How much John Wick is too much John Wick? That has to be the one question that everyone behind these movies has had to ask themselves after making each each new installment. As much fun as it is to watch Keanu Reeves kicking ass acting like he’s still one of the best action stars out there (He still is!), there comes a point where that will no longer be as impressive or exciting. Even though we will always cheers on the heroes to win every battle, none of that will mean a thing until someday they are able to win the war. Which was perhaps the one big fault of John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum, a movie that by design set itself up to be the concluding chapter of the story only to reveal itself towards the ending to being another big piece of a glorified puzzle. The same thing can’t be said for Chapter 4, a movie that takes all of the build up from the previous three movies and have it all pay off in a way that gives the complete sense of finality. Whether or not this will actually be the final chapter in the story of John Wick remains to be seen but if it is, then I can’t think of a more magnificent note to go out on.
Not only is John Wick: Chapter 4 perhaps the best movie in this franchise, it essentially joins the list of some of the best action movies ever made and perhaps the best action movie overall since Mad Max: Fury Road and Mission Impossible: Fallout. Yes, the action has never been better choregraphed and executed than it has been here. Yes, the cinematography and pure scope have never looked and felt better than it does here. Yes, just about every noteworthy person in the cast get a moment to shine and scenes that stand out so well you can’t wait until someone uploads them to YouTube. Yes, the near three-hour runtime does not feel daunting in any way. However, what is most impressive of all is how it is able to wrap up the four-movie arc of John Wick in a way that just feels complete and right.
Synopsis: Taking place sometime after the events of Chapter 3, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is still hiding underground with Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) as he prepares to take vengeance against the High Table. Once he is ready to head back into action, his first step is to go to Morocco and kill the Elder there, the only individual member above the High Table. Shortly after that deadly deed is done, the word gets outs quickly of the Elder’s death which makes the High Table realizes that John Wick is in fact still alive.
Due to his failures to kill the infamous assassin despite shooting him off of a rooftop, Winston Scott (Ian McShane) is excommunicated from the High Table by the senior member of the High Table known as Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgard). By making his mission to stop John Wick once and for all, Vincent de Gramont hires a handful of highly trained assassins such as Caine (Donnie Yen) and the Tracker (Shamier Anderson) to exterminated the hitman along with promising a handsome wealthy award to anyone in the world who is successful in killing him.
With the price on his head being as large as it has ever been, John Wick must take the fight against the High Table while seeking out his most powerful allies across the globe. Will John finally gain the freedom that he and his wife would have wanted or will the number of assassins be too much for him and lead to his sudden defeat?
The character of John Wick himself has always been the one main component that makes this series stand out along with the other action-heavy franchises out there. Not just because we get to see Keanu Reeves kicking more ass than he did in all four Matrix movies combined but more because of the crystal clear reasons as to why he’s doing it. It adds the human nature and drama to the character that always ties into his intriguing yet tragic backstory. While all the John Wick movies have got that up to this point, I don’t think there has been a movie in the franchise to get that just as well as Chapter 4 does.
The main goal that always drive John Wick in this series is freedom. Not just the freedom of no longer having a bounty on his head but the freedom of not letting the ghost of his late great wife haunt him forever. No matter what the fate comes from his allies or even himself, John will always fight for his freedom to avenge his late great wife, his late great dog, and even his later great self. It doesn’t matter how many hits he takes or how many enemies he has to kill, John Wick is someone that simply will not stop until he gains his freedom. Not only because he has nothing or everything to lose but precisely because he has nothing and everything to lose at the same time. If there was any sort of doubt of that in any of the previous movies, then Chapter 4 proves that to be 100% the case.
John Wick himself takes more damage here than he does in any other movie to this point. Even if it’s not likely he would have survived at least a good portion of fights in rea life, he still finds a way to fight back due to his determination and dedication to his own goals. Sure, go ahead and push him down as many steps as you want or run him over with your car as many times as you can but he will eventually come back and kill you all the same. It’s only when his goal is complete that he will allow himself to lay down and rest until death arrives. The action has always been a standout in this franchise but it’s always been the simplistic but intriguing character study of John Wick himself that adds the extra icing on the cake.
That’s not to say the action scenes aren’t worth talking about because they absolutely are. I can’t recall a franchise in recent memory other than another certain one staring Tom Cruise which the people behind the movies are able to constantly top themselves in the action department. Just when you think they can’t go any bigger or better, Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves will always say to hold their beer.
The action in this film is absolutely spectacular all around. Every fight and gun scene is a standout in every sense of the word. They certainly required a significant amount of suspension of disbelief but that’s what makes it all of the more fun and memorable. There are plenty of great ones that stand out greatly such as the one with John riding a horse, one where John is driving a car, the one where John’s facing off against Killa, the one with John being armed with a freaking Dragon’s Breath shotgun, and the one that takes place in the museum where the characters played by Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Rina Sawayana are giving their own badass moments. However, the scene that stands out the most, which will likely go down as one of the best action sequences in recent memory is the one taking place at the staircase.
That is the moment where the film’s overall action, stunts, choreography, and stakes are at it’s absolute best. This is the action scene that provides just about everything you could possibly want in any action scene. The right amount of excitement, tension, and badassery with whoever John goes up against. Once you think that sequence is all over, the film pulls the rug from underneath him and the audience. I can’t remember the last time an action sequence that got me and the audience I was with enthralled but also gasping in horror with what they had just witnessed. If it feels like I’m just scratching the surface when describing that scene, that’s because I don’t want to give too much away and believe it is worth experiencing for yourself.
Another thing that helps Chapter 4 raises the bar on the franchise is having some of the best side characters in the franchise played by a tremendous supporting cast. You could honestly seem almost every one of these characters being able to carry their own feature film and you might even be asking for one after seeing the movie. Some of the returning characters from the previous movies do make a welcome albeit brief return. Laurence Fishburne is just as much fun as Bowery and has just as much chemsity with Keanu Reeves as he always has. Ian McShane is still an enjoyable presence as Winston Scott whose character is given a bit more of an interesting direction here than the previous movies, even after his sudden turn towards the end of the last movie. And if you are wondering how Lance Reddick as Charon is handled shortly after the actor’s recent passing, you might be fairly disappointed and that’s all I will say about that.
However, it’s the new cast of characters we get that help make this movie shine even brighter. They don’t just simply exist to add more badass characters for the sake of it in this franchise but some of them even have their own intriguing stories and arcs that I wouldn’t being seen continued in future movies. Donnie Yen as Caine is marvelous and is able to stand out even better as being a blind badass than he did in Rogue One. Shamier Anderson as the Tracker manages to fit right into this universe and be more compelling than I think the original script originally had him has. Hiroyuki Sanada as Shimazu Koji is able to greatly carry his acting chops and marital experience from his international films to this movie with absolute ease. Rina Sawayama as Akira is giving a more brief role than I honestly wanted but she does make for a good first impression in her intital acting debut. Scott Adkins as Killa makes for one of the most intimating threats that John Wick has ever come across against in any one of these movies. Bill Skarsgard, while might not necessarily be the most scary bad guy in appearance, is arguably the most deadly main foe that John Wick himself has ever come across against as he is a man who wants to do everything in his power to end the man for good. And did I even mention Clancy Brown shows up here along with Natalia Tena playing John’s adoptive sister. Despite having such a massive cast, nearly every single important player is giving a moment to themselves.
If there’s another feature to these movies that don’t get nearly as much praise as it’s should is the way that it’s shot, lit, edited, and directed. Even for a simple action movie, there is as much love and effort put into them as you would expect for a movie trying to win a Best Picture. It’s clear that director Chad Stahelski and cinematographer Dan Laustsen wanted to make Chapter 4 the best looking and made John Wick movie to date and it shows perfectly on the big screen. There are so many shots in this movie that look so good that you will want plenty of posters of those exact shots. There’s plenty of gorgeous location shootings that it would fit greatly on a painting at a museum. Every single frame and shot is a genuine work of art in it’s own right.
The editing by Nathan Orloff is very well done whether it’s for an action scene or a scene where characters are talking. The score by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard is about as good as it has always been in this franchise. The stunt team, who I imagine have one of the toughest tasks of any big movie to date, do stellar work and certainly makes a strong case that the Academy MUST have an Oscar for the greatest stunts. It’s thoroughly entertaining and engaging throughout, it’s paced must better than you would expect for these kind of movies, and even the 169 minute long runtime feels earned without the experience becoming too tiring. This film has about all the love and care one could possibly hope for when it comes to the craftsmanship and filmmaking.
I do imagine that this movie will be written off by some as being too over-the-top, too unrealistic, and containing too many action scenes. Than in of itself is fair and everyone is entitled to their own opinion. However, if you were not expecting any of that, then why are you watching a John Wick movie? Why watch a movie that makes it very clear what it’s goals are and how they are willing to accomplish it but still complain about it? Not everything has to be realistic or make complete logic sense. Sometimes it’s okay to let known veterans such as Keanu Reeves kick ass as he approaches his 60s, letting him live in his own fantasy world as being the most deadly assassin in film history. Some might complain about that but for me, as long as it’s damn entertaining to watch, then bring it on.
If I had to give a grip, it mostly has to do with the way that Lance Reddick’s character is handled. It’s not necessarily the movie’s fault as the beloved actor died just one week before it was going to hit theaters and no one could have predicted his death would be so sudden but I would be lying if I said that last scene with him left quite a sour taste in my mouth and took me out for at least the next three to five minutes. Again, I’m not blaming anyone on the creative team of this but I imagine even they would have preferred to give the character a better conclusion than what he’s given if they could go back in time and do just that.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is an exceptional achievement of not just the John Wick franchise but for the action genre in general. Not since The Raid movies has there been a series of action films that dares to go as big, bold, and as over-the-top as this film does. Working perfectly as John Wick himself getting pushed beyond his reasonable measures along with director Chad Stahelski and crew of pushing themselves to make the most unbelievable and badass film imaginable. Even if Chapter 4 does bring a logical stopping point to John Wick’s story, it leaves plenty of room of other characters in the series to have their stories to continue if anyone wants to go that route.
I’m not one that likes to claim when a movie is “perfect” but when it comes to John Wick: Chapter 4 and is able to deliver the goods with an absolute bullet point, it’s hard to bring up any flaws that bring the experience down. Even the cracks in the armor one might bring up may possible not be seen as cracks in the armor to another person but more of a upgrade to that armor. Nevertheless, no matter where this series goes next, I’m willing to stick with it until the end of the line.
Let’s see what you got Ballerina!
Oh…and Tom Cruise with that Mission Impossible thing coming out in July!
Other comments:
- Yes, there is one post credit scene! Stay through the credits!
- As much as I am looking forward to Ana De Armas kicking more ass than she did in No Time To Die in Ballerina, I honestly think I would prefer to see a movie with Donnie Yin’s character. His character just seems so intriguing and his backstory seems more personal than even John Wick’s! Plus, we can use more Donnie Yin in our lives!
- I might do a separate spoiler post but whether or not I think they stand by that ending, my answer is Yes and No! I guess we’ll just have to wait and see!
- I will be doing a ranking of all of these movies soon so look out for that!
- Of course, RIP to the late great Lance Reddick! You will be forever missed!
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