John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick: Chapter 4
Starring Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Ian McShane, Bill Skarsgard
Directed by Chad Stahelski

It all started with the tragic murder of a dog. Back in 2014, "John Wick" hit theaters with very little fanfare, starring a then-on-the-downswing of his career Keanu Reeves about a retired hitman who comes out of retirement to get revenge on the men who killed his puppy given to him by his late wife. The film earned $43 million dollars and re-invigorated Reeves' career, landing him some of his most well-known roles outside the classics like "Bill and Ted" and "Speed," while also creating a new series centering on his assassin character John Wick. Throughout the following sequels we dig deeper into Wick's past, learn that he's a wanted man from his former employers known as the High Table, and finds himself getting double-crossed by friends and foes alike. What made the film series such an entertaining and engaging one is Reeves' committed performance as well as the stylized action sequences that Hollywood just doesn't make anymore, and each film earned more than the predecessor ("Chapter 2" earned $92 million, "Chapter 3" earned $171 million). With "Chapter 4," John Wick continues evading his enemies while piling up a kill count that would make Jason Voorhees, Freddy Krueger, and Michael Myers jealous - all while maintaining the status quo that the "John Wick" series is known for: Keanu being Keanu, gun-fu, and some of the most glorious, epic, and beautifully shot and choreographed action sequences put to film in the last fifty years.

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is still a wanted man by the High Table as he sets out to destroy their regime, being aided by his friends the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) and Winston (Ian McShane), the owner of the New York Continental Hotel. The Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgard), a powerful member of the High Table, brings former High Table assassin - and John Wick's friend - Caine (Donnie Yen) out of retirement to kill Wick, threatening to kill his daughter if he doesn't comply. There's also a mysterious bounty hunter named Mr. Nobody (Shamir Anderson) who seeks to kill Wick once the price is sufficient, and all the while Wick travels the world to get to Marquis and face him in one-on-one combat for his freedom.

The mythos of John Wick is somewhat confusing, but it's best to boil it down to its pure essence: Wick wants his freedom, a shady international powerhouse wants him dead, and there's very few people in this world he can trust. It's not rocket science, and thankfully there's not a lot of pained expositional dialogue in any of the "John Wick" films - not even this one, which goes for a shockingly long two hours and fifty minutes. While most people groan thinking how long a film it is, when they sit and start the journey, those two hours and fifty minutes blow by like a second, leaving you wanting, yearning, craving for more. There's not a second wasted, not a moment dull, not a situation boring: from the start it's fast paced and exciting, and doesn't relent.

Keanu Reeves continues to prove himself as one of cinema's most endearing (both in longevity as well as personally) actors, and does something that most actors could only wish they could accomplish: pull off a character who says very little, and who could've been seen as a caricature if done differently. He doesn't give long soliloquies, and his words are very short and subtly spoken, which could come off as silly if spoken by someone else (in one scene Wick says "I'm gonna need a...gun" and if this was spoken by any other actor it would've been met with groans and eye-rolls, but through Reeves' gritty voice, it's as smooth as butter). While this film was due out two years ago, Reeves was a young 56 when he partook in the extensive, exhaustive, and excruciating action regimen that made John Wick such an action spectacle, and he looks like he's having the time of his life. Still, underneath his action prowess, Reeves' Wick is a man who's exhausted: he's tired of fighting, tired of being on the run, and tired of the game as a whole, and that resonates with his vocal vernacular. There's a lot of talk about a good death, what it means to live and die, and what one would want on their tombstone, and Wick knows that the end is drawing neigh: as another character says, "not even you can kill everyone." Still, Reeves slays it epically, showing no signs of slowing down.

While this is the film that John Wick speaks the least, it allows the supporting characters to really flourish. Ian McShane's continual presence as Wick's closest frienemey Winston is a delight as always, offering deadpan humor mixed with thoughtful sayings (my favorite line in the entire film belongs to him, when he tells Wick to "just have fun out there," which shows such a strong resolve in the midst of almost certain death). The late Lance Reddick continued to be the heart and soul of the franchise as the ever-loyal concierge of the Continental, and Laurence Fishburne's Bowery King is as flamboyant and over-the-top as ever, if not criminally under-utilized.

Joining the crew is Pennywise himself, Bill Skarsgard, as the main baddie the Marquis, and if there's one negative that the film delivers it's in his characterization. He's an arrogant, know-it-all-know-nothing who thinks he's on top of the criminal world, but he also plays the generic villain who sits on the sidelines and barks orders at everyone else, while not really given any deeper emotional depth. Although, in a way, this checks out when comparing the "John Wick" franchise to other action film series, so it's not necessarily a deal breaker - I just wish I had more of him.

Then there's the iconic Donnie Yen, who's Caine is the most multi-layered character in the entire film. He's John Wick's friend, but also brought in by the Marquis to kill him. He doesn't want to do it, but is forced to because his daughter's life is on the line. You sense this inner turmoil in his performance, and you find yourself having a very emotional interest in the character that you probably wouldn't have expected to have. Mix that with Yen's impeccable, beautiful, artful fighting style, and you've got a character worth rooting for, even though he's out to kill Wick.

Speaking of legendary Asian martial artists, Hiroyuki Sanada also is a stellar standout as Shimazu Koji, the manager of the Osaka Continental Hotel who takes Wick in, exposing himself to the High Table as well. He, along with his daughter Akira (played by the stunning and dangerous Rina Sawayama), showcase more action wonder as they, along with Wick, try to protect the Osaka Continental. Shamier Anderson plays a mysterious bounty hunter who's allegiance is never fully recognized - he wants to kill Wick, but the price isn't right, so he finds himself working alongside Wick more often than not - and action stuntman-turned-actor Scott Adkins has a glorious cameo as the gloriously named Killa, the head of the German Table who dons a fat suit and still gives Wick a firm beating.

As always, John Wick is known for its action, and "Chapter 4" proves that sequels doesn't always mean diminishing returns. The action set pieces here are epic to say the least, and unlike action films by Michael Bay or Paul Greengrass, you won't need a barf bag watching the cameras cut, move, and shake like the cameramen were high on cocaine during shooting. Director Chad Stahelski is calm, assured, and confident in his work: so much so that he allows us to fully witness the grandiose action sequences as they should be: with a steady camera that remains focused on the action at hand. the Osaka Continental battle. The Berlin night club. The Arc de Triomphe and the Paris streets. Any one of these moments would be hailed as one of the best action sequences in modern film, and here we get them all for the price of one. The Osaka battle highlights the grace, elegance, and almost dance-like style fighting that flows like a natural spring. The Berlin night club is shadowed with flashy lights, falling water, and a slew of dancers who are apparently so high on ecstasy they don't notice men shooting guns and attacking with axes around them. The Arc de Triomphe is a triumph of modern action, as Wick fights countless nameless bounty hunters as cars continue driving through, making it the most engaging game of Frogger ever put to screen. Then there's the cinematic beauty of the Paris street fight, including a long, one-shot take shot from above as Wick traverses through a warehouse dispatching more nameless goons before taking on a modern day Sisyphus and attempting to scale numerous stairs and more numerous enemies to get to the top.

Throughout the film John Wick is seen merely as an assassin, but there's so much to his character than that, and a theme that goes virtually unnoticed to the audience who's (rightfully) in awe of the action - and that is the theme of friendship. John Wick is a man you want as a friend, because he will be loyal to you through thick and thin. He will risk his life to protect those he cares about, and because of that those who consider him a friend will do the same. How many of us can say that we'd risk everything - including our lives - to protect our friends? Yet Wick has these friends in spades, showing that he has a heart as big as any of the action sequences in the film, adding to the emotional depth of a character we've gotten to know and love these past nine years, and hopefully we won't have to wait long for the next chapter in this exciting, fast-paced, and beautiful franchise.

The Score: A+