Is John Wick Unrealistic? What They Don’t Tell You

The brutal ballet we can’t stop watching

Let’s be honest: we don’t watch John Wick expecting realism. We watch it for the gun-fu, the slick suits, the relentless revenge. And yet, somewhere around the third or fourth headshot in under five seconds, a little voice in your head probably whispers, “Okay, but… could anyone actually survive this?”

I asked myself the same thing after rewatching Chapter 2 for the third time (I mean, that Rome sequence? Come on!). Then I had a full-on debate with my buddy Josh, who trains in Brazilian jiu-jitsu. He flat-out said: “Bro, 90% of that stuff would get you killed instantly.”

So let’s break it down. Is John Wick just glorified action fantasy? Or is there more realism hiding under all that blood and bullet casings?

The fighting: stylish, brutal... and kinda believable?

Gun-fu isn’t totally made up

Okay, so "gun-fu" sounds like some ridiculous term from an early 2000s video game — and yet, it’s not entirely nonsense. The fight choreography in John Wick is actually rooted in real techniques, blending judo, jiu-jitsu, tactical shooting, and Filipino martial arts.

Keanu Reeves trained for months with real weapons experts and stunt professionals. He even ran live-fire drills. So yeah, a lot of what you see — reloading under pressure, center-mass targeting, weapon transitions — is based on legit combat training.

That said… the volume of it? That’s another story.

The body count problem

John Wick has killed, like, 400+ people across four movies. FOUR. HUNDRED. That’s more than some small-town armies. And somehow he’s barely limping?

I remember laughing out loud during Chapter 3 when he gets hit by two cars, fights off like six guys, and still escapes on a horse. Like… my guy. Even adrenaline has its limits.

The injuries: walking off bullets like mosquito bites?

No human heals that fast

Let me just say — I stubbed my toe last week and couldn’t walk right for two days. Meanwhile, Wick gets stabbed, shot, and tossed off buildings, and just wraps it in a hotel towel and moves on?

There’s one scene (you know the one — the rooftop fall in Chapter 3) where I literally said, “Okay, he’s dead.” But nope. Just some scratches. Movie logic strikes again.

Pain tolerance vs. plot armor

Yes, elite soldiers can push through pain. And yes, adrenaline is real. But this guy takes punishment that would hospitalize a Navy SEAL. Let’s call it what it is: plot armor thicker than a medieval knight's.

The world-building: the most organized crime ever?

The High Table and gold coins? Kind of genius

Alright, this part… I love. It's over-the-top, yeah, but there’s something so weirdly satisfying about this hyper-organized underworld — the Continental hotels, the markers, the rules.

It’s obviously fictional, but it feels cool. Like, if assassins had their own version of LinkedIn, this would be it.

Josh made a good point though: “No way a system that clean exists in real life. Someone would’ve live-streamed a Continental fight by now.” True. Unless they pay off YouTube too.

Assassins everywhere? Kinda scary, kinda hilarious

In Chapter 2, John walks down the street and suddenly it feels like every single person is a hitman. The baker, the violinist, the janitor. That’s when you realize the movie isn’t trying to be real — it’s leaning full myth mode.

And honestly? I respect that.

So… is John Wick unrealistic?

Short answer: Yes

Long answer: Who cares?

Look, John Wick isn’t a documentary. It’s mythology in a modern suit. It borrows bits from real fighting, blends it with comic-book logic, and builds a stylized world that’s cooler than real life will ever be.

Is it realistic that one man takes down the world’s deadliest assassins with a pencil? No.
Is it fun to watch? Hell yes.

And at the end of the day, maybe that's the point. We don’t go to John Wick for truth — we go to watch a man with nothing to lose rewrite the laws of gravity, logic, and pain thresholds.

So yeah, it's unrealistic. Gloriously so. And I’ll keep rewatching every minute of it.

Is 165 cm normal for a 15 year old?

The predicted height for a female, based on your parents heights, is 155 to 165cm. Most 15 year old girls are nearly done growing. I was too. It's a very normal height for a girl.

Is 160 cm too tall for a 12 year old?

How Tall Should a 12 Year Old Be? We can only speak to national average heights here in North America, whereby, a 12 year old girl would be between 137 cm to 162 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/3 feet). A 12 year old boy should be between 137 cm to 160 cm tall (4-1/2 to 5-1/4 feet).

How tall is a average 15 year old?

Average Height to Weight for Teenage Boys - 13 to 20 Years

How to get taller at 18?

Staying physically active is even more essential from childhood to grow and improve overall health. But taking it up even in adulthood can help you add a few inches to your height. Strength-building exercises, yoga, jumping rope, and biking all can help to increase your flexibility and grow a few inches taller.

Is 5.7 a good height for a 15 year old boy?

Generally speaking, the average height for 15 year olds girls is 62.9 inches (or 159.7 cm). On the other hand, teen boys at the age of 15 have a much higher average height, which is 67.0 inches (or 170.1 cm).

Can you grow between 16 and 18?

Most girls stop growing taller by age 14 or 15. However, after their early teenage growth spurt, boys continue gaining height at a gradual pace until around 18. Note that some kids will stop growing earlier and others may keep growing a year or two more.

Can you grow 1 cm after 17?

Even with a healthy diet, most people's height won't increase after age 18 to 20. The graph below shows the rate of growth from birth to age 20. As you can see, the growth lines fall to zero between ages 18 and 20 ( 7 , 8 ). The reason why your height stops increasing is your bones, specifically your growth plates.