Keanu Reeves spent months training for John Wick 4.
The actor did most of his own stunts in the movie, which means everything you see on screen is as real as it gets.
From stylish fighting sequences to car chases, we take you on a journey behind the scenes of Hollywood’s hottest ticket.
John Wick 4 boot camp – Martial arts training
John Wick 4 director Chad Stehelski wanted long action takes rather than quick cuts and tricks in the editing in the room.
For this reason, each sequence is elaborate and requires complex choreography.
READ MORE: Keanu Reeves returns on top in John Wick 4 trailer
Reeves trained with stunts specialists 87eleven Action Design to improve his fighting technique.
“I’m a little older so it’s harder,” Keanu Reeves said. “But [if] you have a bit more techique, it helps keep balancing it out.”
This isn’t Reeves’ first rodeo, of course, which made the job a lot easier.
In the past, Reeves had already trained in boxing and Karate for previous movie roles, and for this one they added Judo and jiu-jitsu.
Firing tactical weapons, handguns and assault rifles
Along with hand-to-hand combat, Reeves was trained in something dubbed ‘Gun fu’, combining handguns and Kung Fu as the name suggests.
This is a recurring style in the franchise and while John Wick didn’t invent it, he certainly made it more popular.
This fighting style also offers a dual advantage: it looks great on screen, and it makes the movie more realistic.
When it comes to weapons, John Wick went from using a handgun in the first movie, to a combination of assault rifles, knives and even nunchucks.
Keanu also trained with specialists Aaron Cohen and Taran Butler to make the scenes look more realistic.
He had to learn how to transition seamlessly from weapon to weapon and fire shots in close succession with high accuracy.
John Wick 4 boot camp- horse riding
There are a few horse riding scenes in the movie, filmed in the desert and… in Brooklyn.
Keanu learned how to ride with stuntman Tad Griffith, who also taught him trick riding.
For the film, he learned how to hang on the side of the horse, recover into a riding position at a high speed, and move from one side to the other quickly.
In the Brooklyn scene, Keanu manages to hang on the side of the horse, while firing bullets at enemies under the horse.
And don’t worry, no horses were harmed in the making of this movie.
Car chase scenes
Keanu is no stranger to high speed car chases, and while the most dangerous stunts were done by expert Stephen Fry, Keanu still had to put in the work.
For the first three movies, he learned how to drift and do 360 turns.
For Chapter 4, he also had to learn how to do a reverse 180 and shoot and reload at the same time.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is in theaters now.
