John Wick 4 Review

Is the “John Wick” series the best (American) action franchise of all time? There are only four installments, so that may skew the grading a bit, but unlike other popular series like “Die Hard,” “Lethal Weapon,” “Terminator” and “Rambo,” it doesn’t contain any major misfires.

With a blend of tactical cunning and visual flair, the series' slightly complicated story has discovered new ways to deliver incredible action sequences that continually outperform what came before, bringing the best reinvention of gunplay since John Woo's Hong Kong classics.

This trend is continued in "John Wick: Chapter 4," which is also perhaps the best entry in the entire series. Although it lacks the simplicity and emotional core of the original, the absence is overcome by nonstop spectacle that defies expectations to produce some of the most thrilling action in a recent American film.

After getting shot off the roof of The Continental by his friend Winston (Ian McShane), John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has gone underground — literally, as he resides in the sewer under the protection of the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), patching up his wounds and training to resume his vengeance on the High Table. When John begins to enact his revenge, the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård) enlists multiple assassins to take him out once and for all, including retired hitman Caine (Donnie Yen), a blind warrior who is tasked with tracking and killing his former friend.

There are only so many times you can say, "This movie is great," but "John Wick: Chapter 4" is deserved of all of them, despite a running duration of almost three hours, which is never felt because to director Chad Stahelski's superb control of pacing. Badass scene after badass sequence plays out in exciting new ways that never feel boring but instead are consistently imaginative in both the coordination of the stunts and the way the action is shown on screen. Thanks to the lively script by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch, which intercuts gentler passages between the (often literal) explosive situations, there is never a sense of sensory overload. These "calms before the storm" are utilized to raise the stakes and develop the characters of the newest cast members, especially Skarsgard and Yen.

Keanu Reeves, though, is at the center of everything. It seems that people are finally warming around to his sincere approach to his profession after being mocked in Hollywood as some type of macho bimbo. He doesn't have pages of monologues, and as previously mentioned, he's only one badass cog in a badass machine, yet "John Wick: Chapter 4" is carried by his steadfast earnestness.

"John Wick: Chapter 4" lacks the first film's immediate emotional impact. A persistent effort to avoid calamity has taken the place of the palpable sense of loss and justifiable rage. In contrast to what was taken from him, Wick is responding to what has been done to him. The picture loses some of its depth and power due to this lack of poignancy, but there are still enough thrilling passages to make up for this disconnect.

The "John Wick" films have always dealt with loss. How to handle having something taken. How our own suffering is something we design. And what remains when everything has been removed. The franchise is about discovering who we are after losing everything, even though it's dressed up with stunning headshots and stunning battle choreography.

Even if that is not the focus of "Chapter 4," it is nonetheless a recurring theme in the narrative and draws characters other than the titular protagonist into the issue of what is left. With a variety of creative settings that highlight the playful side of these incredibly imaginative action sequences, the movie more than makes up for any emotional resonance it may lack in terms of fantastic spectacle. The fourth installment of the "John Wick" series, "John Wick: Chapter 4", further establishes the "John Wick" series as the most stunning action franchise of the modern period.