John Wick: Chapter 4 Movie Review

“John Wick: Chapter 4” does the opposite of many movie sequel series. It gets better, and more amped up, and full of more brutal action sequences than the prior movies. The hit man saga of ‘John Wick’ hits harder and with a more forceful punch than ever before. There is no shortage of bullets, blades or adrenaline in this action-packed 2 hours, 49 minutes of mayhem and madness. So, strap in for a roller coaster ride of revenge.

John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves), now in this fourth episode of his return to being a hit man, is being sheltered in the underground. The sewers of New York City are controlled by the Bowery King (played by Laurence Fishburne), who is an old friend of John.

John has fallen out of the grace of the ‘High Table’. That is a secret society of leaders in this hidden world of assassins and hit men (and hit ladies). Bowery King gave John this refuge because he was shot by Winston (played by Ian McShane) – in the previous ‘Chapter’.

Winston is the manager of the New York Continental Hotel, a privately run place where all the members of the hidden world are able to hang out. There is no ‘business’ (shootings) allowed on the property, so if you break the rules, the ‘High Table’ can put out a contract on your life.

Winston was put into a sticky situation, and was forced to shoot his dear friend John. But Winston and his concierge – Charon (played by Lance Reddick) – are summoned to see the new head of the ‘High Table’. This leader is in charge because John Wick just killed the prior leader of the Table.

This new man is named Marquis Vincent de Gramont (played by Bill Skarsgård). He is rich and incredibly cruel.  He oversees the destruction of the New York Continental, and threatens both Winston and Charon. The Marquis holds life and death in his hands, and he decides to let one of them live. The real threat is John Wick, and the Marquis wants to know what Winston knows.

John Wick is being hunted (again) by the ‘High Table’. His prior refuge was in New York, but now he heads to Osaka. John has a close friendship with the manager of the Osaka Continental. Shimazu Koji (played by Hiroyuki Sanada) will welcome John in, but he needs to stay hidden.

Koji’s daughter, Akira (played by Rina Sawayama), is not pleased that a hunted criminal is on site. The Marquis sends a large contingent of thugs to go into the Osaka location to search for and to kill John Wick. The Marquis has control over another talented assassin, named Caine (played by Donnie Yen).

Caine is blinded, yet he is still a capable fighter and killer. The Marquis threatens Caine’s daughter if he does not cooperate. He hates to do this, to be forced to go after John Wick. These two were also very close, back in the old days. Caine is along with the group searching the Osaka. They find Wick, but before that – they find trouble. Shimazu Koji, and Akira, along with John Wick and the people who work for Koji – are ready to fight.

Koji faces off against Caine. Only one of them will be able to walk away. John Wick happens to run into a Tracker (played by Shamier Anderson). This guy calls himself Mr. Nobody – but he is only there for the contract on Wick’s life. But to the Tracker, the total amount is not yet high enough. So the Tracker lets John Wick go – this time. John Wick meets with Winston and finds a way to defeat the ‘High Table’. First he must go to Berlin.

John Wick had an adoptive family in Berlin. They are connected to the secret underground ‘High Table’. If John can get back into the good graces of his old family, he might have a way to end his running and hiding. The family give John one task to complete – kill the Killa. In Berlin, there is a German ‘High Table’ underling named Killa (played by Scott Adkins).

Killa runs a high-tech nightclub in the city, and he wants to bring down John Wick. Soon, Killa has John Wick seated at a card table, along with John’s old friend Caine, and his new ‘buddy’ Mr. Nobody, the Tracker.The high-stakes card game turns into a massive fight and shootout with a high body count. John Wick is able to elude the Tracker and Caine.

He is back into the good graces of the Family. Now John has the ability to call on ancient rules of the ‘High Table’. He pairs up with Winston to bring the Marquis a demand. John Wick challenges him to a duel. If John Wick succeeds, he can walk away a free man. Oh, and Winston sweetens the pot for himself by getting the New York Continental rebuilt and reopened. The duel to the death will be overseen by an impartial ‘High Table’ operative named the Harbinger (played by Clancy Brown).

The city of Paris is where the duel is set up to happen. The Marquis has an open contract out for the head of John Wick. If he can raise it even higher, he can get Wick taken out. Then the Marquis would not have to face him in the duel. John Wick has nothing to lose, but the Marquis would lose all of his wealth and power, if not his life.

Winston and John Wick meet with the Marquis and Caine. Caine would much rather not be there, but his daughter is still in jeopardy.  They come to terms for the duel, and even the Bowery King is able to make it to Paris. He has a special bullet-proof outfit and a very powerful weapon for John.

The Marquis is running scarred now, so he ups the bounty on John Wick’s head. Mr. Nobody is finally interested to the point of joining in the chase. So many killers and thugs are on the attack that Wick cannot find a way to get to the appointed place at the appointed time. Well, he can almost not find a way.

He is able to fend off dozens of henchmen and freelance murderers, all with tons of style. When John Wick needs it the most, is able to get some assistance from some unlikely sources.  The Marquis might meet his challenge, and he might hold his reign of terror for not much longer.

“John Wick: Chapter 4” is a fitting new entry in the John Wick franchise. The Director (Chad Stahelski) is a stuntman who has transitioned an impeccable action movie expert. The action and stunts are pretty much non-stop. John Wick must a good supply of Superman pills, because he is able to take on any amount of thugs and killers and he always is able to walk away. Usually, that is…

The set pieces fight sequences are nothing less than spectacular. From the Osaka hotel to the Berlin nightclub all the way to the main streets of Paris, every action scene is brutal and extended. Keanu Reeves is, as usual, cast to perfection. The new members of the cast, especially Donnie Yen (Caine) and Shamier Anderson (the Tracker) are equally good. Bill Skarsgård plays the Marquis with smarmy evilness.

In “John Wick: Chapter 4”, the Director called out “Action”, and the cast and crew kept the action going for 2 hours, 49 minutes – until he said “Cut”.