John Wick: Chapter 4 – All Fight, No Talk

Full transparency, I have not seen any other John Wick films, and from the 3 hour action fest found in the franchise’s 4th entire, I may have to start. 

My interested only peaked when hearing the newest chapter that gives Keanu Reeves a reason to put on a suit, was not only the best in the series, but one of the best action films in recent memory. If nothing else, the action found here is a spectacle and any stuntman’s nightmare. The choreography is unmatched, unhinged, and non-reliant on gore in order to captivate its audience. 

One of the more impressive aspects of the film is the title character, he’s practically a silent protagonist, only having 103 lines of dialogue, equating to 380 words spoken. Reeves’ performance is almost entirely physical, which helps add stoicism and depth to the role. It’s tough to think of anyone else leading though, at times, it is pretty clear when a stunt double for Wick is used as the camera angles are too inconstant with the rest of the action. 

Wick’s character development is stellar throughout the runtime and the side editions add to this. New assassins, particularly Donnie Yen, who plays a blind man with a sense of humor Caine, is the best new element. His banter with Wick is fun to watch and their action scenes are some of the more riveting and engaging of the entire feature. Hiroyuki Sanada, as longtime friend of Wick, Shimazu, is an amazing part of the cast and without much screen time holds your attention. 

Shimazu’s daughter Akira, played by Rina Sawayama, was pretty useless on every level. She’s fantastic to watch fight off hoards of goons, but as a character I couldn’t be happier when she was finally off screen. Opposite of Reeves is Bill Skarsgard, as being hired by the High Table to kill not just Wick, but the “Idea of him.” He serves his purpose but there are one too many scenes in which the script tries to force him to be a threatening presence that by the end of the film he’s kind of a bad joke. 

More on the action, it’s really, really good. The opening action scene, taking place in Japan, was the standout for me. Fun colors, interesting set design, and a cool used of multiple different weapon variations to keep things fresh. The worst action sequence took place in a night club, it was dumb and was too long without much reason for investment, and felt like the entire point Wick was in the club was to make the movie longer. 

The last hour or 40 minutes of the story takes place in Paris with Wick fighting his way from the Arc de Triomphe to Sacré-Coeur, even having an action scene on the infamous 222 staircase up to the ladder location. For many, this finale is why Chapter 4 is their favorite in the franchise, unfortunately, it is riddled with mistakes. There are moments that were filmed on location yet others where it was clearly not. The trouble is mainly with continuity, particularly at the Arc de Triomphe, where depending on the shot Wick is just randomly moved to different parts of the road to make for more intense action.

There are fantastic moments and scenes that I loved here, but, due to some poorly written characters, and horrible, HORRIBLE continuity errors in the last act, I can’t say I loved John Wick: Chapter 4. With that said, due to some amazing action, there is more than enough reason to see the latest in watching Keanu Reeves fight people in a suit, and for those who love this series it serves as a fitting resolution.