Movie review - John Wick: Chapter 4

John Wick: Chapter 4 ****1/2 (out of 5) If you haven’t seen the first three installments, set this review aside until you have, because you won’t fully enjoy, or even understand, this slam-bang action franchise’s finale without that background. For those who have, this globe-trotting sequel closes the book (or at least this story arc) with plenty to appreciate. The wait was worth it.

This opus picks up shortly after the end of #3, as John (Keanu Reeves) starts on his payback plan against The Table, which is now run by a sadistic, preening prick known as The Marquis (Bill Skarsgard). He’s hell-bent on destroying John and anyone who helps him in even the slightest way. That sets up a whole lotta shootin’, stabbin’ and killin’. Or in his world of organized assassins, a slightly busier week than usual. A few familiar faces return, notably Winston and Charon (Ian McShane, Lance Reddick) from their haven hotel, The Continental; and the venerable Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). There are also a few Easter eggs that will give the cognoscenti their wink-wink-nudge-nudge loyalty rewards. Donnie Yen and Shamier Anderson excel as important newcomers to the saga. The feature-film debut of singer Rina Sawayama will surely please her fans. And a white-bearded Clancy Brown deftly dons the somber elegance of a Christopher Lee, which is quite a stretch from the career of action roles that made him such a bankable character actor.

Above all, anyone buying this ticket is doing so primarily for the action sequences. No dropoff there. Many fights are masterfully choreographed and executed, not only with state-of-the-art stunt work, but with florid backdrops that cry for the biggest screen and most engulfing sound system within reach. Elegant, ornate interiors; exteriors ranging from a barren desert to the streets of Paris top the previous three in scope and splendor, making the film as extravagantly beautiful as it is bloody.

On the downside, at nearly three hours, Wick 4 seems a bit bloated. Perhaps they spent so much on production design, they wanted to make sure we’d have time to notice every detail. There’s not quite enough meat in the dialog to fill some long stretches between epic battles sequences. Even in an IMAX theater, I didn’t need that much of a breather before the next burst of mayhem. Had an editor trimmed about 20 minutes from the transitions and talking, that would have made this finale as tight a thrill ride as the first three. There may be some aspects of the plot that hardcore fans will quibble about, but ain’t no disappointment in this corner.

Although this screenplay provides what could be satisfactory closure for the series, there is a post-credits scene teasing the possibility of more to come. If you loved this quartet, you and your bladder should tough it out for a few more minutes.

(John Wick: Chapter 4 opens in theaters 3/24/23)