Keanu Reeves reprises his role of John Wick in “John Wick: Chapter 4.” | Photo credit / Lionsgate
Being the fourth installment of the John Wick series, the fourth film represents the accumulation of everything built up over the past three movies coming together to bring one of the last pieces of Wick truly regaining his freedom since coming out of retirement. Each chapter in the John Wick series tells a story in order to build itself up to its conclusion.
The action in the film has spectacular fighting, which most of the audience loves to see, including very intense car chases and hand-to-hand combat. The movement behind each setting changes as the film goes around the world with a very big cinematography focus. Everywhere that Wick goes, there is a new interest in how the fight plays out. Long scenes with people rolling on the ground on fire add an amazing movie feel that goes beyond, making it seem like the fight never ended. The multi-angle shots displaying dangerous things quickly without any cuts drive such amazing action scenes. The dialogue seemed to have a step up from previous movies, seeing that the relationships between other characters and Wick have grown.
This film is longer compared to the others. It has a clear goal for what should happen and how the surrounding environment affects other characters in the story, each with its own goal, eventually coming together into the John Wick story. Given that the movie is extremely long (2 hours and 50 minutes), its length can be unappealing to an audience. However, this is such a focused story that it offers a high engagement rate for people like me. There is a lot going on at all times, so if you are a person who enjoys more relaxed movies with a lot of stories but minimal action, this may not be for you.
The movie offers many beautiful set pieces surrounding the non-stop action. It doesn’t damage the series but supports Wick as he creates more and more allies. This franchise lives up to its expectation for a reason, and the cinematography is outright outstanding.
The precise training that Keanu Reeves goes through in combat preparation for his action sequences outside of filming is one of the many reasons why a simple horseback chase through the desert becomes something so much more when you add in bullets. Overall, as the fourth in a series, this movie lived up to its expectation of being not only over the top in most, if not all, action sequences but offered a connection to what may happen in the next installment of the John Wick series. This movie is a definition of what one may think makes a John Wick movie a John Wick movie. You simply should never mess with John Wick. This is where your ride begins for those who love movies with non-stop action.
I will note that there is a post-credit scene for those who see this movie in the future!
