out and picks up a gun?’ So Tanner figures out how to do it, teaches Keanu how to do it, and then we figure out where to put it in the movie.”

As with all previous installments in the franchise, Reeves trained for many months in advance in weapons, martial arts, and driving. Spending so long in training allows Reeves to actually film many of the sequences himself and do his own stunts, which ultimately helps to sell the entire movie. Instead of frequently cutting to a stunt person, audiences can be fairly confident that Reeves is doing most of his own action scenes.

Reeves being able to do his own action scenes means the entire approach to filming a John Wick movie can change. Instead of relying on quick cuts or a practice known as shakey cam to hide poorly choreographed action or an actor's inability to fight, the camera can linger in wider shots for longer periods of time, clearly showing what Reeves, and therefore Wick, is capable of.

Each subsequent movie in the franchise has shown Reeves' doing something new as Wick, be it more complex martial arts moves, greater firearm proficiency, horse-riding, or car drifting, and John Wick: Chapter 4 takes this to a new level entirely. In addition to boasting a handful of other breathtaking action sequences, the Arc de Triomphe set piece is truly a marriage of everything that's great about the franchise. While it remains to be seen what is next for the John Wick franchise, the latest installment is undeniably a major milestone for Reeves and the action movie genre in general.

Source: IndieWire