★★★☆☆
It’s wild to think that although we have been enjoying the John Wick franchise for nearly a decade, in the film’s alternate universe it’s only been a matter of weeks (maybe months) since a group of Russian criminals stole John Wick’s car and killed his puppy. Since then, we’ve learned a great deal about the High Table, a highly powerful criminal organisation, but very little about Wick himself. John Wick: Chapter 4 isn’t here to remedy that either, but it does once again broaden our understanding of the criminal underworld.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum ended with Winston (Ian McShane) shooting John Wick (Keanu Reeves) but Wick lives on, much to the chagrin of the High Table who want him dead. Wick has become a very annoying, prominent thorn in their flesh and despite issuing a hefty paycheck of millions to whoever kills Wick, no one has had such luck.
Chapter 4, from the very beginning, positions itself as the final chapter in Wick’s story. One character notes that Wick can only find freedom in death, but Wick has no plans of being dead, just free of the High Table’s grip. We have a new villain, Marquis de Gramont who really, REALLY wants Wick dead, but Wick decides to challenge him head-on. We have ourselves an old-fashioned duel!
Credit: Lionsgate
The John Wick franchise has made action into an art form. These films have made action sequences into a vital part of the plot and each consecutive film, while also adding an extra 30 minutes to the runtime, has only upped the ante when it comes to the action. They have always been imaginative, clean and accurate, which is why it’s a shame that Chapter 4 has some of the best as well as the most uneven action in the franchise.
There is also a digital sheen to Chapter 4, literally and metaphorically. It’s much more slick and stylish than its already very highly stylised predecessors but it’s lost almost all of the gritty realism that made the previous films so compelling. We no longer see Wick bleeding or getting patched up. He does, however, fall three floors from a window and bounce off a van into the street and walk off with only the tiniest detectable limp.
Of course, action films like John Wick don’t have to always operate under or even be guided by the laws of physics but in all honesty, Wick should be dead. Or at least very badly injured. He seems to have almost superhuman strength here and seemingly endless ammunition. Previous films have made a point of showcasing Wick reloading his gun in the most imaginative of ways but Chapter 4 mostly abandons this.
If anything, Chapter 4 involves the least amount of gun fights in the franchise. An early, lengthy sequence set in the Osaka Continental is perhaps the best action sequence in the entire franchise, but the middle section of the film lags badly. Things pick up once the action moves to Paris and the final 30 minutes of the film is an exhilarating affair. A fight involving a very big set of stairs is a particularly fun thing to witness, but John Wick: Chapter 4 could have easily cut down its mammoth, near three-hour runtime.
credit: Lionsgate
Reeves barely has any lines, but then again, is anyone buying a ticket to watch John Wick wax lyrical about this or that? No, we want to see him kick ass and John Wick: Chapter 4 delivers on that. Donnie Yen is fantastic as Wick’s opposing, reluctant assassin and he is granted some of the best action scenes in the film. Shamier Anderson joins the cast in the role of the mysterious ‘Tracker’ but there doesn’t seem to be enough room for him in the already overstuffed film that has more ideas than it knows what to do with.
It’s also always a delight to see Hiroyuki Sanada in an action film of this calibre, but it’s Bill Skarsgård who nearly steals the show as the new villain, the Marquis. His precise, considered performance counteracts the film’s sillier aspects and Reeve’s fantastically camp performance. The late, great Lance Reddick also gets a proper send-off in his final completed film role.
John Wick: Chapter 4 never reaches the highs of the franchise’s best instalments but if this is the end for Reeves’ deadly hitman – the door is being left open for a spinoff with Sanada’s daughter and Osaka Continental’s concierge as well as for future John Wick appearances – we are going out on a high. With wickedly fun and lucrative action set pieces, this is first class entertainment for the masses, but the first John Wick reigns supreme.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is in cinemas 24 March.
FAQs
If you can turn off your brain and just enjoy the fight choreography you will probably enjoy it, but it feels like JW4 wants you to turn off your brain the most out of all 4 movies. All in all the movie wasn't bad, it's a bit too long, too unrealistic and the ending is unsatisfying.
Is John Wick 4 good or bad? ›
John Wick: Chapter 4 is probably the best action movie of our time. Chad Stahelski does a great job with the stunt team; raising this time the cinematographic part. This chapter confirms what has been happening, this franchise is going from best to legendary.
Will there be Chapter 5 of John Wick? ›
Director Chad Stahelski expressed uncertainty about Chapter 5 during the release of Chapter 4, especially given its conclusive ending in March 2023. However, in May 2023, Lionsgate confirmed that John Wick 5 was in early development.
What is the extra scene at the end of John Wick 4? ›
In that light, the end-credits stinger showing Caine being hunted by Akira gains renewed meaning: Caine, too, has supposedly been freed, but as long as he's alive, those he's hurt will come after him. This is precisely the fate that John wants to avoid.
Is John Wick 4 a success? ›
Box office. John Wick: Chapter 4 grossed $187.1 million in the United States and Canada, and $253 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $440.1 million. In the United States and Canada, John Wick: Chapter 4 was projected to gross $65–70 million from 3,855 theaters in its opening weekend.
Who turned down John Wick? ›
Rina Sawayama turned down John Wick role at first - IMDb.
What was the point of Nobody in John Wick 4? ›
Mr. Nobody is a mysterious hitman in John Wick: Chapter 4, known for his killer dog, combat skills, and journal of sketches and prices on John Wick's head. Despite being hired to kill John Wick, Mr. Nobody ends up saving him more often and becomes an ally, providing comic relief and a potential spinoff opportunity.
Did John Wick 4 break even? ›
The $137.5 million collection worldwide means John Wick: Chapter 4 has already crossed its breakeven point and is well inching close to being a very profitable venture. Starring Keanu Reeves in the titular character, John Wick 4 was directed by his The Matrix franchise stunt double Chad Stahelski.
Is John Wick alive at the end of John Wick 4? ›
“[The theatrical ending] was the ending Keanu and I wanted, but we shot a different ending. We shot an ending where you actually saw John Wick at the end of the movie. So it was very clear that he was still alive. The audiences we tested with absolutely preferred the ambiguous ending.”
Is Winston John Wick's dad? ›
Summary. "The Continental" prequel series fails to confirm the popular theory that Winston is John Wick's father despite numerous connections between the characters.
Was Keanu Reeves born in Hawaii? ›
Reeves was born in Beirut, Lebanon, on September 2, 1964, the son of Patricia (née Taylor), a costume designer and performer, and Samuel Nowlin Reeves Jr. His mother is English, originating from Essex. His American father is from Hawaii, and is of Native Hawaiian, Chinese, English, and Portuguese descent.
What did Winston say at the end of John Wick 4? ›
One intriguing detail from John Wick: Chapter 4's ending has Winston bid farewell to his old friend by touching his grave. He says "Farewell, my son" while speaking Russian, and the symbol of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate is seen tattooed on his wrist.
Is there a surprise at the end of John Wick 4? ›
The final scene shows Winston and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) back in New York visiting Wick's grave with his pit bull: John is buried by his wife Helen, with a headstone that reads “Beloved husband” (per Wick's wishes).
What's the point of John Wick 4? ›
Movie Info
Synopsis John Wick (Keanu Reeves) uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.
What is inappropriate about John Wick? ›
The film contains a lot of blood splatter effects but never shows explicit wounds. The violence is very strong, bloody and graphic, but mildly gory (not like chapter 2) Probably the least violent film in the series, but still brutal. John Wick is attacked with baseball bats by the intruders. More upsetting than brutal.
Why do people fear John Wick? ›
John Wick is the most fearsome assassin in the franchise, earning the nickname "Baba Yaga" and embodying the boogeyman that all assassins fear. His reputation as a skilled killer is well-deserved, as demonstrated through his fighting skills, assassination prowess, and problem-solving abilities.
Was John Wick a flop? ›
And yet, John Wick persisted, grossing decent enough numbers to justify its small $20 million to $30 million budget. An $86 million total gross doesn't sound like a lot for an action movie, but with its tiny budget and non-existent marketing campaign, the movie was able to make a tidy profit from its theatrical run.
Why is everyone chasing John Wick? ›
Summaries. John Wick is on the run after killing a member of the international assassins' guild, and with a $14 million price tag on his head, he is the target of hit men and women everywhere.
