Oliver Stone Calls ‘John Wick 4’ “Disgusting Beyond Belief” & Compares It To A Video Game

Over the course of his career, Oliver Stone has been part of quite a few films where violence is plentiful. Whether it’s the fantasy world of “Conan the Barbarian,” horrific war in “Platoon,” or perhaps ‘80s Miami in “Scarface,” he’s a creator who has never shied away from the use of violence in a story. But apparently, there is a line in Stone’s mind when it comes to violence in film. And that line is “John Wick: Chapter 4.”

READ MORE: ‘John Wick’ Director Says He’s “Open” To The Idea Of A 5th Film But It’s Not A Guarantee

In an interview with Variety, Oliver Stone talked about his new documentary, “Nuclear Now,” as well as the current state of film. And it’s that latter bit where he discussed his views on the uber-violent box office hit, “John Wick: Chapter 4.” It would seem that Keanu Reeves’ latest actioner went a step too far in the eyes of the filmmaker.

“I saw ‘John Wick 4’ on the plane. Talk about volume. I think the film is disgusting beyond belief. Disgusting. I don’t know what people are thinking,” Stone said. “Maybe I was watching ‘G.I. Joe’ when I was a kid. But [Keanu Reeves] kills, what, three, four hundred people in the fucking movie. And as a combat veteran, I gotta tell you, not one of them is believable. I realize it’s a movie, but it’s become a video game more than a movie.”

READ MORE: ‘Nuclear Now’ Trailer: Oliver Stone Wants To Fight Climate Change With Nuclear Power

He added, “It’s lost touch with reality. The audience perhaps likes the video game. But I get bored by it. How many cars can crash? How many stunts can you do? What’s the difference between ‘Fast and Furious’ and some other film? It’s just one thing after another. Whether it’s a super-human Marvel character or just a human being like John Wick, it doesn’t make any difference. It’s not believable.”

Now, it’s fair to say that Stone isn’t wrong in his assessment of the violence in the ‘John Wick’ films. It’s over-the-top, for sure. But most fans of the franchise would say that the fact that it is over-the-top is the best part. It’s glorious in how it presents Reeves’ character as an unrelenting killing machine. Much like a fun slasher horror film, the excitement isn’t in the body count but in seeing just how John Wick will murder his enemies. And what makes ‘Chapter 4’ so great is just how it ups the ante so much more, with absurd levels of violence and action stunts. It’s the sheer number of stunts and the creative ways they’re executed that makes it such a spectacle.

And in that way, that’s where Stone’s critique falls flat. It would be difficult to imagine director Chad Stahelski envisioning a ‘John Wick’ film as a view of real-life violence and death. Sure, it’s based in New York City with human characters, but this franchise exists in a fantasy world where assassins run amok and there’s a literal entire hotel that only deals with assassins and their business. Let alone the fact that John Wick can end a film with an old-school style duel, the rules of which were determined by metal playing cards. It’s so ridiculous, but yet, incredibly engaging and fun to watch.

So, it’s easy to see why someone like Oliver Stone is willing to write off the ‘John Wick’ franchise as a “video game.” But it’s a bit sad that Stone can’t seem to understand the context of the film and the world in which it exists. Oh well, the filmmaker seems more interested in saving the world and spreading his political views, anyway.