Directed by: Chad Stahelski
Written by: Shay Hatten, Michael Finch, Derek Kolstad
Cast: Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne, George Georgiou
This review will be shorter because this is the only John Wick movie I have seen so far. But did this help or hinder my movie-viewing experience?
John Wick: Chapter 4 was filmed in Berlin, Paris, New York City, and Japan. The crew of John Wick 4 takes their time to provide, at minimum, a 15-minute non-stop action set piece for each of its filming locations. With that in mind, I can say that not seeing John Wick 1, 2, or 3 made no impact on me thoroughly enjoying John Wick: Chapter 4 (JW4).
The filming locations are a canvas for both beauty and violence, where the dynamic landscapes are marred by the endless stream of blood and bullets. While that doesn’t sound too great in general, I assume the demographic who sees this film wants that. And there is plenty of it.
I only have two notes on this film. First, bring earplugs if you are seeing it in IMAX. The sound of endless gunshots literally started to drown out any other noise for me. By the end of this 169-minute ride, I did wish the volume was a tad lower. Second is the film’s characters. By no means does the main cast listed above feel useless.
However, some of the cast did seem to appear in the movie to join or exit the main story just for shock value. Perhaps that would have worked on me seeing the previous entries, but even then there were a few moments that felt purely like a setup for future movies. Aside from that I still think John Wick: Chapter 4 is an excellent action film.
JW4 starts right in the action with Keanu getting his suit and going out to kill someone named “The Elder.” The dominoes begin to fall and from the opening till the end of the film any character the audience sees attempts to kill John Wick. Supporting cast, background characters, and main cast. It makes for not only a fun action romp, but also a bit of a thriller. Throughout JW4 truly no one feels safe. That feeling kept me engaged and on the edge of my seat for the whole two hours.
Keanu Reeves is great in this role. I was genuinely surprised by his work in this film as there really isn’t much story needed to make the movie work. However, that doesn’t stop Keanu from adding a lot of heart and hurt to all the lines he delivers throughout.
Sometimes in reviews you will see someone describe an acting performance as “wooden” or “just there for the money.” With JW4 everyone really felt like they were having fun with their roles. There are also added emotions to this film now that Lance Reddick has sadly passed away.
His role in this film is very clearly important to the cast both on and off-screen. While I am not sure of Charon’s exact backstory, Reddick does make an impact on the film and its main cast. Lance Reddick is still set to appear in “The Ballerina,” a spin-off releasing soon that will feature a new assassin as the lead. I look forward to seeing Reddick “The Ballerina.”
Additional standouts include Rina Sawayama and Donnie Yen. This appears to be Rina Sawayama’s acting debut, and she did not disappoint. Rina plays Akira who delivers both a heartfelt performance and a very brutal kick-ass performance. Akira is able to showcase her skills with a bow and arrow and dual blades in a fight sequence that made me wince in pain from its beautiful brutality.
If you are looking for action and fun I would highly recommend John Wick: Chapter 4. With great actors, great filming locations, and a fast-paced story JW4 is a 4 out 5 stars for me.
