“You Hit My Puppy.” – Mr. Nobody
When we first meet John Wick, he’s already hanging on a thread. He’d all but expended his humanity on his past life. He’d spent his entire life as a ruthless hit man known as the dehumanizing name of “El Baba Yaga.” All sense of what makes him a person had been lost thanks to the mythologizing of his time as a career hit man. When he meets his wife Helen, he sadly loses her to terminal cancer, which ultimately causes him to reflect on not only giving up but relinquishing whatever trace of heart and soul that he had left. When Helen leaves him a young Beagle named Daisy, much to his surprise and chagrin, she’s not only giving him a purpose but a part of his humanity. If she can’t be there to take care of him and love John, at least he can have Daisy to care for and become friends with.
Not surprisingly, John’s immediate forfeiture of his life comes to end as he not only falls in love with Daisy, but feels a sense of duty toward it. Daisy doesn’t judge him, she doesn’t deride him, and all she really wants is unconditional love. It’s something that John realizes that he’s prepared to give her. He thinks it’s mainly for Helen, but over their short time together, he realizes it’s for himself. This becomes especially clear when Iosef Tarasov confronts John at a gas station pit stop, and intrudes on his space as well as the dog’s personal space. John feels an instant protectiveness over Daisy, which Tarasov zeroes in on from the moment they come face to face.
And in an instant all of John’s lingering sense of humanity is snuffed out when Tarasov and his goons make the mistake of breaking in to John’s house and beating him. If that’s not enough they proceed to ruthlessly murder Daisy before John’s eyes. With that, John dies and the “Baba Yaga” is resurrected and is ready to go on an absolute war path. Throughout the series of “John Wick,” the only best friend John ever had was Daisy. And the only best friend anyone in this universe ever has is dogs. Dogs are surprisingly instrumental in setting off events and giving these cold, ruthless murderers not just a sense of purpose, but something that they can rely on.
The movies not only meld noir, martial arts, and action together, but they’re a testament to the power that love for dogs can give us. John proclaims his scorched Earth campaign at the grave of his dog. After his seemingly short but brisk revenge journey (back when we weren’t sure there would even be a “John Wick” sequel, let alone four), John makes one final grasp at being a human and no longer the monster, as he breaks in to an animal clinic to help tend to his wounds. While there he finds a pit bull caged and on the verge of being exterminated, and he breaks him free and takes him with him. There’s no real indication on what lies ahead, but John is wagering that he has some love to give still, and the pit bull bets on John.
In “John Wick 2” John is there mainly to protect himself, but he also takes it upon himself to protect his unnamed sidekick at every turn. With the follow up he makes Charon, the concierge of the Continental Hotel his official pet sitter, and he’s debatably safest with Charon. Charon, unsurprisingly, takes a liking to Wick’s dog throughout the film but it’s tough for John to break the bond as in the final scene as John is on the verge of being hunted by every assassin in New York, he and his flee side by side, prepared to do whatever they can to survive. With “Parabellum,” Wick’s pit bull gets less screen time, but is still the devoted side kick once again left with Charon, but we meet Sofia Al-Azwar, a woman who is a lone wolf like John but also has two best friends.
They are of course her two beautiful Belgian Malinois, both of whom are viciously devoted to Sofia, as well as very well trained attack dogs that not only heed her every command, but will kill if necessary. Sofia is a dog person like every hard nosed killer in the “John Wick” series, and they’re the only partners she can rely on. “Are you a dog person, John?” is her first deciding factor on whether or not John is worth allying with, and it’s pretty obvious how John’s affections towards dogs have pretty much paved his path. Sofia’s Malinois are the highlights of “Parabellum” as they help Halle Berry in constructing some of the most unique and exciting action scenes ever staged in this series.
Of course her training of her dogs takes a lot of inspiration toward the way police officers train canines, turning them in to loyal allies that are instrumental in battle. And like Wick, Al-Azwar’s last thread of who she is lies with them. “John Wick 4” takes us a step further in the dog’s devotion with (my favorite character) “Mr. Nobody.” Played excellently by Shamier Anderson, he is a very highly skilled tracker and assassin who delights in playing both sides of the coin, and never actually allies himself with anyone in particular.
Although I think if he ever heard how this entire war began, he’d have instantly sided with John. This is made especially true as Mr. Nobody’s partner and best friend is his dog, a brutally loyal and faithful Belgian Malinois who also never leaves his side. The dog spends a lot of “John Wick 4” following Mr. Nobody in to combat, and often taking down attackers at his command. The dog is a highlight, as his interplay with Mr. Nobody amounts to a lot of great action and some real emotional stakes. This is made especially true with the vicious gangster Chidi who never holds back when confronted with Mr. Nobody’s dog, taking a few occasions to do everything he can to mortally wound it.
Thankfully he survives to the very end, even witnessing the fateful duel between John and Caine. But Mr. Nobody is given his chance at retribution where he executes Chidi in the name of his dog. The emotional stakes and weight of the entire series has been and continues to be dogs. While animals play a large part (The Bowery King cares for pigeons, for example), the dog is the epitome of the best friend and only friend these killers can ever acquire in their lives.
They’re the perfect companion, and compaction of the last lingering shreds of normality and humanity that any of them ever has. Wick goes on a rampage for Daisy, and we see pretty much everyone in the series will go through hell for their own companions. For any dog lover like yours truly, “John Wick” really does epitomize the idea that dogs are our ideal companions that can save us when they’re alive, and destroy us when they pass on. It’s brilliant emotional stakes for a series of films that could have easily lost sight of its original purpose, and just devolved in to a bunch of action segments with no coherency. I think when we inevitably venture in to “John Wick 5” John will likely have some kind of dog or dogs surrounding him.
While the movies have been absolutely phenomenal, the idea of the dog has been the heart and soul.