REVIEW #272 John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

John Wick returns and the price for his head is as high as ever as he takes his fight to the High Table global, venturing across the globe to take out their biggest players. 

John Wick Chapter 4 cements the franchise as cinemas greatest ever action franchise (in my opinion). The action choreography along side the impressive stunt work should be examined in film schools everywhere because it truly is a masterclass in how to execute combat at the very highest level. Now behind the action is a wonderful underworld centred around the high table which oversees the globes Assassins and the rules and traditions of this society create such an intriguing storyline that finally reaches its conclusion in this fourth chapter…or does it? Everything is left open and I still believe that every direction is still possible, including a 5th instalment. But what is wonderful now is this movie creates the opportunity for many more stories centred in this world, that might not necessarily include John but it’ll be just as exciting. Keanu once again proves himself to be one of the biggest action stars around, it’s no secret that I think he lacks in other areas of his acting ability but there’s no doubt this is where he excels! But a surprise addition was Donnie Yen, wow that man stole the show, once again portraying a bad ass blind character and boy did he do that well!

The cinematography never disappoints in John Wick movies and I just love how the neon lighting, water features and creative camera angles create the most exciting atmosphere for a film of this type. My favourite perspective was the battle towards the end where we had a Birds Eye view with John moving from room to room with the dragon breath shotgun. That was one of the best angles to witness such carnage and it worked incredibly well! But an underrated aspect of the movie is its dialogue, granted the long form combat takes front and centre but the dialogue always hits the mark. The stand out line for me was “Friendship means very little when it’s convenient” executed brilliantly by the amazing Hiroyuki Sanada! The soundtracks are also a catalyst for the heart racing intensity that the atmosphere emits, acting like the glue that unites all aspects of the film!

Now there are a couple of criticisms I have but they are more nitpicks than anything else. Firstly I think some of the action scenes went on slightly too long, overstaying their welcome ever so slightly at times. Secondly I’d say that they were jumping across the globe pretty rapidly and with real no explanation about how he was getting there. In the third film it was a big thing about how he was going to get out of the country and in this instalment, where the bounty on his head has increased, he seems to have no trouble bouncing from place to place. Again, that’s just me being particular but it played on my mind throughout the movie. 

So to wrap the review up I’d say I was pretty damn impressed, I still think Parabellum could be my favourite but Chapter 4 is certainly making that decision hard. It hit all the right notes and provided a fitting conclusion, meanwhile opening up a world of possibilities for the franchise! For a franchise to continuously improve, film by film, it’s very very rare and it seems like Stahelski, Reeves and the entire team have achieved that. So a big score here and I still think I’ve probably been quite reserved with it but all my ratings for each film have increased with each rewatch so who knows, we may see a rerate in the future! A must see, especially in the cinema because that experience is crazy.

Overall (9.2/10)

Thanks for reading!

Callan