Tags
Bill Skarsgård, Chad Shahelski, Derek Kolstad, Ian Mc Shane, John Wick, John Wick Chapter 4, John Wick Chapter 4 Review, Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, Marquis de Gramont, The High Table
John Wick Chapter 4
Review by Paul Bowler.
Keanu Reeves is back in action again in John Wick Chapter 4 as the series’ legendary hit man with a price on his head. So with everyone, quite literally gunning for him, John Wick raises the stakes and takes his fight against the infamous High Table to a global level, seeking out the most powerful players in the organisation in his attempt to finally earn his freedom. But first Reeves’ indestructible hit man will have to take on a myriad of rival killers, no mean feat considering the ever increasing bounty on his head, before he can take his shot at a duel with the organisation’s head honcho Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård).
The fourth instalment of a franchise can often be a major stumbling block for a franchise, no matter how established or popular it has become. Fortunately John Wick Chapter 4 manages to doge that particular bullet. Keanu Reeves is on fine form as you’d expect, indeed his role as the franchises leading assassin fits him like a glove now, and you will be left marvelling at his amazing martial arts skills.
He reunites once again with director Chad Shahelski for what is arguably one of the bloodiest and most ultra-violent chapters in the dazzling gun-fu neon-noir saga so far. Notably, this is the first John Wick movie that doesn’t have the involvement of series creator and writer Derek Kolstad. If you thought the films had been complicated so far, Shay Hatten and Michael Finch arguably elevate the series to a whole new level of bone crunching gun-fu fighting – albeit by sacrificing any real semblance of having a cohesive plot.
Not that any of that really matters as it’s virtually impossible not to get swept along with the grand scale of Chapter 4 and its episodically stylised globe trotting narrative that takes John Wick to New York, Paris, Japan and Berlin. Yes, JWC4 does get a little pretentious and ridiculously OTT at times, but those traits are as intrinsic a part of this franchise now as the gun totting mayhem. The High Table remains as slippery as ever, while Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King and Ian Mc Shane’s New York Continental Hotel manager Winston Scott also return as Wick’s key allies. As the action goes global John Wick encounters a host of different friends and foes along the way: with Donnie Yen as the blind hitman Caine, while Reeves’ 47 Ronin co-star Hiroyuki Sanada adds some samurai style as Wick’s ally Shimazu, whose deadly daughter Akira is played by Rina Sawayama, and Scott Adkins is German High Table boss Killa.
The stylishly choreographed fights and set-pieces are a balletic neon drenched spectacle and undoubtably everything we’ve come to expect from the franchise. Highlights include an astounding fight sequence in Osaka, there’s a frenetic battle in packed nightclub, a breathtaking fight as cars speed around the Arc de Triomphe, and Wick’s epic fight up the 222 steps to the Sacre-Coeur ahead of a sunrise showdown. Stahelski’s direction never falters for a moment as this rollercoaster ride of unrelenting set-pieces unfolds, with shaky camera angels and quick edits accentuating the pace throughout. John Wick Chapter 4 may be nearly three hours of wall-to-wall fighting, but Reeves’ stoic performance, and Staheski’s eye for detail ensures this instalment is one of John Wick’s most thrilling adventure yet!
About The Author
Hi, I’m Paul Bowler, blogger and reviewer of films, TV shows, and comic books. I’m a Sci-Fi geek, a big fan of Doctor Who, Star Trek, movies, Sci-Fi, Horror, Comic Books, and all things PS4.You can follow me on Twitter @paul_bowler,or at my website, Sci-Fi Jubilee, and on YouTube and Facebook
Sci-Fi Jubilee 
Shaky cam? How bad is it? Because if it’s herky jerky, I might end up getting sick. The 3rd (or was it the 5th?) Bourne movie had a lot of shaky cam footage and I was almost ill by the end of it. I don’t mind a lot of motion, but it has to be smooth…
Think it might be the 5 Bourne movie you’re thinking of, as I recall that was pretty shaky wasn’t it? JW4 isn’t as excessive as that, the action flows much more smoothly. The only real flaw I can find with JW4 is the run time, but even that didn’t really impact my enjoyment of the movie. If anything, JW4 is so chock full of big set-pieces, you just get swept along and the time zips by.
Might very well be 5. I also remember not really liking the movie, so that would definitely be the 5th.
Glad to hear time passes well watching jw4. Nothing worse than a long movie that you can’t wait to be over.
Looking forward to seeing this 🙂
It’s really good, quite possibly the best in the series IMOP, enjoy!
In another example of bizarre (and annoying) Japanese film distribution, I have to wait until September to see this on the big screen. Aargh!
Great review. Glad to hear the long running time flies by.
It’s often the case isn’t it? Shame, as JW4 is really good, well worth seeing on the big screen when you get the chance. Yes, it’s a long film, but for once that run time is worth it. The film races along a cracking pace with so much action the time flies by.
I’ll be checking this out tomorrow and I can’t wait to see those huge set pieces and epic action scenes!
It’s brilliant, had a blast seeing JW4, enjoy!
I’ve still only seen the first John Wick. From what I’ve heard, 2 isn’t quite as good, while 3 is kind of amazing. This is a series I would like to catch up on. Sounds like John Wick Chapter 4 is kind of epic, in more ways than one.
Also, I know that parts of John Wick 2 were filmed in Montreal, Canada’s underground city. Montreal actually has the largest underground city network in the world, complete with hotels, live shows, concert halls, large shopping malls, some high class restaurants, and one of Cirque Du Soleil’s permanent stages.
I’d agree with that, JW 2 isn’t quite as good, but 3 was really good. Chapter 4 takes things to an even higher level, and is one of the very best in the franchise. You’ll have fun catching up with the JW films I’m sure. Fascinating to hear about the underground city you mentioned as well, sounds awesome!
Great review. I need to catch up on this “Gun-Fu” (love that) series. Keanu is the man.
For sure, the John Wick films are really good. Always enjoy watching them and Chapter 4 is arguably the best of the bunch. Keanu is brilliant in these films. Cheers, glad you enjoyed the review. 🙂
I’ll probs marathon them sometime this year. The locales of 4 sound most interesting especially.
They say Keanu Reeves spoke fewer than 400 words in this film. Would you agree?
Yes, that’s right. He doesn’t have much dialogue at all, but in John Wick’s world I guess actions often speak louder than words – quite literally sometimes!