The John Wick: Chapter 4 movie was released last Friday (March 24) and it delivers as much action as we expected. They are 2 hours and 40 minutes of absolute madness and frenzy with some intervals for the protagonist to move between countries. One of the action scenes, which is among the best, is a reference to a video game… although it is not the one we thought.
WARNING: This post contains SPOILERS for John Wick 4
The scene in question is called Dragon’s Breath (Dragon’s Breath), which is a very special type of incendiary cartridge for 12 gauge (18.5mm) shotguns. Surprise, John Wick uses this ammo type. It is not a whim of the director, but a method to make a scene that can be seen almost in its entirety from top view.
Many fans thought it was a reference and that it was inspired by John Wick Hex or Hotline Miami. IGN has shared an interview with Chad Stahelski (director) and Keanu Reeves (John Wick) where it is clarified that neither of them knows these games and that it was really inspired by The Hong Kong Massacre, another video game in the same style as the previous ones.
John Wick: Chapter 4’s Dragon’s Breath scene was influenced by the game Hong Kong Massacre. #JohnWick4 pic.twitter.com/09KFzEarFS
—IGN (@IGN) March 28, 2023
Translation: The Dragon’s Breath scene from John Wick: Chapter 4 was influenced by the game Hong Kong Massacre.
The first few seconds of the video in the tweet reveal something of the original scene, which extends several minutes into the film. It has some moments where the camera goes back to the ground, but it’s shot almost in its entirety from overhead view. The camera follows John Wick through the rooms and past the walls as if the house had no roof. As we have said, it is one of the highlights scenes from the movie… And it’s inspired by a video game!
As for the aforementioned video games, The Hong Kong Massacre is available for PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch; john wick hex for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch; and Hotline Miami for PC, PS4, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch.
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