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John Wick: Chapter 4

There’s an explicit Lawrence of Arabia reference within the first five minutes of John Wick: Chapter 4. The homage is an easter egg for all the classic Hollywood cinephiles out there, but it’s also a statement about the film’s epic ambition. In classic John Wick tradition, the latest film is much grander than the one that came before it. The metastasizing nature of the series requires something bigger and brighter every time. The melodramatic world building throughout the Wick films is a draw for most fans, though I’ve found it mostly tedious. The simplicity of the first film’s story – a sleeping giant of carnage is awaken after the vicious murder of his dog – was part of what separated it from other high-concept vengeance films of that era. The other part of course being the elaborate, operatic stunt work and the neon sleaze of the visual aesthetic. In many ways, Chapter 4 is the best of everything John Wick does well, and the worst of everything it doesn’t.

Keanu Reeves returns as Wick, fresh off of being shot off the side of a building at the end of John Wick: Chapter 3- Parabellum. His renowned superhuman recovery means he’s able to travel to Moroccan desert and kill the elder of the High Table, theoretically ending his three-film beef with his former employer. Of course, that’s not how it ends up playing out. The High Table hires a French madman, the Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård), to take Wick down once and for all, the entire resource of the High Table at his disposal. The Marquis’ first move is to visit the Continental hotel in New York City, where Wick’s former friend-turned-executioner Winston (Ian McShane) watches his hotel get demolished in a ploy to draw Wick out of hiding. Wick is actually hiding at another Continental in Osaka, managed by another close friend, Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada).

The Marquis quickly moves to Japan, willing to take down as many Continentals as he needs to to find his target. He acquires the skills of Caine (a terrific Donnie Yen), to help kill Wick. Blind but lethal, Caine’s love for Wick must be put aside when the Marquis threatens to murder Caine’s only daughter if he doesn’t participate. When Koji refuses to give Wick up to the Marquis, a bloodbath is triggered that starts in that hotel and travels to Berlin and Paris, giving us visuallu vibrant settings for Wick‘s incredible fight sequences. Joining the fun is a skilled, independent bounty hunter calling himself Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson), who would love to kill Wick but is waiting for the correct price. Nobody keeps a vicious but loyal Belgian Malinois dog as a companion and accomplice.

When the bullets and punches fly, Chapter 4 is unequivocally great. Chad Stahelski, the director behind the camera for each film, has mastered these sequences. Wick’s apparent ability to survive anything is never taken for granted. He takes great falls, mighty kicks, even gunshots like any human would be expected to. Stahelski has always been smart enough to make sure that the sweat equity is visible on the screen, and while the Wicks are aware enough to avoiding self-seriousness, they never pander toward audience-winking parody for cheap laughs. Adding Donnie Yen to the mix gives the movie a much needed action boost, as the veteran Hong Kong actor/martial artist walks away with nearly every scene he’s in. The way he plays his sense of duty to the High Table against his admiration for Wick himself, is a complication that’s present on the screen and adds to the film’s emotional impact. It’s a performance that, in a fairer world, would get legitimate praise outside of the action.

Keanu Reeves has been doing high-octane stunt work my entire life. Chapter 4 is the first film I’ve seen where the actor appeared slow, not quite at the level of his high-flying co-stars. Of course, this would make narrative sense considering everything we’ve seen Wick get put through over three films, but Chapter 4 feels like a swan song in more ways than one. Reeves hardly speaks in the film, though his guttural delivery of the line “Yeah….” several times throughout the film will stop you in your tracks. If this is the last Wick film, it is a titanic effort, a collection of some of the best fight choreography I’ve ever seen. It’s also evidence that the series has maybe gone over its skis in trying to keep its story functional. There are parts that are still compelling, but I’m not sure the sustained logic behind Wick’s vengeance tour is one of them.

 

Directed by Chad Stahelski