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Notes -
I have not watched John Wick 4, but that does sound like something Keanu Reeves would have asked to put in the movie, as a direct hommage to Zatoichi.
There was a discussion here recently about whether it was better to immerse yourself in the world of fiction or to be analytical of it. Personally, I think both are worthwhile, and the best works manage to give a good time to both modes of media consumption. Probably that inclusion was meant more for people who analyse the movie than those who want to believe in it.
I'll give you though that the John Wick movies have gotten steadily worse with each one, and I think it's for the simple reason that studio execs don't have restraint and cannot accept that perhaps sometimes you should not give what the public begs for.
The first movie's story was great because of how little they went into the assassin society stuff. It's there, but it's not the main thrust of the movie, it makes the movie feel richer by being hinted at. By the third movie, that's all there is left. Mystery is like spices in cooking. You put a bit of spices in your meal to make it taste better, you shouldn't just shovel spoonfuls of spices into your mouth. John Wick 2 was an overly spiced meal; still a meal, but they should have cut down on the spices. John Wick 3 was like shoveling spoonfuls of spices.
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