After the impressive performance of Keanu Reeves in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, the filmmakers kept viewers in suspense for almost two years before the next release. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) is here and all I can say is, it was worth the wait! I was pumped and ready for the thrill of the car chases, action, fight/gun scenes and this instalment delivered in a gratifying way, much more than I expected.
Continuing from the end of the third chapter of the franchise, the opening scene reveals John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves) exercising his fists when the Bowery King (played by Laurence Fishburne) comes in with a tailored suit on a hanger and asks, "You ready, John?" To which Wick responded, "Yeah."
The action thriller begins as Wick travels to Morocco to get back his "ring" and "freedom". When the Elder tells him that the ring is gone with the former Elder who collected it and freedom will come only in death, Wick shoots him. The run for his life continues.
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The Table switched into action by appointing one of them, the Marquis de Gramont (played by Bill Skarsgård), to take down Wick. The Marquis begins by demolishing the New York Continental Hotel and declaring the Manager, Winston Scott (played by Ian McShane) excommunicado for harbouring Wick. In retaliation, Winston finds Wick and advises him on how to gain his freedom: by challenging a member of the elusive high Table to a duel. Will the mysterious Table reveal itself? Who will John Wick duel with? Will he survive this mythical duel?
Review
In my opinion, this instalment is the best out of the four films. The plot and acting are brilliant. I understand this is the final instalment and the director, Chad Stahelski, can't leave without a bang. Everything John Wick is known for is performed to the extreme. The violence and deaths are well-constructed, thrilling and over the top. Wick faces more fighters because the challenge is higher—freedom. However, the gunfights and action scenes were elongated in my opinion and they almost became boring after a while.
The previous chapters deliver satisfactorily on the action sequences. Viewers wanted more of that action in this film but I'd hoped for something new and different. Instead, John Wick fought, used guns and other weapons but the fights were unnecessarily drawn out, giving the audience a viewing time of almost three hours!
I wish Wick had simply shot his foes and the guys stayed (or played) dead. Rather they became sort of immune to the gunshots, and stabbing and John Wick resorted to using additional weapons to finish them off. In my opinion, the film shouldn't extend beyond an hour and forty minutes at the least.
I very much enjoyed the performance of Bill Skarsgård as the Marquis de Gramont, the main villain of this film. He was simply perfect for the role. I think this is the way villains should be made in movies—calculating, tough and unrelenting. He made John Wick's life a living hell by continuously raising the bounty and making Wick a target for every underworld criminal.
The ensemble of the cast is impressive and so is their chemistry. I enjoyed the return of actors from the previous films but also the addition of new faces, particularly Mr Nobody (played by Shamier Anderson). His role as a cunning assassin and his intelligent dog won the audience over. The director did good ensuring the new interesting characters got their deserved screen time and shine right alongside the main protagonist, John Wick. Also, the members of The Table were kept vague, making them mysterious and unreachable.
The scene I enjoyed the most was where the bounty was increased to $26 million and later to $40 million, forcing killers from every corner to come out against Wick. The action-packed scene at Arc de Triomphe, Paris was thrilling and very real. I love that the cars didn't stop but everyone drove on like it was a normal evening and nothing out of the ordinary was happening.
John Wick Chapter 4 is a work of precision and creativity. The cinematography, visual effects, editing and stunts were artistically excellent. Most of the efforts went into creating well choreographed action and fight sequences, making this film an outstanding action thriller.
I'll give this film 4.5 stars out of 5. It's worth watching!
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All images are screenshots from the movie