Why Bill Skarsgård's Boy Kills World Is Different From John Wick Explained By Director

Summary Director Moritz Mohr comments on Boy Kills World's comparisons to John Wick, explaining that his movie is more about martial arts than guns.

The upcoming action flick stars Bill Skarsgård as a deaf and mute man seeking revenge.

Monkey Man was another recent action movie that was compared to John Wick, but these comparisons ended up being more surface-level. It could be the same for Boy Kills World.

Boy Kills World director Moritz Mohr addresses his new action movie's comparisons to John Wick. Starring Bill Skarsgård (who also appeared as part of the cast of John Wick: Chapter 4), Boy Kills World tells the story of Boy, a deaf and mute person who trains to become a ruthless killer after the murder of his family. The film, which also stars Famke Janssen, Brett Gelman, Michelle Dockery, and Sharlto Copley, had its premiere last year at TIFF, and some have compared the action flick to John Wick.

Ahead of Boy Kills World's theatrical release, Mohr discusses the film with GamesRadar and the Inside Total Film podcast, explaining why his film isn't quite like Legendary's John Wick franchise. According to the director, it's all about how each property features guns. Check out his full comment below:

"That's an honor to some degree because these films are just amazing. I think we are coming from a slightly different angle there because we tried to make a martial arts movie and then we added some guns to it whereas John Wick had guns and then it sort of added some martial arts to it, even more towards the later installments of the series. So yeah, I mean, those are gorgeous-looking action movies, but top-notch action, so if people want to compare them, I'm all for it."

Related Bill Skarsgård's New Action Movie Makes His John Wick 4 Role A Huge Disappointment Boy Kills World's action-packed premise suggests that John Wick: Chapter 4 could have upped the ante with Bill Skargård’s villain role.

Boys Kills World Isn't The Only Recent Action Movie To Be Compared To John Wick

What These Comparisons Actually Mean & Why They're Not Always Accurate

Close

Upon its release in 2014, John Wick became a surprise hit, introducing Keanu Reeves' titular assassin as he embarks on a question for vengeance following the murder of his dog. The franchise now includes four installments in total, with each a bigger success than the last. The franchise, which Chad Stahelski directs, is renowned for a particular brand of action that favors wider camera angles, fewer cuts, and highly trained actors.

Part of why these comparisons have become so common could be because John Wick is so popular that it's just become an easy cultural touchstone and point of reference.

Before Boy Kills World there was the well-reviewed Monkey Man, Dev Patel's directorial debut about a man seeking revenge against India's corrupt elites for the murder of his mother. After its premiere, social media became awash with viewers comparing the movie to John Wick. Part of this could be because it's a revenge tale that features legible action scenes and a well-dressed hero, but the film obviously had different ambitions. In actuality, Monkey Man's fights have more in common with something like The Raid, which is grungier and more frantic.

Your browser does not support the video tag.

John Wick may have largely popularized the art of "gun fu," but the presentation of the action in those movies owes a great deal to Asian action cinema (including The Raid). Judging from the first trailers, which tease a quirky and darkly comedic fever dream of a film, Boy Kills World may end up sharing relatively little in common with the hit Reeves franchise beyond some surface-level similarities. Part of why these comparisons have become so common could be because John Wick is so popular that it's just become an easy cultural touchstone and point of reference.

Source: GamesRadar