Witness (1985) Might Be the Pinnacle of Cinematic Protagonists Named John

One of my favorite traditions in all of cinema is guys named John.* Anytime a protagonist is a guy named John, I say a little “Hell yes” to myself, because I know I’m in for a good time.**

As you might’ve guessed, John was the most popular American male name for a long, long time. At least from the 1880s to the 1910s.*** But then it started to slip a bit. John was second to Robert in the 1920s. James pushed it down to third in the 30s and 40s. Then Michael showed up and John struggled to stay in the top five.

By the 1970s, John was down to sixth. Then ninth in the 80s. By the 90s, it had slipped all the way down to 15. (Right ahead of Zachary, which just doesn’t feel right.) But because babies don’t write screenplays, the legacy of Johns was strong all throughout the last stretch of the 20th century. Especially when it came to action heroes.

In many cases, the hero John was bestowed with a fairly common last name that just sounds cool when paired with a one-syllable first name. John McClane sounds like a guy I would depend on to upend a European terrorist plot. John Connor sounds like a guy I would bet on to eliminate a threat of extinction by machines. John Rambo sounds like a guy I would root for if he was up against a town full of no-good cops. (Especially if they drew first blood.)

But the best Johns are the ones that are given an extremely silly last name that is also a commonly used English word.**** If I’m introduced to a gun-toting private detective named John Shaft, I know he’s going to kick lots of ass and sleep with lots of women. If I meet a muscly cop named John Spartan who’s been dethawed in a future society he doesn’t understand, I trust him to save the day and make me laugh. A Green Beret named John Matrix? Say no more. I’m in.

But no other John has captivated me quite like Harrison Ford’s character in Witness.

When I first heard him introduce himself as John Book, I had to laugh. It’s a silly name in a serious film, which makes me love it even more.***** But beneath the top layer of silliness, there’s a bounty of potential meanings that this name could hold.

Because he’s a police detective, there are a few obvious ones. In this film, John Book is apparently the only cop in Philadelphia that isn’t crooked, so he’s very “by the book,” an officer who plays by the rules. But he’s no pushover either—he has a reputation for “whacking” criminals, in fact—so one can assume that he shows no mercy on his adversaries, willing to “throw the book” at them.

Considering the origins of the name John, it’s pretty easy to tie a Biblical meaning to this character too. (He is a good Book, and it’s the Good Book, ya know?) There are numerous ways you could go here. One of the Bible’s most famous verses (John 3:16) is about God’s “only begotten son,” and Book is assigned to protect an Amish woman’s only child: her young son Samuel, the titular witness. Then there’s the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead—much like Book is attempting to do with his career when he goes off the grid in Amish country to hide from the dirty cops trying to kill him. I could go on, because it’s the Bible, but let’s move along.

While watching Witness, I wondered if John’s last name wasn’t pure metaphor but a way of accentuating the narrative. After all, the second and third act of the film take place in an Amish village. Does “Book” signify a dedication to analog storytelling? Does it imply that John Book has begun to understand and even consider embracing their electronics-free lifestyle?

Maybe not. But John Book is part of an incredible legacy of Johns that continues today.****** And as far as I’m concerned, it’s Hollywood’s most iconic hero’s moniker. There’s a reason Marion Morrison changed his name to John Wayne.

*My editor John said that he loves this week’s issue because “it combines my two favorite things: myself and Harrison Ford.”

**Johns are different from Johnnys, of course. I don’t believe I need to explain this any further. My editor John would also like to add that John is not short for Jonathan and that Jons are imposters.

***The U.S. Social Security Administration doesn’t keep track of baby names before 1880. Probably because they’re lazy.

****I was on set this week with a gaffer named Jon Champion. Good name. A bit too obvious though. It would never work in a sports drama.

*****The only other Book I can think of is former Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book, which sounds even sillier in my mind.

******Can you imagine if John Wick was Steve Wick or something?

Witness is now streaming on Showtime, Paramount+, and DirecTV, and it is available to rent elsewhere.