What to Watch This Weekend – John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick: Chapter 4 is the continuing adventure of one the world’s foremost assassins. Directly following the events of his latest rampage (John Wick: Parabellum), the High Table seeks retribution upon their former employee, John Wick (Keanu Reeves). Meanwhile, the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) has been harboring Wick as they plot revenge and a possible means to escape the life once and for all. For the Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) of the High Table, this is unacceptable. He begins squeezing old accomplices in the hopes of luring Wick out, while also recruiting a new set of killers to join the hunt. As new allegiances form, Wick finds himself in a high stakes chase across the globe as he continues to fight for his freedom.

What works in John Wick: Chapter 4 are the impressive set pieces coupled with impeccable choreography. Director Chad Stahelski returns for this third sequel in the franchise and demonstrates immediately that he understands a) how to increase the intensity, and b) exactly what his audience craves. The answer, and to paraphrase Mr. Reeves, is “guns…lots of guns.” Unsurprisingly, Chapter 4 includes stunt work that one has to see to believe. The blend of iconic locales with creative cinematography—compliments of Dan Laustsen (The Shape of Water, Nightmare Alley)—make for a non-stop visual delight. The Wick series is all about escalation, and this 4th entry clearly understood the assignment.

Individuals not seeking more of the same (and whole lot of it) may not enjoy John Wick: Chapter 4 as much as others. With a three-hour plus runtime, Chapter 4 is a loud marathon. Nearly every scene is a cocktail of gunshots, explosions, and/or something breaking (glass, cars, bones, etc.). When combined with the heavy techno score by Tyler Bates (300, Guardians of the Galaxy) and Joel J. Richard, it’s not unreasonable that some patrons will feel exhausted once the credits roll. Finally, while Chapter 4 on paper crafts new action sequences, after all this time the gimmick might be getting stale. There might be a limit to how many waves of villains John Wick can mow down before desensitization sets in.

John Wick: Chapter 4 gives dedicated fans more what they will come out to see: Reeves giving 150%. As such, he’s still incredibly dynamic and his work ethic continues to breathe life into this franchise. It does raise the question for both Reeves and his assassin counterpart—how long can/should they keep this up?

Recommended if you Enjoyed: John Wick 3: Parabellum, Deadpool 2

John Wick: Chapter 4 is available to see exclusively in theaters starting March 24th, 2023.  

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