How John Wick 4's VFX Crew Removed Keanu Reeves' Finger On Screen

This post contains spoilers for "John Wick: Chapter 4"

There were so many action sequences and fights in "John Wick: Chapter 4" that the movie was essentially one long action choreography demo reel. Which is pretty much what we've come to expect from the saga of Baba Yaga. Keanu Reeves' ruthless hitman outdid himself in the latest installment, battling his way from Japan to Paris in a bloody odyssey that eventually saw him perish from a gunshot wound to the stomach. At least, that's how it seemed until Lionsgate announced that "John Wick: Chapter 5" was in early development.

Putting together these operatic action sequences took some real commitment from the cast and crew. The "John Wick: Chapter 4" stunt coordinators previously explained to /Film how to get hit by cars, breaking down their approach to that epic Arc de Triomphe sequence in which Wick fights his way across the Paris landmark, effortlessly tossing faceless thugs into oncoming traffic. Then, there was that fiery top shot sequence in which Wick dispatches waves of enemies with a shotgun discharging the deceptively beautiful "Dragons Breath" phosphorus ammo.

And those are just two action sequences in a movie that also included the obligatory nightclub fight, a showdown at the Japanese Continental hotel, multiple one-on-one battles, and numerous other high-intensity combat scenes. This is why it's kind of oddly anticlimactic to hear that one of the biggest challenges proved to be a single finger.

Back in "John Wick: Chapter 3," the titular assassin sacrificed his finger to prove his loyalty to the High Table — the shadowy group that oversees the international network of assassins to which Wick formerly belonged. Speaking to The Motion Picture Association, director Chad Stahelski explained that this act of having his finger removed represented, "taking away the ability to symbolize union or love." Which is all well and good, but for the fourth movie it meant every scene with John Wick in it had to feature a fingerless Keanu Reeves.

Visual effects supervisors Jonathan Rothbart and Janelle Croshaw Ralla spoke about the challenge this posed in an interview with VFX-focused online mag Befores and Afters. The pair revealed that Reeves would actually wear a special black finger or "chef condom" on his digit during filming, which made the digital removal that much easier. Rothbart added:

"One of my jobs on set became, every time, checking to make sure he had that on there, because Keanu hated wearing that thing. We were trying to mitigate the work as much as possible by always having this black condom on his finger. Then those VFX teams did an incredible job of removing the finger."

It's kind of funny to think that in a movie that demands so much from Reeves physically, his biggest gripe was wearing a little finger cozy.

Jonathan Rothbart and Janelle Croshaw Ralla have Chad Stahelski to thank for their troubles. Back when "John Wick: Chapter 3" was released in 2019, the director explained to The Hollywood Reporter how he fought to keep the finger removal scene in, as the studio could foresee all the extra problems that awaited. He said:

"You have a left-handed actor who's just deformed his left hand and that left hand is in every shot of the third act of the movie. VFX-wise, there's a cost associated with that. There's logistical problems and practical filming that are associated with that. The studio does their job of questioning my visions and my methods to see if I really like it. It was an issue."

Considering Stahelski had such grandiose reasons for the whole digit removal, it's not that surprising he fought so hard to keep it in the movie. Unfortunately, it meant that when it came to "Chapter 4," he and his team had to contend with all the problems they'd created for themselves back in the third installment. Which, if I'm honest, doesn't actually seem all that worth it. Most folks watch the "John Wick" movies to see Keanu Reeves beat up people, not for the symbolism. This means Stahelski and his star gave themselves a lot more to worry about going forward for one shocking moment and some symbolism that no one really cares about anyway. 

But hey, "John Wick: Chapter 4" broke franchise box office records, so it's not like they're all that bothered anyway.