Early on in the 2014 action extravaganza John Wick, before the bullets have flown and blood has been spilt, Russian mobster Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist) calls the titular hitman (Keanu Reeves). He’s just received news that his son, Iosef (Alfie Allen) has not only stolen Wick’s car, but also shot his dog, both actions that will be met with a fatal retaliation. He understands this, and yet the call is an attempt to stave off the inevitable. First, Tarasov condoles Wick on the death of his wife. Rattled by the silence on the other end of the line, he calls out the assassin’s name, only to be met with even more quiet. Tarasov gets as far as, “Let us not resort to our baser instincts, and handle this like civilized men…” before realizing he’s been hung up on.
