In John Wick: Chapter Two, John Wick violates the fundamental rule of the Continental by killing Santino, making himself a target. John Wick (Keanu Reeves), who is feared among assassins as “Baba Yaga,” has dedicated the whole John Wick franchise to attempting to escape the covert assassin society he was formerly a member of.
However, Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) would cash in a marker to force John to kill his sister Gianna (Claudia Gerini) in John Wick 2 after John avenged the death of his dog in the original John Wick.
John violates the stringent prohibition against conducting “business” on Continental property when he murders Santino in the New York City Continental at the conclusion of John Wick 2. John’s decision may appear hard to understand because he is well aware that breaching this rule will have serious repercussions.
John’s perspective on the matter, however, puts his rash deed into perspective and better explains and justifies why he violates the Continental norm after everything he has gone through in the John Wick films up until his murder of Santino.
John Felt (at the Time) That He Had No Way Out
Even though Santino D’Antonio doesn’t appear in the original John Wick film, the two have a history together in which John owes Santino a favor. After returning to his violent ways to get revenge for the death of his dog, Santino sees a chance to take advantage of the favor John owes him in order to replace Gianna at the High Table.
Santino blasts up John’s house in an attempt to get him to comply. Naturally, this backfires because Santino has already established himself on John’s bad side, even if he completes the job.
Gianna ends her own life in the end, saving John from having to do the mission that was given to him. He is still played for it, though, and Santino covers his tracks by offering John a $7 million contract. Although this makes John feel angry enough to want to kill Santino, it also makes him feel as though he is stuck in the life of an assassin, which he was attempting to leave behind.
John could have waited for Santino to get off the Continental, but he felt that he would always have more adversaries to contend with. The fact that John Wick’s Continental Hotel, the assassin’s safe haven, was unable to keep Santino away from him when John eventually confronts the helpless Santino confirms John’s disregard for the hotel chain’s regulations.
John just doesn’t care what the Continental has to say about his predicament anymore, with his gun in hand and the man who destroyed his life standing directly in front of him.
After Killing Santino, John Was Excommunicated
Since it establishes the rest of the plot, Santino’s murder is one of the most significant events in the John Wick series. Because John disobeyed the Continental’s regulations, he was “excommunicado,” which meant he was no longer able to use any of the Continental’s resources or access the clandestine criminal underworld.
Even worse, John Wick: Chapter 2 closes with a new contract being sent out on John’s head worldwide, putting him in a world full of adversaries.
The main plot point of John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum is his escape with a horde of assailants after him. It demonstrates his desperation and the apparent inability of leaving this brutal existence behind once more.
The film demonstrates John’s willingness to make significant sacrifices and go to considerable lengths to form an alliance with the High Table. In order to be able to live, he even meets with the Elder of the High Table and consents to servitude.
Although there are ways for John to save himself in the last two John Wick films, he is unwilling to pay the price. He is informed in John Wick 3 that if he murders Winston, the High Table will forgive him. Rather, John fights with Winston at the High Table.
He is informed that he would be set free if he defeats the Marquis’ champion in a duel in John Wick: Chapter 4. However, rather than murdering Caine, John decides to suffer a fatal wound. After John kills the Marquis and sets himself free in John Wick 4, he appears to pass away a few seconds later.
It appears to be a logical and fulfilling conclusion for the character, even though the truth regarding his fate is left up for debate. John wanted to survive in order to preserve the memories of his departed wife and other loved ones.
But he refused to live according to the High Table’s orders. Death was John’s only way out, as the John Wick films demonstrated. He struggled to live that long to prove to the High Table that he wasn’t their servant, but he didn’t live to enjoy his independence.
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