It’s probably no surprise to most of you that I enjoy action movies. The violence, the fighting, the explosions – all of it. Plus, they’re usually movies that you can simply have a good time with and not need to concern yourself with some deep, meaningful plot. Of course, that doesn’t mean quality writing should be sacrificed. And one thing I’ve found that makes these movies even better is when there’s at least a touch of the real world included. 

Now I’m not talking about setting the plot in a real city or having it revolve around actual events or anything like that. What I’m talking about is practical considerations and real ramifications, often things that can go unnoticed. Take the John Wick movies, for example. I rewatched the first two over the weekend and then saw the latest, John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum. Sure, what brings most people to these films is the over-the-top levels of violence and amazingly choreographed fight scenes, along with a pretty interesting plot.

But what I noticed in all of these movies, that many action films are lacking, is the attention to certain details that ground them in reality. One prime example is injury. Our hero Mr. Wick does not get away unscathed. He is punched, kicked, stabbed, shot and has the bruises, wounds and blood loss to prove it. But at the same time, we see him at a highly specialized tailors having suits made that are lined with bullet-proof material. So when dozens of bullets are flying at him, it makes sense that he doesn’t easily get taken out.

Another real world touch I like involves the weaponry. John knows his weapons and has a fondness for guns. But he’s not concerned with always having a particular make and model at hand – he gets what’s right for the job and if he runs out of bullets he grabs whatever the nearest dead guy was using and keeps at it. And these movies also show him reloading – a lot! There aren’t any guns that never run out of bullets. And it’s good to see the hero vulnerable even if only for a few seconds while he reloads. Plus, if no guns are around, he uses any available implement (there’s some pretty amazing knife play in these films).

Sure, a lot of viewers might not notice these real world touches in a movie they’ve gone to see for mindless fun. But part of the point is that you don’t notice them and it makes your experience that much better, without realizing why. It’s what you get with good movie making and good storytelling.