John Wick 4

The “John Wick” franchise has evolved from a small-scale tale of revenge for the killing of a wife and a dog, to a globetrotting epic that spans continents, ...

The answer is surprisingly meditative and poignant, one that makes this the most emotionally resonant movie of the franchise. Indeed, the best way to describe “John Wick: Chapter 4” is that it often feels like watching “Mad Max: Fury Road” and marveling at how they pulled that movie off without killing half the crew. It never drags, but feels tightly focused, and manages to develop even the new supporting cast, like Rina Sawayama’s assassin Akira — a standout — or Scott Adkins having the time of his life as a German assassin covered in heavy prosthetics. While the film goes bigger in scope, it also manages to stay fairly grounded in the idea of relationships, focusing on John Wick and his allies and friends, such as Winston — who take on a larger role this time around — or Wick’s former friend, Caine. At this point, this is no longer about the killing of his wife and dog, it’s about burning down a system that always resented Wick for abandoning it. Nobody, a tracker who knows exactly where John Wick will be next but waits patiently until his bounty is large enough to be worth it to him, and who is always accompanied by a faithful (and scene-stealer) German Shepherd.

First things first, Chad Stahelski's “John Wick: Chapter 4” is too damn long. It's akin to the first three films on steroids. There is no reason for it to ...

Kudos to cinematographer Dan Laustsen for bringing the cinematic out of this chaos, his neon-lit lenses are effervescently ingrained in every frame. He has the charisma and likability to pull off his conflicted antagonist. There’s an inventive overhead shot of Wick booming the baddies with what can only be described as a fire-bred shotgun. Nobody (Shamier Anderson), a tracker following Wick’s bounties head until the price is high enough to kill him. What should be said is that Keanu Reeves (as playful as ever) is back, playing a Wick full of wrath who wants to destroy the system that cuddled him for years. There is no reason for it to be nearly 3 hours, especially since the plot is pretty thin and the characters underdeveloped.

Keanu Reeves will stun audiences with the chaotic action scenes, but "John Wick: Chapter 4" needs a much tighter script and a shorter runtime.

Underwhelming big bad aside, the main problem with "Chapter 4" is its runtime. Meanwhile, the Tracker wants to keep Wick alive as long as possible to up the price on his head so he can kill him himself. However, it's criminal that Sawayama and Sanada only get the spotlight for such a brief moment because it would've been great to see them have more prominent roles in the story. And he does so with slick visuals and unique camera shots that make these fight scenes pop right off of the screen — like one sequence involving a dragon's breath shotgun that has to be seen to be believed. These two hitmen just about make up for Sawayama and Sanada's glaring omission after the opening act. He also has to contend with the Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård), who wants to take New York for himself.

The rules and consequences the John Wick universe has taken such care to establish provide its fourth chapter a rock-solid structure that allows for director ...

Stahelski uses Shimazu’s relationship with his daughter Akira (Rina Samayawa) to underline what morality looks like in a world full of killers, and Sanada is just as impressive in their tender father-daughter moments as he is with a blade in hand. Similarly, the droll introduction of homemade incendiary rounds is established in a throwaway line of dialogue… Chapter 3 gave us a taste of what happens when a Continental manager crosses the Table, but as Winston’s counterpart in cool, Hiroyuki Sanada’s Koji Shimazu faces their full wrath with unwavering conviction. And it is the best John Wick movie. In an age of increased grumbling about films with two-plus-hour runtimes, Chapter 4’s roaring pace serves as a counter argument that proclaims movies should be as long as they need to be. The pure thrill of seeing John Wick’s continuing battle to reclaim his soul work so well is doubly gratifying when you consider it as the labor of love it clearly is for Reeves. John Wick may be the namesake of the franchise, but his journey has increasingly emphasized the importance of social contracts and shared history. Of all the excellent new additions to the cast, Donnie Yen’s Caine stands apart. In contrast to Chapter 2’s Santino D’Antonio, whose primary leverage over John was personal (an unpaid blood debt), the sadist Marquis wields the authority of the High Table like a dandy Darth Vader, and the cruelties in which he indulges go a long way towards making him an ideal foil to John and his cohorts. It is the most John Wick movie. The raw-nerved rage of the freshly widowed Wick that wowed in the original movie has progressed into something even more deadly: resolve and focus. It is the longest John Wick movie.