John Wick 4: scorches to the top of the action class with face-melting sequences to wreck all comers
Chad Stahelski's JW4 is an exquisitely shot, non-stop, visceral action ride infusing the franchise with its highest stakes yet, delivering a crowning achievement to the franchise. See it in IMAX.
John Wick 4, USA, 2023, 169 mins | Action, Martial Arts, Thriller | Starring: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Ian McShane, Bill Skarsgård, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama, Lawrence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, Clancy Brown| Director: Chad Stahelski | Writers: Shay Hatten, Michael Finch, Derek Kolstad | Dist. by: Lionsgate
When you have the guts to start your film with an homage to Lawrence of Arabia, pull it off like child’s play, and then proceed for the next two hours and forty-nine minutes to top it at every turn, with one show-stopping sequence after another, over-delivering a film that then sticks the landing with a combination of insane action, thrust against time-worn tradition, bringing your franchise to an epic conclusion, an over-delighted movie-goer is left with no choice by to load up on as many superlatives from Meriam-Webster as he can gather, sheath them in a quill that, damn it, will not run out, and deliver each one one after the other with no repeats.
In case you haven’t heard, John Wick 4, from Lionsgate, is the first must-watch action, marital arts thriller of the year. It does for action what Top Gun: Maverick did, well, for action. The difference is that Wick 4 is a hard-R-rated actioner, meaning it’s visceral, deadly, and face-melting for almost three non-stop hours. It is packed with the most intense action sequences, brilliantly choreographed with a phenomenal stunt team led by an international cast that all bring their A-game. Nothing here is hair-brained or over-cooked or thrown in for the hell of it. This is precision filmmaking at the highest level. It’s pure nirvana for action junkies and the greatest crowning achievement for its little-engine-that-could franchise.
Like Top Gun: Maverick, John Wick 4 is an incredible action movie we can all get behind. There's even a lengthy Brian De Palma-esque overhead one-er in the third act (Snake Eyes, anyone?) where they shoot scorching fire bullets. I mean, come on. Everything in this movie is on another level. The action set pieces are jaw-dropping, gravity-defying, and exceptionally choreographed with beat-by-beat realism and character logic, displaying astonishing attention to detail, all set in incredible international locations from Japan to Paris, France. Each one tops the next with a masterful display of pacing in a movie with wall-to-wall action that never gets stale, repetitive, or ever overstays its welcome. Each major action block is given its own style, consistently hitting with visceral, face-melting impact.
In case there was any doubt this film was going to deliver like no other, a series of sonic booms reverberate off a succession of close-up punches to start the film, telling you you best put that distracting device down and listen up with your eyes peeled to where they ought to be, right up on the big screen.
Employing stoic philosophy and ancient wisdom to ground the story, mixing lore from the East with a litany of quotable lines, it raises the film’s stakes to its highest yet in the franchise. Yet, even with all this, it doesn’t make the mistake of taking itself overly seriously either. Smartly, it leans into its videogame origins when it comes to excess, style, and extending the internal arcs of each major action/fight sequence, of which there are at least five, any one of which could carry a single movie, let alone get packed into one. With this level of craft, the film accomplishes the near impossible, making a profound action movie that is also a genuine work of art.
The cinematography is beautiful, rich, and vibrant, with an expensive, mouth-watering look, drenching every frame with exquisite color and lighting. The close-ups in IMAX are so detail-rich, with tack sharp eyeballs that glisten amid gorgeous skin tones. Everyone and everything looks amazing. Likewise, the production design is opulent with a grand scale that impresses with its realism, displaying massive art galleries, palatial interiors, and slick new-wave luxury hotels and nightclubs. Grab a pair of nun-chucks, add in the rain effects, and press go.
In a wonderful display of whimsy, a massive action sequence is set in a sprawling nightclub where dancers are too preoccupied with their hedonism to allow an axe-throwing martial arts fight-to-the-death happening in their midst to throw them off a single hip gyration. This is so much more enjoyable to me than the fake dispersing of extras cowering in fear for a stab at realism.
So many great performances elevate this film to another level entirely. The cast as a whole is incredibly focused, with everyone bringing their A-game. The marvelous indefatigable Keanu Reeves leading the charge, nicely held back like a proper Hamlet entrance near the end of Act 1. And then it's balls to the wall after that, where he delivers one non-stop martial arts attack and gun battle after another.
Another major lead, the incomparable Donnie Yen, known to Western audiences from the IP Man film series, delivers an incredible performance as a blind assassin and friend of Wick contracted to hunt him down, putting the two at odds with one another, becoming the film’s core antagonist as Caine. He is contracted by the mysterious Marquis Vincent de Gramont, who wants to increase his rank in the High Table. Brought to the screen by Bill Skarsgård, who invokes the perfect Bond villain for our time, played to weaselly yet arrogant perfection capped by the most specific snotty Euro-Swiss accent anyone could order up. The way Skarsgård makes the most of his simple business, adding sugar to his tea or taking nibbles from a dessert, is itself a classic showcase of supreme Blofeld levels of villainy so deliciously leveled.
Then you have another new arrival to the franchise, one of Canada’s own Shamier Anderson playing tracker, Mr. Nobody. Anderson brings a grounded turn treading the line between mercenary and ally, displaying phenomenal stoicism in a key scene. He’s a charismatic addition, along with his brilliant hound at his beck and call, continuing a revenge of the dogs’ motif in this final chapter, still reeling from the murdered canine of the original. Let's just say you don't want to be anywhere around Mr. Nobody when he shouts the word "Nuts."
Another great addition is the female lead in Rina Sawayama as Akira, Shimazu's (Hiroyuki Sanada) daughter. She is a force to be reckoned with, bringing acting chops along with her beauty and athletic prowess. Unlike other films that only check boxes for super-imposed reasons, the Wick franchise works out the correct logistics for all of its action. Akira has a jaw-dropping scene where she correctly uses her feminine fighting style to her advantage in her combat against a gorilla of a man three times her size. It's a thunderous scene without any handicapping that holds nothing back.
Clancy Brown is as enjoyable as ever as Harbinger, a high-ranking agent of the High Table. Lawrence Fishburne reprises the Bowery King with his glorious Shakespearian attack. Then, of course, we have the ever-steady Lance Reddick returning as the Concierge, who sadly passed away just a week before the premiere. He’s as rock solid as ever but appears only briefly at the start of the film. The wonderful Hiroyuki Sanada as Shimazu also presents deep-felt integrity and honor. Bringing further organic diversity to the screen is Chilean martial arts action star Marko Zaror as the brutal lead henchman. Definitely not someone you want to mess with. Another quiver in the Wick arsenal is that it presents villains with personality to be genuinely feared.
The ever-affable Ian McShane returns as Winston, the owner of the safe-haven Continental Hotel, who finds himself in much greater danger this time out. He chews up the scenery as delightfully as always, biting into his lines like a Green Beret chewing bullets for breakfast. Just watching him walk is a masterclass in acting. There is a scene where the camera dollies along as he strides across a massive gallery floor to start a meeting with Marquis. I was astonished at how he walks with this immaculate stride. I had to suspend my disbelief that he wasn't gliding along on wires; his upper body never seems to waver even an inch.
The real scene stealer, however, is Scott Adkins, as Killa, head of the German branch of the High Table. He mesmerizes in an incredible game of wits around a blackjack table that is just next level in how it is staged, dressed, lit, and acted. Adkins brings a delicious character that evokes a version of Kingpin from the Spider-man franchise, better than I’ve seen realized in that franchise, brought to life with another take on a Bond-edged villain. If Brendan Fraser can win an Oscar for masturbating and binge eating in a fat suit, then Adkins should be a shoo-in for best supporting next year for executing a ten-minute martial arts sequence in a fatsuit on top of his intense poker scene.
Director Chad Stahelski demonstrates how an IP can consistently grow and engage its loyal fan base while staying true to its own lore. Nothing in this movie is just thrown in as an afterthought or there to placate an agenda outside of its mythology. Instead, everything is plotted and choreographed to absolute perfection. His work here raises the bar for what can be accomplished four iterations into a franchise that has only grown and expanded in depth and visceral thrills.
John Wick 4 lays down the gauntlet so hard it will be difficult for a Bond or even the upcoming MI7 to top anything in here, as it just decimates all comers. To top it off, it's the kind of film you can't wait to see again. Personally, among all the scenes, I’m jonesing to revisit the massive Arc de Triomphe scene that mixes car and motorcycle stunts with fighting and gun violence in a breathtaking sequence of all-out stunt work and fight choreography, so astonishing; it’s beyond any action scene I've witnessed put to film. That, and the over-head one-er…and the Germany sequence…and the Osaka one too….
Rating
5/5
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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How stoked are you for John Wick 4? What did you think of it as a film? How did it meet your expectations?