On John Wick 4, the Spectacle of Violence, and the Violence of Spectacle

Some fifteen years back, my sparring partner had me in full mount when he casually suggested that it was good I was studying Brazilian jiu-jitsu, in case I needed to use these skills to throw off an attacker. While under this fellow, who was far above my weight class, I laughed and pointed out the obvious: “Are you kidding? A rapist would punch me in th…