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John Wick Chapter 4
The return of Hollywood's most durable action hero in 2023's John Wick Chapter 4 is not the least bit concerned with realism, but as pure non-think action entertainment, it hits the same bullseye that the first three films did.
In this latest installment, John (Keanu Reeves) may have finally found a way out of his obligations to the mysterious High Table via a one on one showdown with a mysterious enemy from Paris known as the Marquis, but our hero must take out a whole lot of people in order to get to the Marquis, who are just as interested in getting their hands on the continually escalating bounty on John's head.
The screenplay for this film is, at times, headache-inducing as, with the possible exception of the Marquis, it's really difficult to decipher who John's friends and enemies are. On the other hand, the connections to John in this film feel a lot more personal than they did in the first three films. In the first film, there were a lot of moments of people meeting John for the first time but being aware of his reputation. In this film, everyone who John encounters seems to have an actual past with John and find themselves conflicted regarding their relationship with him and its importance compared to their own self-preservation. Of course, the story doesn't forget one of its most amusing layers...the continued monitoring of the price of the contract on John's life, which has increased to a staggering $40 million, finding a lot of longtime friends willing to sacrifice their relationship with John for this huge payoff. And true buffs will notice affectionate winks to West Side Story and the 1979 Walter Hill film The Warriors.
Director Chad Stahleski has chosen not to tamper with the winning formula that he established in the first three films and gives John Wick fans what they've come to expect from this franchise. There are some unintentional giggles here and there as Stahleski has pretty much abandoned the concept of realism in presenting this originally tortured super hero into a virtually indestructable killing machine who dispatches hundreds of killers with nothing more than a pistol. We do get a dash of variety here where we see a terrific one on one battle with nun chucks, not to mention a hair-raising car chase around the Arc de Triumphe where we see our hero actually get struck by five different vehicles and just get up and keep coming. Most impressive was that the final battle was a duel...yes, an actual duel with pistols and paces that crackles with tension.
Stahleski uses his huge budget to maximum effect with lavish around the world locales, breathtaking cinematography, and I don't think I've ever said this about an action film before, but loved the costumes. The costumes for most of the villains were awesome. The film also features some impressive technical gadgetry and set pieces,,,loved the glass or plastic cards utilized to choose the weapons for the duel and the gun that shoots bullets that burst into flames upon impact. Reeves' stone-faced interpretation of this character still serves it properly and loved Bill Skarsgaard as the Marquise. It's exhausting and lets realism fall to the wayside, but as entertainment, a worthy implied finale to the franchise.
The return of Hollywood's most durable action hero in 2023's John Wick Chapter 4 is not the least bit concerned with realism, but as pure non-think action entertainment, it hits the same bullseye that the first three films did.
In this latest installment, John (Keanu Reeves) may have finally found a way out of his obligations to the mysterious High Table via a one on one showdown with a mysterious enemy from Paris known as the Marquis, but our hero must take out a whole lot of people in order to get to the Marquis, who are just as interested in getting their hands on the continually escalating bounty on John's head.
The screenplay for this film is, at times, headache-inducing as, with the possible exception of the Marquis, it's really difficult to decipher who John's friends and enemies are. On the other hand, the connections to John in this film feel a lot more personal than they did in the first three films. In the first film, there were a lot of moments of people meeting John for the first time but being aware of his reputation. In this film, everyone who John encounters seems to have an actual past with John and find themselves conflicted regarding their relationship with him and its importance compared to their own self-preservation. Of course, the story doesn't forget one of its most amusing layers...the continued monitoring of the price of the contract on John's life, which has increased to a staggering $40 million, finding a lot of longtime friends willing to sacrifice their relationship with John for this huge payoff. And true buffs will notice affectionate winks to West Side Story and the 1979 Walter Hill film The Warriors.
Director Chad Stahleski has chosen not to tamper with the winning formula that he established in the first three films and gives John Wick fans what they've come to expect from this franchise. There are some unintentional giggles here and there as Stahleski has pretty much abandoned the concept of realism in presenting this originally tortured super hero into a virtually indestructable killing machine who dispatches hundreds of killers with nothing more than a pistol. We do get a dash of variety here where we see a terrific one on one battle with nun chucks, not to mention a hair-raising car chase around the Arc de Triumphe where we see our hero actually get struck by five different vehicles and just get up and keep coming. Most impressive was that the final battle was a duel...yes, an actual duel with pistols and paces that crackles with tension.
Stahleski uses his huge budget to maximum effect with lavish around the world locales, breathtaking cinematography, and I don't think I've ever said this about an action film before, but loved the costumes. The costumes for most of the villains were awesome. The film also features some impressive technical gadgetry and set pieces,,,loved the glass or plastic cards utilized to choose the weapons for the duel and the gun that shoots bullets that burst into flames upon impact. Reeves' stone-faced interpretation of this character still serves it properly and loved Bill Skarsgaard as the Marquise. It's exhausting and lets realism fall to the wayside, but as entertainment, a worthy implied finale to the franchise.