Fourteenth International Conference on the Arts in Society

Abstract

In reviewing the film John Wick: Chapter 2, the critic Margot Harrison notes: “Most American action films would use that fine-art motif solely to establish their bad guy as an effete product of European decadence. But John Wick: Chapter 2 is a different breed. From its scenes backdropped by New York’s great bridges to its gunfight in the Roman Baths of Caracalla, the movie is as much in love with art and architecture as it is with ass kicking” (“Movie Review: Art Gets as Much Time as Action in ‘John Wick: Chapter 2’,” Seven Days: Vermont’s Independent Voice, February 15, 2017, https://goo.gl/LpNAeZ). It is not only this film that “lovingly” features art and architecture; rather, a number of recent action films possess scenes that take place in galleries, museums, or famous architectural sites. This essay explores the use of and reasons for the appearance of art in Skyfall and John Wick: Chapter 2. What is revealed is that art goes beyond acting as mere decoration; art and architecture contribute significantly to the thematic aspects of the films.