Santino D'Antonio in John Wick: Who He Is, Who Plays Him and How He Dies

Santino D'Antonio is a character in john wick 2, the 2017 sequel directed by Chad Stahelski, and Riccardo Scamarcio plays him. He is billed fourth, behind Keanu Reeves, Common and Laurence Fishburne.

Claudia Gerini plays his sister, Gianna D'Antonio. Both sit in a cast that also includes Ian McShane as Winston Scott, Ruby Rose as Ares, Lance Reddick as Charon and Peter Stormare as Abram Tarasov. That last name connects back to john wick 2014, which was built around Viggo Tarasov, the crime boss John used to work for.

The credits list him as Santino D'Antonio and nothing else. If you are mapping the full ensemble, the john wick characters page covers the other major figures, and the john wick cast page follows the actors film by film.

Santino's key relationships are with his sister Gianna, with John, and, through the fallout from his death, with Winston. Gianna D'Antonio is played by Claudia Gerini and is billed twelfth in Chapter 2, so she is a supporting presence rather than a second lead.

John is the other half of the pairing, and the way their dealings end defines his status in Chapter 3. Winston, played by Ian McShane, owns the Continental, and in Chapter 3 the High Table punishes the hotel by stripping its protected status.

Viggo Tarasov makes a useful comparison. Viggo is a personal enemy whose son wrongs John, and his fall closes the first film. Santino's death works differently, because it is what leaves John excommunicado when Chapter 3 begins.

In my opinion, Santino matters less for any single scene than for the job he does in the structure of the saga. Chapter 2 had a $40 million budget, double the first film's $20 million, and it grossed about $174 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. A character whose death carries into the next film helps give that bigger sequel a purpose.

Perhaps the smartest thing the film does is hand Chapter 3 its premise. Santino's death leaves John excommunicado, and that status sets up Casablanca, the Elder and the Continental losing its protected status. It could be argued that this is where the series stops being a revenge story and becomes a story about a system.

That being said, the contrast with Chapter 4 is instructive. The Marquis has full High Table backing and a long runtime to work in, while Santino leaves his mark in far less time. If you are new to the series, follow the john wick movies in order list and treat Chapter 2 as the hinge. Then read winston john wick to see how the fallout reaches the Continental.