'John Wick: Chapter 4' review: Inject this movie into my veins
After delivering three of the best action films of the past decade, you might think that the John Wick franchise was at the risk of running out of steam. After all, how much longer could such a great streak last? Yet John Wick: Chapter 4 proves that these films have the same boundless energy and seemingly unkillable quality of their protagonist. With elevated action, great new additions to the cast, and a relentless performance from Keanu Reeves, John Wick: Chapter 4 may stand the test of time as the best John Wick film yet.
We pick back up with impeccably dressed assassin John Wick (Reeves) on his continued quest to take the down the crime lords known as the High Table. As always, the odds are against him. He's excommunicado, so he no longer has the privileges and access he once did in the criminal underworld, and there's a $14 million bounty on his head. To make matters worse, the High Table has unleashed the Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) as a cruel emissary who will stop at nothing to rid the world of even the faintest idea of John Wick. The Marquis's dogged hunt will send John from Berlin nightclubs to the Osaka Continental to the storied streets of Paris, all with one goal: Fight his way to freedom.
John Wick: Chapter 4 knocks it up a notch with its new cast of characters.
Reeves is always great as the bedrock of the John Wick films, and returning actors Laurence Fishburne (as the Bowery King) and Ian McShane (as Winston) continue to chew their scenes for every ounce of drama they're worth. But Chapter 4 belongs to franchise newcomers like Skarsgård and Donnie Yen.
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As the film's primary antagonist, Skarsgård delivers an exquisitely love-to-hate-him performance. He wears "spoiled tyrant" just as well as the Marquis wears an assortment of luxurious suits — some glittery, some velvet, all showstoppers. Whether he's holding court in the Louvre or conducting bloody deals in his personal stables, he's a loathsome joy to watch, and he couldn't be more different than Wick.
The opposite is true of blind assassin Caine (Yen), whom the Marquis sends to kill Wick. A friend of Wick's from long ago, Caine has a fair amount in common with John Wick. The two of them both tried to escape the criminal underworld to spend time with people they love. For John, that was his late wife Helen. For Caine, that's his daughter, whose life the Table threatens unless Caine does exactly as he's told. So when given the choice between saving his daughter or saving an old friend, of course he chooses to try to kill Wick. The legendary Yen delivers a brilliant performance here, imbuing Caine with a resigned sense of duty and clear respect for his quarry. He and John have lived parallel lives, so when the two cross swords (or guns), the results are nothing short of explosive.
The rest of the cast is outstanding as well. Hiroyuki Sanada, another legend, brings a deep sense of gravitas to his role as Shimazu, manager of the Osaka Continental. He, Wick, and even Caine share something akin to a brother's bond, although only Shimazu chooses to stand by Wick. Truly, I could watch these three talk — and fight — for hours.
As Shimazu's daughter and concierge Akira, pop star Rina Sawayama exudes ruthless amounts of cool. Yet she and Sanada both find breaks from the badassery to give a compelling look at a father-daughter bond in a cruel criminal world. Elsewhere, Shamier Anderson proves an exciting addition as the Tracker, a man hell-bent on raising the bounty on John's head. He's accompanied by a John Wick staple: a very good dog with whom he has a very good rapport. Finally, there's Scott Adkins, whose unfortunate fat suit doesn't completely dampen his gleefully unhinged performance as club owner Killa.
John Wick: Chapter 4 features franchise-best levels of action.
With all these new allies and adversaries in place, John Wick: Chapter 4 sets to doing what John Wick does best: delivering pulse-pounding action sequences that will send your jaw smashing to the ground with every blood-splattering headshot and bone-cracking punch.
It wouldn't be a John Wick movie without staggering amounts of gun-fu, but John Wick: Chapter 4 also incorporates archery, full-on MMA brawls, and stylish swordfights. The latter are particularly effective whenever Yen and Sanada are on screen. And of course, Reeves excels, whether he's emphatically reloading a gun or pounding a man's head in with nunchuks.
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The entire film is a showcase for director Chad Stahelski as one of the best action filmmakers we have today — especially the last hour. An extended fight sequence uses a god's eye view to guide us through a Parisian apartment, providing an impeccable map of the battle playing out below us. A car chase and shootout around the Arc de Triomphe is an adrenaline rush like no other. Then there's an action sequence involving stairs that had my theater whooping and groaning in equal measure.
In Stahelski's hands, even non-fight scenes carry the same energy as a brutal action sequence. At a fiendishly fun card game with Killa, the thunderous turn of every card feels like a blow. A negotiation between John Wick and the Marquis bristles with tension. John Wick: Chapter 4 may be nearly three hours long, but when every scene has stakes this big and performances this commanding, that runtime flies by.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is strangely haunting.
John Wick: Chapter 4 sticks with you — and not just because of its outstanding kills and Reeves one-liners. This is a film that continues to reckon with all the death John Wick has caused and what it will take for him to get out, but that reckoning is especially poignant as he meets his match in Caine.
"We're damned," Caine tells John the night before a pivotal fight. The two claim to want their freedom from the Table, but now that they've emerged from retirement to end countless lives, is there really any kind of freedom for them? Or will they always be drawn back into this monstrous world?
I know, I know...It's a John Wick movie; you don't necessarily come to these for philosophy lessons. Yet the specter of death and regret hangs more heavily over this installment than any other, thanks largely to the masterful way the film sets up the film's final fight. Dread, satisfaction, and anticipation war in you right to the very last gunshot. That's proof of the power of John Wick: Chapter 4: Not only are its action sequences top-of-the-line, but they're backed by the emotion to match.
John Wick: Chapter 4 hits theaters March 24.
Topics Film
Belen Edwards is an Entertainment Reporter at Mashable. She covers movies and TV with a focus on fantasy and science fiction, adaptations, animation, and more nerdy goodness. She is a member of the Critics Choice Association and the Television Critics Association, as well as a Tomatometer-approved critic.
