John Wick Vs Neo

What can we say other than...whoa. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re pitting The Matrix’s Neo against John Wick. In this showdown, two of cinema’s most iconic badasses, who both happen to be played by Keanu Reeves, will be going against one another in a head to head battle. One’s a trenchcoat wearing, bullet-dodging techno messiah and the other is a tough-as nails, dog-loving hitman . . . but which one is truly Keanu’s greatest action role? Stay tuned to find out. And hey, SPOILER ALERT. Round 1: Origin John Wick, the King of the Headshot, was once a deadly assassin and one of many figures operating within a shadowy and intricately organized criminal underworld with its own customs, figureheads and currency. With a reputation as a man who could get any job done, he quickly became the underworld’s most revered killer. But after meeting a woman and falling in love, Wick took on one last impossible job to leave his bloodstained past behind. But after he finished the last job and settled down for a life of what he hoped would be wedded bliss, his wife Helen died of a terminal illness. A devastated John was left adrift until a beagle puppy named Daisy arrived on his doorstep, a final gift from his wife intended to help him through the grieving process. But Wick was denied this happy ending when the son of his former employer stole John’s car and killed poor Daisy, not knowing until much later just how bad of a mistake he’d made. This prompted the man once dubbed the Baba Yaga - or rather “the one you sent to kill the Boogeyman” to come out of retirement to cut a bloody swath of revenge across the underworld. Coming from much more fantastical origins, the man who would become Neo was born Thomas Anderson, a seemingly normal man who led a double life as a skilled hacker under the name Neo. But Anderson’s life was thrown upside down when he was shown that his entire world was an elaborate simulation intended to keep humans complacent while a race of machines leeched their bodies for energy. Freed from this “Matrix”, Neo became a member of the resistance against the machines, and later learned he was “The One”, a prophesied hero with the power to reshape the Matrix according to his will. With martial arts and gunplay skills downloaded directly into his brain, Neo became a freedom fighter/messianic figure on a mission to liberate humanity from its secret machine overlords. John Wick’s origin is about as badass as you can get, but the high-concept sci-fi tale that brought Neo into existence is just too interesting to say no to. For incorporating robots, virtual reality and some heavy philosophy into his origin, Neo takes round one. Round 1: John Wick 0 / Neo 1 Round 2: Allies The criminal underworld that John Wick walks in is a world of complex rules and allegiances, and the ruthless assassin has no shortage of allies. He appears to have an almost paternal figure in Winston, the owner of the New York Continental, a hotel that caters exclusively to hitmen and other underworld figures. John also has a friendly relationship with the hotel’s concierge Charon, even trusting him to take care of his dog. There’s also Aurelio, a mechanic and chop shop owner who takes care of John’s prized muscle car. In John Wick’s second cinematic outing, he also made an ally in the Bowery King, an enigmatic figure within the criminal underworld with control over the city’s homeless population. Their relationship is purely professional, but there’s a respect between the two men. And if the Bowery King looks familiar, keep watching. Neo, meanwhile, has a much closer-knit circle of allies and friends. Chief among this is Morpheus, the charismatic leader of Neo’s resistance faction. Morpheus acts as a mentor for Neo, freeing him from The Matrix and opening his eyes to the truth. And if he looks like a certain ally of Neo’s competition in this video, that’s because yep, both Morpheus and the Bowery King are played by Laurence Fishburne! Neo’s other main ally is his lover Trinity. At the same time that Neo uncovered his destiny as The One, he and Trinity sparked up a romantic relationship that followed them throughout the subsequent films. Other allies in Neo’s corner include his “operators” Tank and later Link, who guide him during missions inside The Matrix. John Wick has some friends in high places, but we’re giving round 2 to Neo. Even the closest of John’s allies is kept at arm’s length from the peerless killer, who seriously rocks the whole ‘lone wolf’ thing. Neo’s allies are much closer to serving as his family, so we’re giving him the round. Round 2: John Wick 0 / Neo 2 Round 3: Cool Factor You’d be hard-pressed to find an action hero cooler than John Wick. Cool and unflappable even when embroiled in the midst of a gunbattle, he’s pretty much the essence of the stoic, gravelly voiced badass. And need we talk about his fashion sense? John never goes into combat without a sharp black suit, including special bulletproof ones that allow him to take handgun shots at close range and live to tell the tale. He also drives a 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1, though it’s erroneously called a 429 Boss Mustang in the film. The Mach is similar to the car driven by Steve McQueen in the film “Bullitt”. Neo, meanwhile, is a bit more of an everyman. Especially when we first meet him, he’s less of a stoic badass and more of a panic-ridden man on the street. But hey, we’d be panicking too if mysterious men in suits were implanting robots in our navels. Neo’s coolness levels definitely went up in later movies, when he became fully settled into his role as The One, however. Neo’s fashion sense is a bit more early 2000s than John, with his most iconic look featuring a black trenchcoat, boots and shades. A little dated, maybe, but still pretty slick. As trendsetting as Neo’s trenchcoat chic was back in the early 2000s, there’s no denying the timeless cool factor of a black suit. Add in John Wick’s cold as ice demeanor from day 1 and badass ride, and he takes this round handily. Round 3: John Wick 1 / Neo 2 Round 4: Movie Quality At the time of this video, John Wick has appeared in two feature films, with a third on the way. Both films have been smash hits with critics and action fans, who fell head over heels for the films’ style and action. Both films, by director Chad Stahelski (and an uncredited David Leitch for the first one), are tight, whip-smart action fests that continually up the ante in terms of pulse-pounding creativity. They’ve been called some of the best action movies of the decade, and it’s honestly hard to argue with that assessment. The Matrix series, on the other hand, is a bit more mixed in terms of quality. The original film was a critical and box office sensation, redefining action movies for the new millennium and putting its directors, the Wachowskis, on the map. To call it influential would be underselling it. But its sequels, 2003’s “Matrix Reloaded” and “Matrix Revolutions”, were less well-received. While technically impressive and boasting some slick and memorable action sequences, the two follow-ups also doubled-down on the complicated lore, with some dialogue making audiences’ heads spin. The final installment also really over-sold the idea of Neo as a metaphor for Jesus, and moved away from the action that defined the series in favor of something more akin to a superhero movie. The first Matrix film is always going to be an enduring classic, but the massive letdown that was the sequels lost this round for Neo. Pound for pound, John Wick’s cinematic offerings to date have been way more consistent, bringing this head to head battle to a tie. Round 4: John Wick 2 / Neo 2 Round 5: Powers & Abilities We should preface this last round by saying that we’re NOT looking at who would win in a straight-up fight, because the outcome there would be pretty obvious. Instead, we’re looking at how interesting and memorable each character’s powers and skills are. John Wick’s signature combat style is based on Center Axis Relock or CAR, a close combat system developed by Paul Castle, a former police officer. This system, with its distinctive tilted shooting style, is what allows John Wick to take down multiple opponents in quick succession and look badass doing it. John is also a master of numerous martial arts, and incorporates moves from Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and Judo into his personal style. His combat style is all about quick, brutal efficiency, and it’s hard to argue with the results. John has also displayed some major driving skills, using his aforementioned car as a weapon. Neo, meanwhile, brings a much more out of this world set of skills to the table. Thanks to his awareness of the Matrix, he and other members of the resistance are able to gently bend its rules, allowing him to dodge bullets and defy the laws of physics. He can also have any skill downloaded into his brain by his operator, allowing him to learn new skills on the fly. This is also how he mastered countless martial arts in a short span of time, including Savate, Kempo, Taekwondo and Drunken Boxing. After fully embracing his destiny as The One, Neo’s powers skyrocketed to new heights… literally. As The One, he can fly, stop bullets and telekinetically control objects, to name just a couple of his many powers. John Wick’s combat style is easily one of the coolest to grace movie screens, but Neo’s powers and abilities are so indelibly written into the fabric of action cinema that he has to take the round. Maybe someday John Wick will have a move as iconic as Neo’s bullet dodge, but until then Neo wins round 5 and the match! With these two roles, Keanu has cemented himself as one of the biggest action stars of our era, but only one of his characters can win out, and Neo narrowly takes the prize as our go-to for Keanu action. After all, he IS the One. Final score:: John Wick 2 / Neo 3