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United Press International

Director John Woo says 'John Wick' films do 'much better job than me'

Fred Topel
2 min read
Chinese film director John Woo, pictured here in 2017, pioneered "bullet ballet" gun sequences in Hong Kong films. He directed the upcoming film "Silent Night" with producer Basil Iwanyk, who also produces the John Wick films, a series that Woo praises. File Photo by Ettore Ferrari/EPA-EFE
Chinese film director John Woo, pictured here in 2017, pioneered "bullet ballet" gun sequences in Hong Kong films. He directed the upcoming film "Silent Night" with producer Basil Iwanyk, who also produces the John Wick films, a series that Woo praises. File Photo by Ettore Ferrari/EPA-EFE

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- Legendary action director John Woo praised the John Wick films in a recent interview.

The films are heavily influenced by Woo's brand of artistic gunplay, but the humble Woo praised the series for picking up his baton.

"They even do a very much better job than me," Woo told UPI in an interview in Los Angeles. "I feel we're all in a big family, every person together. I have so much joy watching John Wick. It's so stylish. The action was so good. I love it."

Keanu Reeves plays John Wick. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
Keanu Reeves plays John Wick. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Woo pioneered "bullet ballet" gun battles in Hong Kong films like The Killer, Hard Boiled and Bullet in the Head. He brought his style to Hollywood films like Hard Target, Broken Arrow and Mission: Impossible II.

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Woo is promoting his upcoming film Silent Night, which stars Joel Kinnaman as a grieving father plotting revenge against the gang members who killed his son. It is Woo's first Hollywood film since 2003's Paycheck.

John Woo is a fan of Keanu Reeves in the "John Wick" films. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
John Woo is a fan of Keanu Reeves in the "John Wick" films. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Another Woo film may also get a sequel. Adam Wingard and screenwriter Simon Barrett are developing Face/Off 2 for Wingard to direct.

In 1997's Face/Off, John Travolta plays an FBI agent who must switch faces with a terrorist (Nicolas Cage). Wingard and Barrett's idea would force them to face off again, according to Empire Magazine.

Keanu Reeves walks in slow motion in "John Wick Chapter 4." Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
Keanu Reeves walks in slow motion in "John Wick Chapter 4." Photo courtesy of Lionsgate

Woo said he had a different idea for a sequel with all new characters.

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"The only thing I thought of was that story, change it to two women," Woo said. "Women doing some operation to switch their face could be interesting. The studio seems to be not interested about the idea."

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) faces armored assailants. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
John Wick (Keanu Reeves) faces armored assailants. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate
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