John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Rating: 9.0

TL:DR - John Wick Chapter 4 is a bonafide action masterpiece! I’ve never been the biggest fan of the franchise, but this one absolutely floored me, from the incredible stunt-work, thrilling action sequences, to the intricate and maximalist cinematography, lighting and sound design. It’s sensational! Keanu Reeves is great once again, but Donnie Yen sure did steal the show for me! One of the greatest action films of all time — I can’t wait to see it again!

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Film Info:

Premise: John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.

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Lionsgate

Directed by Chad Stahelski

Written by Shay Hatten & Michael Finch

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, Clancy Brown, Rina Sawayama, Natalia Tena, Scott Adkins

Runtime: 2hr 49min

Rating: 14A

Action, Crime, Thriller

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IMDb Rating: 8.5/10

Rotten Tomatoes Score: 95%

RT Audience Score: 95%

RT Critic Average: 8.2/10

RT Audience Average: 4.7/5

Metacritic Score: 78

CinemaScore: A

Letterboxd: 4.2/5

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Fun Fact: Keanu Reeves went through 12 weeks of training in martial arts and stunt driving to do as many of the action sequences himself. He ended up performing 90% of his own stunts seen in the movie.

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Review:

written by Tyler Park

I’ve never been the biggest fan of the John Wick movies. I know the series has its fans, but I never quite understood what people loved so much about them. I enjoyed the movies for what they were, and that’s about it.

Well that all changed today.

I LOVED John Wick: Chapter 4! Suffice to say from my perspective it was the best of the series; it is the first one I am ready to rave about. Frankly, this movie is a bonafide masterpiece of action filmmaking! It is one of the greatest action movies of all time, right up there alongside Mission: Impossible - Fallout, Mad Max: Fury Road, Die Hard, and Terminator 2! That’s not hyperbole — it genuinely is. When your finale is a 40-minute-long action set piece (I’m not even joking — it’s insane!) and you find ways to keep it consistently interesting, thrilling, intense, and ultimately groundbreaking while also pushing the story forward, you know you’ve achieved greatness in the action genre. You might think you’ve seen it all before, even in just the first three John Wick films, but trust me when I say you ain’t seen nothing yet! This movie stands head and shoulders above those films, it’s a major step up!

It’s not an exaggeration to say my jaw was on the floor for most of the duration of this film. The movie is awesome right from the very beginning! When I saw the runtime was nearly 3 hours long, I felt watching this might be a daunting task, after all, the first film was just over an hour and a half. I didn’t think they would have enough story for this runtime, and I thought the action might get boring or repetitive by the end.

My god how wrong I was!

You can really tell the team behind these films has really fine-tuned their craft since the first film. They not only know how to deliver a great movie that the fans want but also found ways to constantly push the boundaries of what is possible in action scenes — the stunt teams on this film deserve all the acclaim in the world! Same with director Chad Stahelski, a former stuntman himself, as he is an absolute madman for taking on (and massively succeeding at) the task of pulling off these films and all the stunts within, while also adding on quite a stylistic flair of his own! I am not kidding when I say every frame of this film kept me so engaged solely on a visual level! I loved how Stahelski and cinematographer Dan Laustsen went full-tilt maximalist in design and image. Every frame is exploding with spinning light beams, rows of LEDs, neon-on-neon sets, and literal walls of water. There's not a single frame that isn't exciting or beautiful. So much of the lighting is technically unnecessary, but the crazy setups create many cool images filled with rich colour and insane details. It really is a feast for the eyes, and I could’ve loved this movie solely for its cinematography. I sincerely hope that this movie will remind Hollywood that film is a visual medium. So many recent blockbusters have been shot in the flattest, most boring, and unengaging way possible — THIS is how you make a blockbuster. Every single frame of this felt like it was oozing with creative, ultra-maximalist flair!

Not to mention I never felt the runtime once — the film is exceedingly well-paced. It felt like a 90-minute film with its plot beats stretched out a little longer, with action scenes lasting 30 minutes instead of 10. The movie is relentless and never stops; it's such a wild ride and somehow all worked! The film is surprisingly limber; the action starts with clear, ever-escalating stakes, then crescendos with a final hour of nonstop how-the-fuck-did-they-do-that set-pieces supported by genuine melancholy, pathos, and feelings I didn't expect from a John Wick movie. I left exhausted and yet exhilarated!

Stahelski's action epic fights through deserts, club waterfalls, and shotguns breathing flame, doubling as a shockingly tender story of friendship & sacrifice, with a final hour of pure kinetic insanity, unlike anything I've ever seen. The action in this movie is incredible beyond belief. I can’t even put it into words — it was such a batshit crazy spectacle that I was laughing to myself — I couldn’t believe what I was seeing! This is cinematic Nirvana, an operatic escalation of tension and stakes that leads to some of the most richly choreographed, imaginative, and engrossing fight scenes in contemporary American cinema. The action and stunt work is insane - Chad Stahelski directs the hell out of it. You really feel every punch, bullet, and blade thanks to the amazing sound design and phenomenal cinematography.

I know I already discussed what I loved about the visuals in this movie… but there’s more! I loved how they shot the action sequences, how they framed everything in wide or semi-wide shots so we could really see the action unfolding, and from an editing standpoint I loved how they never cut too quickly, instead letting every shot really breathe. And don’t even get me started on that mind-blowing ‘oner’! I couldn’t believe what I was seeing as the camera panned through the action, rising above to look down over the room and the unfolding action without cutting for 2 minutes. And sure, there were likely hidden cuts in there, but from my perspective as an audience member that shot left such a strong impression on me — I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it! And once again, the stunt performances and fight choreography were next level! But what I loved most about this insane, epic action spectacle was that it managed to not feel like a blur, every different action scene was very distinct and stood on its own! The team behind this movie was just showing off by the end — and they deserve to!

You don’t see a John Wick movie for the plot, but I am surprised to say this film actually did have a stronger plot than I was expecting and even had some interesting thematic undertones. It’s definitely the most fleshed-out narrative these films have had! I’m not saying this is an overly rich screenplay or anything; it doesn’t have a lot of depth, it doesn’t have too much emotion (although it managed to at times), and doesn’t really dive any deeper into the character… but the movie doesn’t need any of that! It works where it needs to — the film knows what it is and delivers exactly what the audience wants from it in such a confident manner. Everything in the movie is in service of setting up the next action sequence, and this one excelled at it, especially in how it built tension going into these scenes, most notably with the film's climax.

I also really loved all the new characters in this film and found it managed to work as an ensemble piece a whole hell of a lot more than the previous 3 films. Usually, it’s just John Wick at the center, and that's always great, but I found it so much more interesting with so many memorable new characters that I liked seeing on screen. Donnie Yen was a huge standout to me as Caine. I loved how they made us root for him in a way despite fighting against John in multiple instances, and Donnie Yen was able to bring so much great stuff to his performance (not just his martial arts background). Keanu Reeves is fantastic as John once again, no one else could play this character but him! He’s so good in the action scenes, making up for somewhat mediocre line delivery.

But still, what a movie!

It’s just so well crafted! It’s so much fun, and goes over the top in the best way in almost every area! I was stunned at the spectacle of this movie! It’s an instant classic; a masterpiece of its genre! For the first time with the John Wick franchise, I came out ecstatic – I absolutely loved it and can't wait to see it again!

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Trailer: