John Wick is one of the best action franchises in modern cinema. When John Wick first came out in 2014, it was one of the most surprising yet most enjoyable experiences I had. What is even more amazing is that the 2 sequels it got were also amazing! We are now on the 4th entry and the question is if it continues to maintain the quality it has so far.
Let’s get the obvious out of the way, the action scenes are still absolutely amazing! One thing each entry in this franchise continues to do is to make the action bigger and crazier than the last. There are so many incredible actions set pieces with a roughly 30-minute action scene in Osaka with bows and swords, a stunning sequence in Paris with cars and traffic, a Hotline Miami style action sequence with overhead shots, and one of the best action sequences ever involving stairs. I give every single praise to the stunt people who worked on this as they take some very painful falls in this film. This entry is also the best-looking one in the franchise. The set design and cinematography are phenomenal. John Wick killing people has never looked as beautiful as it does here.
Keanu continues to be awesome as John Wick by still doing the action choreography at the age of 57. We get to see him fight with nunchucks and shoot goons while driving a car. Ian McShane, Lance Reddick (R.I.P) and Laurence Fishburne return as Winston, Charon and the Bowery King respectively. They’re all still great but have a smaller role this time. There are many new supporting characters are great as well. Donnie Yen joins the franchise as Caine, a blind assassin, who is an old friend but now foe. Donnie Yen always gives his A-game and here is no exception with how he does action as a blind character makes him interesting to watch. Hiroyuki Sanada is Koji who is the manager of the Osaka Continental Hotel who is just a badass and cool guy, Rina Sawayama makes her acting debut as Akira and she does a good job in her small role with some good action as well. Shamier Anderson plays an assassin who tracks John Wick and he also does some great action. What they do with his character is interesting but the best thing is that he has a dog which makes him 100% better. Scott Adkins plays Kilia and he does a good job as a minor antagonist. The main antagonist, Marquis Vincent, is played by Bill Skarsgard and he does a great job of being hateable.
What Chapter 4 has over Chapters 2 and 3 is more emotional elements to the story. John Wick is deservingly angry after 3 but you also get to see him contemplate more about when this bloodshed will end. You see him question a lot of what he is doing and whether these conflicts that are bringing his friends into are worth it. Additionally, his relationship with Caine (Donnie Yen) adds some weight to the conflict by making close friends fight each other. The stakes in this film feel bigger as well. Some people complain about the 2-hour 45-minute runtime but the pacing never felt bad and the quieter moments are enjoyable too. If I had to give a negative then the only one, I can think of is the post-credit scene which dampens the ending a little bit.
Overall, what an outstanding film! It’s insane to think that even on its 4th entry, this film continues to be entertaining and somehow still amazing! Director Chad Stahelski has made an extraordinary franchise and shows everyone in Hollywood, how to make an action movie. With the inclusion of a post-credit scene, I wonder if the plan is to make a new cinematic universe which worries me a bit. There are a lot of potential spinoff ideas such as a Caine (Donnie Yen) spinoff or a Tracker spinoff (Shamier Anderson) or a spinoff with the John Wick 3 character Sofia (Halle Berry). Whatever they do, if it is the same quality as the John Wick movies, then I will be first in line to watch.
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