John Wick: Chapter 4 is one of those movies no doubt many fans were looking forward to. Clocking in at 2 hours 49 minutes, one of the rare original franchises to keep growing and improving upon the last. It debuted at No. 1 in each of the 71 markets where it opened, and in terms of ticket sales, it hit USD73.5 million in its domestic opening weekend, crushing its previous opening record.
Like all three of the earlier installments in the series, if you wanted to sum it up in a single word, it would be over-kill.
Just like in every John Wick movie, almost everyone is trying to kill him (no thanks to his huge bounty), and Chapter 4’s lead antagonist is a villainous French aristocrat known simply as The Marquis (Bill Skarsgard), who cruelly guns down Charon in front of Winston. In doing so, writes out the late Lance Reddick’s character.
The Marquis has been given carte blanche by The High Table to eliminate Wick once and for all. And the action takes us around the world, from Osaka to Berlin and Paris, where we’re treated to a smorgasbord of mayhem at every turn. The most iconic scenes are set in some of Paris’ famous locations: the Arc de Triomphe, and the steps of the Sacre Coeur.
As in every installment in the series, you know that Chapter 4 will have 2 things: excellent choreography, and a new dog for viewers to bond over. This time, the pup is the companion of a mysterious new assassin named The Tracker/Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson).
Without giving too much away, one can say that Chapter 4 has more falling down – or dropping – scenes than you can count. There are also exhilarating action sequences on long flights of stairs, as well as in an abandoned building where we’re introduced to amusing exploding bullets.
Chapter 4 notably features Donnie Yen who – essentially reprising his role from Star Wars: Rogue One – is a blind badass. This time, he plays Caine, a mysterious longtime friend of Wick’s sent by The Marquis to kill him. While neither wants to kill the other, they also will do what they must. Let’s be honest, watching Donnie Yen methodically take apart dozens of henchmen with a sword is enjoyable no matter how you slice it.
We’ve already learned there were more Continental hotels besides just New York. In Parabellum, we saw one in Casablanca where we met Sofia Al-Azwar (Halle Berry). And in Chapter Four, we see one in Osaka, where we’re introduced to Manager Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his daughter – who’s also his Concierge – Akira (Rina Sawayama).
It’s still unclear in Chapter 4, how much time has elapsed since the events of Parabellum, but we can infer it’s at least several months. We see the return of the Bowery King and Winston, who help put the pieces in place for Wick to survive and get his revenge.
Next year will be a busy one for the John Wick franchise, with the release of Ballerina (which follows one of the Belarusian ballerinas who avenges the death of her clan members) and The Continental (a prequel introducing the famous chain of hotels). There are also rumours that principal photography has begun on Chapter 5. For his part, Keanu Reeves has said he’ll continue in the role as long as the movies are popular, continuing the tradition of mature, leading action men.
To close by requoting Winston, “how you do one thing, is how you do everything.” And in doing everything right from the pacing, to the cinematography, to the cameos, John Wick: Chapter 4 simultaneously does one of the most difficult things of all – it takes an already great series, and makes it even better.
