March 28, 2024

Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick 4. Photo Credit: Murray Close

Yeah...I'm thinkin' he's back - and better than ever.

Courtney Howard // Film Critic

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4

Rated R, 169 min.

Director: Chad Stahelski
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Scott Adkins, Rina Sawayama, Marko Zaror, Ian McShane,  Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishburne and Clancy Brown

Within the opening moments of JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4, showing The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) blowing out a lit match that cuts to a desert sunrise (a cheeky wink-and-nod to LAWRENCE OF ARABIA), we know we’re in for something special to titillate our senses for the following two-and-a-half-plus hours. This next chapter in Wick’s neon-lit revenge odyssey deals with fate, consequence and purpose, spurred by his redemptive quest to find peace and freedom after retiring to vanquish the spoiled brat who killed his beagle puppy. Brawny, bold and badass, this 4th film in a scorching, searing, soaring saga for the ages brilliantly balances vested stakes with an absolutely spectacular, high-octane thrill ride. It’s a pure adrenaline rush.

Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a hitman searching for liberty from a prison of his own making – and it’s only a matter of time before his consequences catch up with him. Labeled “excommunicado” by his underground guild of assassins, unable to use the amenities of the Continental and with a high price on his head, he’s on the run and relying on secret shelter by friendly former colleagues like The Bowery King and Osaka’s Continental Manager Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada). However, it attracts more trouble once he kills the Elder (George Georgiou), who took his wedding ring (a.k.a. his last bit of humanity). Specifically, the eyes of the cruel, calculating Marquis (Bill Skarsgård), who now runs the High Table and wants the imposing threat of Wick eliminated tout suite.

As New York’s Continental hotel manager Winston (Ian McShane) and concierge Charon (Lance Reddick) vainly attempt to broker a deal with the slippery Marquis, more folks are brought into Wick’s orbit: His friend’s daughter Akira (Rina Sawayama), friend-turned-foe Caine (Donnie Yen), old associate Killa (Scott Adkins), the Marquis’ muscle Chidi (Marko Zaror), elusive opportunist Mr. Nobody/The Tracker (Shamier Anderson) and his protective pup.

Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, and Marko Zaror in John Wick: Chapter 4. Photo Credit: Murray Close. Courtesy of Lionsgate.

Much like in the series’ previous films, director Chad Stahelski and screenwriters Shay Hatten and Michael Finch carry through themes surrounding consequence and the passage of time while also strengthening them with added sentiments on absolution, fate, fidelity and friendship. They use the ever-popular “friends become foes” and its reversal effectively with innovative interplay where our rooting interest is continually in flux. We, of course, align with Wick’s redemption, but love seeing him tackle physical adversity with glorious guts and gusto. They also elegantly tie in their notion of sunrise and sunset, as well as seasonal shifts for these characters, spotlighting it in scenes set in the Marquis’ office to the very end where Wick faces the biggest challenge yet.

As with any great action movie sequel, fight choreography has also leveled up with its weaponry (like a nunchaku, throwing stars and swords to go along with the gun-fu) and its aesthetics. Through cinematographer Dan Laustsen’s lens, the saturated colorscape burns vivid and vibrant. He captures an incredibly seductive depth of field with the imagery, making the characters and action pop. The big action set pieces – like the splatter-filled Japanese antiquities room (shot akin to a classic MGM musical number), the swirling Arc de Triomphe car pursuit (think Frogger with humans in a roundabout), the soaking wet nightclub rave and the Sacré Coeur stair climb (it’s as if Jackie Chan and the ghost of Buster Keaton conceptualized it) – are full of razzle-dazzle all while keeping character drive at the forefront. However, Stahelski and company’s best is the death diorama in the Parisian apartment, where a drone captures the “God’s Eye” view of the vignettes filled with fiery stuntwork.

Reeves’ action sequences build to a crescendo as he nimbly picks off baddies with ease. Ranging from slapstick comedy to pure, dramatic fisticuffs of fury, the choreography is awe-inducing, a brawling ballet. McShane and Reddick are given their moments to shine. They both make a meal from their screen time, whether it be McShane’s elongated, confident stroll down an art gallery hall or Reddick’s delivery of the dialogue’s heartrending profundity. Their characters’ motivational drive builds out the film’s framework further than before.
The supporting cast is stacked with titans who bolster the saga’s stalwarts. Each face-off and duet looks and feels palpable in its aims, amping up the subtly stylized video game boss battles. Yen is as sharp and swift as ever. Sanada is genuinely amazing, engaging our heads and hearts. Sawayama is a dynamo, holding her own against powerhouses, tossing off her kimono to reveal her battle armor without breaking eye contact. This trio’s relationship strife seeds a natural, welcome (and possibly Wick-less, if the filmmakers so choose) spin-off.

As for the heavies here, Skarsgård builds depth and dimension into his ostentatious, arrogant, weaselly baddie. He speaks volumes even without any dialogue with his snazzy, bespoke, red-carpet-worthy suits. And when his French accent is in play, we are caught in the slime oozing in its undertow. Zaror is an unrelenting beast. Adkin is a hoot doing deep character work in a weight suit with his broad, unhinged portrait of CASABLANCA’s Signori Ferrari-on-acid that slips effortlessly into this universe. Anderson gives his character a nuanced duality. Not only does he have incredible Movie Moments with his four-legged canine sidekick, his fights with Reeves give the picture a tangible edge.

Though it exhausts itself at the exact moment for emotional resonance to shine through, it’s an overwhelmingly excellent cacophony of bone-breaking, muscle car smashing and crowd-pleasing spills and thrills.

Grade: A-

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 opens in theaters on March 24.

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