“But now, yeah, I’m thinking I’m back”: The All-Consuming Gothic Nostalgia in the John Wick Franchise

John Wick, played by Keanu Reeves, is the eponymous hero of the highly popular film franchise. Wick is a retired hit man who wants to start a new life, but is “forced” to become a lone hero battling the dark forces of the highly Gothicised underworld of organised crime, and specifically The High Table, which paints him as something of an Everyman fighting for “good” and honour against a dishonourable system. However, as shall be argued here all is not exactly as it seems in the films and this paper will examine the intersection of the Gothic and nostalgic elements utilised in the narrative and specifically around the character of Wick himself, to show how he is not the saviour against the forces of an all-consuming past, but is an allowance that confirms it is as undying as the retired hit-man himself.