29 Mar John Wick: Chapter 4 Review by Amaru Moses

John Wick: Chapter 4
Two minutes into John Wick: Chapter 4, Laurence Fishburne (The Bowery King) proclaims with all the pomp and grandeur only Laurence Fishburne can muster that “you are now in the presence of the motherfucking KING”. Four entries deep, director Chad Stahelski and star Keanu Reeves (Wick) have established this franchise as a bona fide action king. With Chapter 4, it seems they’ve reached the pinnacle of what they always wanted to achieve but previously couldn’t due to budget constraints in the first film or time constraints for character development in the second and third. The action is its most brutal, the cinematography its most cinematic, and the world building so in-depth and detailed that the franchise could continue for as many sequels, spinoffs, and series as the Wick creative team would want to explore. But what really makes Chapter 4 special is a supporting cast that has more memorable characters than the first three entries combined.

Chapters 1-3 have always reminded me of the Bourne Franchise. Each trilogy contains three top tier films within their respective genres, but often feel like one really long movie. If given a random scene from one of the films, it would take some thought to remember which movie it belonged to. Whereas Jason Bourne feels different from the original trilogy due to a dip in overall quality, Chapter 4 elevates every aspect of what makes John Wick an all-time great action franchise. This is its magnum opus. The action scenes move with a vicious pace from one room to the next, wave after wave of enemies getting mowed down with guns, knives, fists, and nun-chucks (especially nun-chucks) like a survive-until-you-die video game. The intensity builds to a crescendo where you never want the bloodshed to end. One overhead tracking scene in particular may be one of the best-looking action sequences of the past decade. Getting these beautiful sequences just one year after the magnificence that was Top Gun: Maverick has been a gift to action fans. Hopefully cinematographer Dan Laustsen isn’t forgotten by Academy voters like Claudio Miranda was.

In between the action sequences, Lausten and Stahelski employ scoping landscapes, swooping shots, and elaborate world building to move the film forward with purpose. There’s another incredible shot where a character walks down a gigantic hallway, passing one looming painting after another, and nothing but his footsteps are heard for almost a minute straight. This would bring most movies to a screeching halt, but the juxtaposition of the character being visually and auditorily dwarfed by his surroundings lets the audience sit in this tense vastness, mirroring the enormity of the world’s mythology. The extensive lore is as interesting as the fight sequences, and it feels like we haven’t even scratched its surface. When the bullets and blood aren’t flying, the story keeps a brisk pace by building upon the intricacies of the titles, rules, and consequences that govern the vast network and systems in which our characters live. Characters who bring the best balance of badassery and emotional resonance since the original film.

Returning cast members Fishburne, Lance Reddick (Charon) and Ian McShane (Winston) continue to bring the distinctive strengths they always have, but it’s the new characters around them that differentiates Chapter 4 from its predecessors. Clancy Brown’s voice and presence is the perfect conduit to be the Harbinger of The High Table’s power. The relationship between Hiroyuki Sanada’s Koji and his daughter Akira (played by Rina Sawayama) embodies affecting themes of love, friendship, and honor that resonate throughout the entire narrative. Bill Skarsgard (Marquis) rides the line between confidence and arrogance to make him both threatening and villainous. Shamier Anderson (Mr. Nobody) may initially seem like the dog-owning replacement for Halle Berry’s Sofia from Chapter 3, but he quickly establishes himself as a uniquely significant character. His modern charm is unlike anything we’ve seen, and that interestingly clashes with the other characters’ hefty presence.

I want to revisit all these characters in one way or another, but the best addition by far is Donnie Yen’s Caine. While I’ve admittedly been limited to only his mainstream US releases, it’s refreshing to see Yen forgo the strong, silent archetype for his most fully-fleshed and charming performance since Rogue One. He continues to thrive in his martial arts prowess, but his comedic range and emotional depth bring an ever-present humanity to his antagonistic actions, giving him arguably the most satisfying character arc of the entire film.

While Reeves is the throughline in which this movie travels, and he still brings the heart that endeared you to a machine-like killer for three films, it’s the outstanding additions to the cast that bring this movie to masterpiece levels. They are the foundation on which each brilliant aspect of the film intricately builds to create an action tour de force. Investment in these new characters brings more depth to the returning cast, giving the movie higher emotional stakes. These elevated stakes give more weight to the colossal action sequences, each shot more beautifully than the last, moving the film at a break-neck pace. Everything about John Wick: Chapter 4 grabs a hold of you and does not let go for a second. Three hours magnificently well spent.

Review by Amaru Moses