John Wick: Chapter 4
The fourth film is pure caviar.
The fourth film abandons any semblance of reality and consequences, and it’s still a thousand times better than every entry of The Expendables combined.
I love the John Wick series. There has not been a better action series since The Bourne Identity, but this latest entry has me scratching my head and wondering aloud — is John Wick immortal? The first entry will always be my favorite. There has not been a better introduction to a killer since No Country for Old Men brought Anton Chigurh to life in 2007. Keanu Reeves is perfect as John Wick, and his first rodeo will always be his best.
Infinite ammo glitch, check!
With every subsequent entry in the series, the plot refuses to thicken. Instead, the broth has been diluted into an imperceptible base that is devoid of any flavor. I am not expecting Oscar level plot devices, nor do I want them in a John Wick film; but I do have hopes for believable action sequences.
The first John Wick film had over-the-top violence, but Wick was always in danger. He managed to pull off some quick judo or rolled away from a bullets path with jiu-jitsu in an organic way. The fight choreography amplified his deadly skills. The scene in his house highlighted why John Wick was the most feared assassin in the game. He was one step ahead of every assailant, and none of them were ready for his onslaught. The first entry into the series had only one glaring exaggeration and that was when he was thrown from the second-floor balcony onto the dance floor below, and didn’t black out or break a bone.
The fourth film pulls out every stop of reason and slams it through the skull of the viewer. John Wick has graduated from deadly assassin into a veritable crash test dummy. Halfway through the movie is a shootout and chase scene that has John Wick dodging cars while eliminating a never-ending onslaught of hitmen. Possible, but he gets clipped by three different cars and is unphased by each one. He doesn’t even need to catch his breath, physics be damned. He is even thrown into a moving car and still, nothing. That Kevlar suit works wonders.
While ignoring the laws of physics and ballistics, the insurmountable odds John Wick faces in each engagement piles up exponentially. The first action scene takes place in a hotel in Kyoto, and the main problem is that John faces off against dozens of armored contract killers equipped with assault rifles, and he is never in danger. The first film had John square off against thirteen home invaders on two floors and across the entire house in a tight four-minute sequence. The fourth has its initial action scene take fifteen minutes, and while it is entertaining, it is a frantic mess. There are multiple instances where John Wick is vulnerable, but the plot armor kicks into high gear, and he is constantly saved by his bullet proof suit, even against rifle rounds. An entire army was shoved into a single hotel with only one way out, and John Wick still survives.
John Warhol
The stormtroopers from Star Wars have better aim than the hitmen in John Wick. Neither one can hit their target, and all of them go down faster than you can say, “yeah”. There is one shining crown-jewel of action sequences in John Wick 4, and it is the shootout in the abandoned apartment complex. It stands as the zenith of what action films should embody, and it delivers in spades. The entire sequence is reminiscent of top-down shooters like Thunder Tier One, Hotline Miami, and Hatred. Any shortcomings this film had were completely erased after I watched this scene. While the previous scenes left me wanting more, I was broadsided by this beautifully choreographed, and cinematically charged experience.
Very few franchises can redeem themselves with a single scene but director Chad Stahelski pulled it off beautifully. The scene ends with John throwing himself from a third story window onto the hood of a car below. He should be dead, but I was too keyed up from the stellar scene to even care. Bravo Stahelski, bravo.
Director Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves
The franchise had to end, and it was better they do it sooner rather than later. My complaints surround the suspension of disbelief, and though I felt it was violated more than a few times, it was never enough to keep me from enjoying the culminating entry of one of the greatest action series ever filmed. The worst of John Wick is the best that other series have to offer, and they never come close enough to compete.
John Woo invented the bullet ballet film with his 1986 debut, A Better Tomorrow. The Hong Kong film director laid the foundation for the blood-soaked revenge tale, and Chad Stahelski has taken the torch and faithfully honored that legacy. Despite a few hiccups, John Wick: Chapter 4 is everything action films should be, and any director who approaches the genre better do their homework.