I dedicated almost 9 hours to watching the John Wick franchise on Friday before heading to see John Wick 4, so I feel very comfortable saying that this is the best action franchise put to screen. From start to finish, it’s chock full of incredible cinematography, elite action choreography, and just phenomenal set pieces. Keanu Reeves is incredible, and while each film can stand on its own as a masterpiece, they also build upon what works great in the previous installment to make each new one better.
It has to be said, but rest in peace, Lance Reddick. He unfortunately, passed away on the 17th, a week before the movie was released. I haven’t seen everything he’s done but even in small roles, he never gave small performances. This franchise is not what it would be without him, and he will be sorely missed.
John Wick 4 picks up where Parabellum leaves: John has been training underground after fighting the High Table as he continues his quest to get out of the game. He wastes no time popping back on their radar as the High Tables’ Marchese de Gramont (Bill Skarsgard) is out to not just kill him but kill the very idea of him.
The film is a perfect continuation of John Wicks’s story. He started out retired before getting revenge on some Russians for killing his dog and stealing his car. He then spends the next film doing what he hopes is his last job before he can retire again but is sucked back into the game. The third film follows him reaping the consequences of his actions. Here he is still being hunted for his actions, but he wants to be free. I’m unsure if this is supposed to be the franchise’s finale. The ending is conclusive enough where it is a satisfying end to the character, but a 5th movie was greenlit back in 2020. If that is still coming, the ending would still make sense.
It was incredible how the action in John Wick 4 somehow got even better in this movie. The John Wick franchise pioneered the smooth, long fight sequences in action movies that are just so visually stimulating. Even after watching the first 3 movies before going to the theater, I never was bored of the style. What helps this is each fight explores different styles of fighting. We see gunfights on horseback, katana fights, nun chucks, and just bare-knuckle brawls. Fighters have their own personalities which show in their fights, (looking at you Donnie Yen) and it makes it very refreshing.
The way the action is shot is equally as beautiful. The choreography being on point is vital but how they’re shot is just as important. There are shots towards the end of the film that are just breathtaking, specifically the ones in traffic and in the abandoned building. These sequences were also scored perfectly to match the on-screen action. I talked in my Winnie The Pooh: Blood and Honey review about how the movie just had no idea how to use sounds and music and this feels like the antithesis of that. The filmmakers knew exactly when to let the scenes speak for themselves and when to enhance them with a score. Credit to Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard, who’ve helmed the scores for all the John Wick films. They took their style and perfected it here. There is also a really cool sequence towards the end where a radio DJ is broadcasting where John is to armies of hitmen and plays a song that matches the environment he is in. The scores and songs used in this movie just kept elevating each scene for me.
It’s been said before, but Keanu Reeves is just perfect as the John Wick himself. I recently saw that he did roughly 90% of his own stunts which is so impressive given how physically demanding these movies are. His line delivery is so entertaining and fits Wick so well. Ian McShane and Laurence Fishburne are back and waste no time eating up their scenes. Newcomers to the franchise Bill Skarsgård, Shamier Anderson, and Donnie Yen immediately mesh with the story and other characters. These movies aren’t just endless action, and these actors really put in the work when they are just meant to act.
This movie is legitimately funny on top of being action-packed. It’s not joke or quip heavy at all, but when they did, it hit more than it missed. I truly think my theater laughed harder at how Reeves said “Yeah” or “No” more than some of the scripted jokes. The real comedy comes from the action and preposterous scenarios being played out. Movies take note, if you want me to laugh, have characters fall down a long set of stairs after showing how much of a challenge it was to get to the top.
Final Thoughts
John Wick 4 is a truly incredible film. I am so fascinated by this world that Reeves and director Chad Stahelski have created. I don’t know if it’ll be in another John Wick movie or in a spinoff IP, but I want to see more of it. If you haven’t seen the other John Wicks, I highly recommend you watch them soon (streaming on Peacock now) because this is a movie you will not want to miss.
