John Wick: Chapter 4 Movie Review
Nathan Swank
March 25th, 2023
Who would have thought when JOHN WICK was released in 2014 that we would be gaining a decade of one of the greatest action franchises of all time? Seriously, JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 is another addition to the outright incredible choreographed stunt work in shoot’em up action that has ever been displayed on film.
By now, one should hopefully understand the world of John Wick. And if you don’t, please correct that mistake right now. John Wick is the greatest hired killer of all time in a world of hired killers. However, his goal is to be retired and out of the game so to speak, but the bounty on his head is too high and there seems to always be some higher up that just won’t learn their lesson and let John Wick be. The top baddie this go around is the wickedly delightful Bill Skarsgård as Marquis at the head of the High Table. He blackmails another super assassin, Cain (played by the internationally famous Donnie Yen), to find and kill John Wick. The catch this time is that Cain seems to be a decent guy and quite friendly with John Wick (although most assassins in this world are). The other big catch is that he’s blind. But that doesn’t stop him from being Wick’s most dangerous foe yet.
The rules and etiquette of this always expanding secret society are always terrific fun. JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 continues to grow this mythical world, where it seems as though most of the population are actually assassins and have very limited real people living in it. Nonetheless, the action is incredible. Keanu Reeves proves he’s still one of the coolest, most likable, charismatic actors on the big screen. Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, and the late Lance Reddick all return in strong fashion. But director Chad Stahelski’s thrilling action and Keanu’s all-in mentality are the true stars of the film and franchise.
CHAPTER 2 still might be my personal favorite, but every film in the series adds some unique sequence out and JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 is no different. Could some of the elements have been cut out of the 2 hour 49 minute runtime? Most definitely. But even with a lot of talking and world building, the film moves surprisingly fast and I was entertained the entire time. Sure, the amount of violence and bullets killing numerous people is obscene. But keeping within the world of surreal invincibility and impossibilities, the blood and focus on death is surprisingly less than one might expect. There is no way a blind guy is gonna be so accurate with his shot in such a noisy chaotic environment, but it’s completely awesome! JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 is working at the highest level of action films with more than one incredible scene worth checking out.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4, like the previous John Wick films, is another case as to why stunt work should be an Oscar category. Like art direction or costuming, stunt work and the choreography that goes into it is one of the top art forms that makes cinema great. I can’t speak highly enough about the impressive nature of the choreographed fighting and gun play at hand. The different colorful locations and characters all make for one exhilarating ride.
[fbcomments]
