Alright, I haven't been to the cinema all that recently and I don't have much to talk about. But a recent Twitter convo got me thinking: how exactly do those gold coins in John Wick work?
Warning: This article will contain spoilers about John Wick: Chapter 2. If you wish to avoid spoilers, READ NO FURTHER.
The train of thought started with game designer Mike Bithell mentioning the problems of the gold coins since they have no consistent value or denomination. Now those coins are rattling around in my head and I've gotta get them onto the page.
So let's examine these gold coins in more detail. First: how many coins are out there?
I think we need to presume Wick himself is an outlier, as is Viggo, in the amount of coins they have. Clearly there are some powers who have cornered the Gold Coin market - as Viggo is the head honcho in these parts he could set the value of the coins, something similar to the way the royal mint works here in England, controlling the flow of money to control inflation. And because Viggo holds so much of the market in one safe, he controls the flow and thus the worth of the coins.
Taking a look at his safe early in John Wick, I estimate around 35 coins per slot. We can see 16 slots, plus perhaps space for another 12 below them. that's 980 coins. As a rough estimate, that doesn't leave many coins in circulation if he controls the lion's share. What about Wick? Well, he has six boxes worth, maybe one less than Viggo. That makes 24 slots - 840 coins. Over the course of the first movie, he spends 15 coins - 12 to the clean-up crew, one per body; one to Charon when he enters the Continental; one for entry to the bar; and one to Harry to keep Perkins out of the game. So what does that make? How do we value those coins?
One important point we need to consider is Ian McShane's Winston, and the role he plays in this economy. He is the head of the Bank of Assassins, as it were, he brings in the flow of coins and sends them back into the black market.
Given that Charon is in the employ of the Continental, I think it's reasonable to assume any coins passing his way go straight back to Winston. We are not given a look at his own earnings, coin-wise, but if he gets one from each guest for up to two nights - plus one for everyone taking advantage of the bar, and that bar is pretty jam-packed - then we can assume he's got a haul at least on par with Viggo, if not much greater.
As of John Wick: Chapter 2 I feel like I could assume, like any currency, the gold coins are controlled via a central government, in this case the High Table. Presumably they decide how many gold coins are distributed each month, and where they go to. Those at the High Table - at a guess, Viggo himself would have been up there before his death - would be paid in part in these coins, keeping the supply going to them and allowing them to pay for the services they need to continue their empires. The doctors, the clean-up crews, possibly even the blackmail they gather; how much is a stay at the Continental worth to the right people, how much is it worth for a night in what is essentially a free bar, with free board?
But these coins represent something more than just currency. Harry gets one for looking after an insensible Perkins; they give entry to the Continental and the free bar below, and they can pay for goods like guns and ammo, and services like corpse removal. To some, they are just a currency - payment for a job done, to be used to buy things from others later. To others, like John, they're a promise - one gold coin for one small task. In some ways, it's an assassin's Fiverr - anything you want, at a small price.
We see a more extreme version of this in Chapter 2; the marker, given to Wick by Santino D'Antonio. Or, more accurately, returned to Wick. It's a blood oath, the giver beholden to the owner until it is repaid. And it can be repaid in any way, though usually for big things. It's how John Wick made his escape, and it's how Santino plans to gain power. Again, Winston is the keeper of these, suggesting they are another form of currency.
One of the things Mike mentioned was how, if the coins are a sort of barter system, there is no lesser unit. I posit that there needn't be, because the gold coins are used for small things. In the world of million-dollar contracts and criminal empires, a single gold coin is a relatively small thing. But more than that; for the really small things, they still have money. The contracts are paid in cash, unless it's a marker being turned in (and that happens rarely, since they are so rarely given out). Any hitman can still wander into the local supermarket with enough cash for groceries and a decent high-end ready meal. Heck, they all live in beautiful suburban housing. The gold coins are the smallest facet of a professional lifestyle which amount to a favour between those who recognise it.
The bigger question is: Why does Winston tell John where Viggo is going for the final act of the movie? I mean, in a narrative sense it works, because the movie needs closure. But I get the feeling Winston has a larger game afoot.
Have you noticed how Viggo doesn't go anywhere near the Continental? Neither does his son, who frequents clubs in the middle of New York. Sure, perhaps there's no need when Viggo owns so many buildings in New York, but you'd think they'd like to take advantage of the benefits like the bar and the armory and the ability to recruit assassins personally. Does Viggo have something against Winston? Why does he make no mention of the High Table? Why is John not penalised for killing him if he's on it? Why is Winston constantly helping John get to Viggo?
My theory is this: Viggo did something to get his Continental Membership revoked. But he recognised that, and it came along at the right time. John wanted to get out. John Wick, the Boogeyman. So Viggo gives him an impossible task: make me big. Make me the biggest boss in New York, and you'll have your freedom. John Wick laid the foundations for what Viggo's gang is today; perhaps that was at the expense of the Continental, and Winston was just waiting for his chance at revenge. Getting back at the upstarts who thought they could dethrone him. Sending a message: John Wick is on the side of the Continental.
I don't have an answer to the gold coins. They are as mysterious to me as real-life economics. But I can't wait to see if John Wick 3 explains the great battle between the Tarasovs and the Continental.
Also worth noting: the Continental in Italy charges one coin per drink, compared to the underground club with a free bar in New York. Is there a gold coin exchange rate? Or is it just a more upmarket assassin hotel? And what about Laurence Fishburne's underlings? Are they able to spend the coins? Do members of the Continental recognise them as fellow assassins? Or are they all excommunicado by association?
Damn. Thinking about money has left me with even more questions...
EDIT: One thing I completely forgot to mention was the stash of coins John destroyed along with Viggo's money in Little Russia. Presumably every mob boss (plus Winston) has caches of these coins all over the place. Those are coins that are likely never seeing circulation again. Presumably the Continental works like a bank - a certain amount of the gold coins stay in the coffers of the Continental for security purposes, and the rest are spread into circulation via other banks and services which use those coins.
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