The Question
Back when John Wick 3 teased a stinger for the inevitable sequel, I let out an audible sigh. While the 3rd part of the action series was fantastic, it didn’t scratch my itch the way the second movie did and there was also the possible case of diminishing returns for any franchise. I think it’s best to finish your franchise on a high. Not every franchise has the staying power of the Mission Impossible series or the MCU.
So John Wick 4 had me asking the question, “Is this still going to be a great action flick?” when I entered the theatre.
As Wick was mowing his way through a bunch of assassins in the Champs-Élysées using the traffic to kill everyone (Incidentally, Wick suffers a ton of injury and body slams in this movie that would make Ethan Hunt jealous or proud) set to a soundtrack perfectly tuned to the action, John Wick: Chapter 4 was answering my question with a confidence that belies its age and I, in turn, was cackling gleefully at the chaos unfolding in front of me.
The Introduction
After being left for dead and recovering with the help of Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), John’s subsequent actions end up putting him and the Continentals of New York & Osaka, Winston (Ian McShane) and Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada) in the crosshairs of the Marquis (Bill Skarsgard). Now John has to challenge the Marquis to an old school duel to earn back his freedom from the High Table while fending off assassins including his old friend Caine (Donnie Yen). If you prefer the plot that was more of a light touch in the first movie, then Chapter 4 will disappoint you. The story is a bit more involved this time.
Since the action sequences have always been Stahelski’s bread and butter, he’s tried to upgrade his directing chops. While the previous movies were lauded for letting the camera sit still, the opening shots in Japan had a more artistic feel to them as the camera was playing with light and darkness. The writing has also received a slight upgrade this time. It’s no Godfather, but compared to the usual “man kills other dudes because puppy was killed/contractually obligated/needs to be free”, there’s a more thematic aspect to the writing regarding freedom and the nature of man. Mind you, Wick is still fighting for his freedom, but the writing has gained a slight amount of depth
The Performances
As for performances, they get the job done. It’s not controversial to say Keanu doesn’t have a great range as an actor. Wick and his other roles work because brings an earnestness to the role that makes you root for him. It’s why when he gets rammed into a van, falls from a flight of stairs, gets body slammed by henchmen and still fights like a cyborg on steroids, you can suspend your disbelief much more easily. Skarsgard has some fun as a Moore-era Bond villain and Ian Mcshane is dependable as always.
Besides Keanu and the usual suspects, there’s also a colorful supporting cast of characters comprising Donnie Yen kicking ass as a blind assassin a la Zatoichi, Hiroyuki Sanada as the manager of the Osaka Continental & Rina Sawayama as his daughter, Scott Adkins (yes!) in a fat suit (why?) as a mob boss and Shamier Anderson as a tracker that wants Wick dead for his reasons. Oh, and he has a dog that was getting more cheers and whistles from the theater than Keanu at times. Each of them brings a different flavor to the sumptuous buffet that is the John Wick franchise and I’m all for it.
But you don’t want to know about that. You want to know if the action set-pieces still make your blood pump like they did the last three movies.
The Action
Back in 2014, Hollywood was plagued by bland CGI fights, horrendous rapid cuts and nausea-inducing shaky cams (*cough* Taken 3 *cough*) all in the name of providing a good fight scene. John Wick’s blend of good old-fashioned stunt choreography and a calm camera came as an eye-opener and Hollywood has since tried to move away from that kind of crap. Not successfully, mind you, but baby steps. If you were worried that the action might have gotten stale in this fourth movie, then put those doubts to rest. Chapter 4’s action works just as magnificently as it did in the prior movies.
The action in the first half of the movie is your usual John Wick stuff, gun-fu that is broken up by fisticuffs or a weapons fight, though there was that action scene where Donnie Yen used motion detectors to fight his way through henchmen. It’s in the second half of the movie that Stahelski introduces the more inventive action set pieces.
Besides that astounding Champ-Elysees set piece that I mentioned above, there’s also an action sequence involving a winding flight of stairs that will have you shouting with joy or grimacing with pain. Of course, my favorite set piece is the Oldboy-inspired, explosive top-down action sequence that I will fondly call Hotline Paris (If you have played the Hotline Miami video game, then you will know what I’m talking about). Each of them set to absolute bangers by Tyler Bates and Joel J Richard. Any one of these fight sequences will occupy “Best Fight Scenes of all time” lists from here to eternity.
If I had to nitpick, I’d say the movie’s length might be a turn-off for some people. At 2 hours 49 minutes, Chapter 4 is less of a lean steak and more of a decadent full-course meal, which some people might construe as bloated for an action movie. In spite of that length, the movie never felt like a slog to watch. While you won’t feel the film’s length during viewing, I did feel like some scenes could have seen the receiving end of the editing blade after I exited the theatre.
The Answer
“Have you given any thought to how this ends?”, Shimazu questions Wick at the beginning of the movie. It felt more like the movie questioning itself. While Lionsgate definitely won’t end this lucrative cash cow, there’s already that Ballerina spin-off with Ana de Armas in the works, Stahelski and Reeves have given a good deal of thought to that question and done justice to this franchise.
Chapter 4 can be considered a fine swan song for the franchise. There will be other movies for sure and they might dilute the John Wick brand, but you can take solace in the fact that this series has been near perfect from the beginning to the ending.
Pingback: The Three Hour Movie and the Internet's Complaints - 24 Frames Per Second