john wick is on the cutting edge of modern american liberal masculinity. the first level of this is keanu reeves himself: a “dreamy” star, a “stoner” star, a comedic straightman who has been performing the symbolic emasculation of the pratfall for decades. he’s masculine, but non-threatening. the franchise is filled with signifiers that associate a progressive tendency with an edgy masculinity: the psychobilly phone operators; the gay-coded Concierge and Manager; the mute nonbinary character from John Wick 3; the blind guy in this one. at the outset of the Osaka Hotel scene, Sanada’s character begrudgingly accepts the “therapy dog,” and the script even repeats the phrase three times. the concept of a therapy dog is played entirely straight: the humour of that scene comes from the spectacle of an older patriarch accepting what is very clearly a term of youth culture (“therapy dog”), while acknowledging that his acceptance is itself incongruous.

what do the aesthetics of this franchise portend? it is not to say that the high proportion of differently-abled characters (for example) in this series is good or bad. rather, we can surmise based on its popularity that the franchise articulates a vision of masculinity that is meeting its target demographic’s demand. it’s progressive, and youngsters want their media to reflect their progressive (liberal) ideology. that’s fine. my own experience of this film as a straight, cis, white, able-bodied man was one of enjoyment. not complete adulation like a lot of people seem to be giving it: it’s a technical film, and technique, while fine in and of itself, does not make art. but if i compare this to other examples of progressive liberal feminism (any expression of masculinity, to be clear, is simultaneously a feminism) in a similar genre—say, any of the Marvel or Star Wars films—the john wick franchise is trying to break free from the death-spiral the ideologues over at Disney are locked in. i trust my instincts and my instincts tell me that the keanu reeves-brand male is healthier than the men in the MCU. the edginess is well-balanced with the progressivism, and the unpretentious brand of the franchise effectively nullifies its own stakes (not that your shit can get by me, mfer).