How Keanu Reeves Navigated a Horse Through Brooklyn in the Latest John Wick Film

In the third installment of the John Wick film series, titled “Parabellum,” released on Friday, Keanu Reeves, portraying the resourceful hitman, finds himself riding a horse through the streets of Brooklyn in a high-stakes chase scene. As he gallops down 86th Street and 19th Avenue in Bensonhurst, beneath the elevated D train tracks, Reeves clutches a gᴜn, with two pursuers on motorcycles adding to the intensity of the pursuit.

This logistically intricate sequence was conceived by the film’s director, Chad Stahelski, and was actually filmed at the real Brooklyn intersection. Fortunately, Reeves, it turns out, is an experienced equestrian, a valuable asset for the demanding scene.

“We got lucky because we knew Keanu could ride a horse already,” explains stunt coordinator Jonathan “JoJo” Eusebio. Although Reeves had previously ridden a horse on screen in the 1993 film “Much Ado About Nothing,” this urban chase in “Parabellum” required a completely different level of s𝓀𝒾𝓁𝓁 and adrenaline.

To bring this horseback chase to life, Eusebio enlisted the expertise of Tad Griffith, a seasoned Hollywood horse master known for his work in films like “Seabiscuit,” “Hidalgo,” and “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle.” Using at least four horses, Griffith and Eusebio meticulously choreographed the scene, which also includes a segment in a stable where Wick employs the horses to counter his enemies.

The scene, lasting about five minutes, underwent a month of preparation, with Reeves visiting the facility multiple times for practice. However, acclimating the California-based horses to the sounds of New York, such as traffic and train noises, posed a challenge. To ensure Reeves’s safety while allowing him freedom of movement with his weapon, a specially designed “chariot” was built, positioned off-frame to catch the actor if he fell or the horse became startled.

The entire sequence, shot late at night over four days, featured actors and stuntmen as the only drivers on the road.

Despite meticulous planning, the vibrancy and constant activity of New York proved to be a formidable challenge for the filmmakers, with Eusebio noting, “New York is alive 24/7. For Chad and them, the hardest part of the shoot was this horse sequence.