Real-life John Wick Bulletproof Suit By The Hacksmith: It Actually Works!

There is no such thing as a bulletproof vest. If anything, it is more like bullet resistant which prevents certain types of projectiles fired from certain firearms from penetrating. Ultimately, the wearer may still suffer some kind of injury like bruising, or maybe even broken ribs. Often, these so-called bulletproof vests are pretty thick and so it is hard to imagine John Wick’s regular-looking three-piece suit could be anywhere near bullet resistant. Perhaps it is just another Hollywood magic, or is it really?

Canadian YouTube channel, Hacksmith Industries, has taken to the task to see if it is possible to tailor a real working bulletproof suit. For those who don’t already know, the channel has been known to make it real several Hollywood magic including the fabled hoverboard from Back to the Future II and a working lightsaber from the Star Wars franchise. Anyhoo, for this suit, Hacksmith engaged a material science engineer student who has “extensive experience” tailoring men’s suits for Hollywood.

This suit was based on the three-piece attire worn by John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves) in John Wick 2 (Lionsgate, 2017). From the testing of the bullet-resistant materials to the selection of the materials to tailoring the suit, it took a year to realize the bulletproof suit depicted. This creation of the suit itself is a huge commitment, even if it does not work.

The final result was a suit that looks like a regular variety and remains as flexible when worn. All told, the waistcoat packs 16 layers of composite materials but remains just 3.4 mm thick. Meanwhile, the jacket has 20 layers of special Kevlar with every second layer cut at a 45-degree angle. Apparently, nothing for the legs and crotch/butt area, so John, you better be sure nobody gives your legs the shots.

Long story short, the suit works pretty well in stopping 9 mm rounds fired from a P226 and .45 ACP rounds from a KRISS Vector submachine gun, while looking very much like a regular three-piece suit. In case anyone’s wondering, there is already a company making actual bulletproof suits.