Documentary Review: ‘Wick Is Pain’

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Review by James Lindorf
The fifth film in the John Wick franchise is set to open this weekend. If you can’t wait or need to know more about one of the highest-grossing action franchises in history, Lionsgate has come to the rescue with the in-depth documentary “Wick is Pain” by Director Jeffrey Doe. The unrated 126-minute film covers the first four films and features honest and detailed interviews with Keanu Reeves, director Chad Stahelski, Producer David Leitch, writer Derek Kolstad, and the rest of the crew that brought Wick, the Continental, the High Table, and the rest of the world to life. “Wick is Pain” is now available for purchase on digital platforms, including Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube, Microsoft Movies & TV, Comcast Xfinity, and more.

“Wick is Pain” has much in common with the franchise it is celebrating. Wick is the center of this cinematic universe, but there is so much more to it than just him. We have already had the TV Series “The Continental,” and now we are getting “Ballerina” to shine more light on this underworld. Wick is also the center of this documentary but is also about so much more. It is about a love letter to the action genre and the people that make it work. The stunt actors, the coordinators, the choreographers, the craft teams that write, design, and fund the projects, and the ones that make them more realistic while also making them safer for the people who put their bodies on the line. It is also a celebration of the magic that can happen when talent, dedication, and luck converge. Subject matter and respectability issues, editing issues, and budget constraints all almost put Wick on the shelf forever. Still, Lionsgate and the crew took a chance on each other and never looked back.

In “Wick is Pain,” everyone is passionate and incredibly detailed, and there is so much ground to cover that it can be hard to keep up with for the whole runtime. It may be an even better experience if you break it down into two sittings. That way, you can take in everything they are giving instead of it washing over you as information overload wears you down. “Wick is Pain” is an excellent documentary about the joys and sacrifices of filmmaking and its franchise, earning a score of 4.5 out of 5. A little clean-up on the interviews with Reeves and a few minutes taken off the runtime would have gotten us to that elusive 5 out of 5 territory.