John Wick: Chapter 4
While watching the fourth installment in the John Wick franchise, it’s hard to fathom that this turbulent series of events kicked off with the small-scale murder of the titular character’s dog. Since then, the series has managed to carve out its stake in the Hollywood blockbuster realm with its intricately choreographed action scenes, death-defying stunts, stylized camerawork, set pieces of epic proportions, and relentless kills. All of these defining characteristics harmoniously came to a peak with the third entry Parabellum. With John Wick: Chapter 4, however, the action powerhouse folds in on itself and fails to reach the heights of its predecessor.
Not wasting a beat in getting things started, John Wick: Chapter 4 begins with the desecration of the assassin hub that is the New York Continental by a calculating Marquis de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) who’s seeking out the death of John Wick (Keanu Reeves) after his assassination of the Elder. Predictably, the excessive 2-hour and 49-minute runtime is a cat-and-mouse game between Marquis and Wick as the former rallies anyone he possibly can to halt Wick’s four-film-long revenge plot against the High Table and ensure his demise through any means possible. If this sounds familiar, that’s because the plot is essentially a mirror of Parabellum’s except more convoluted and lackluster with an added slew of characters and tropes we know all too well.
John Wick (Reeves) suiting up before setting out on one of the many bullet-spraying sequences.
The thinly-veiled plots of the John Wick series have always served as a means to deliver adrenaline-inducing fight scenes and inventive assassinations. Yet, with John Wick: Chapter 4, the lack of one is painfully obvious because it seems the creative juices have run out with Wick’s approaches to combat. The equally imaginative and sadistic kills of bashing a dense book over someone’s head and shoving it into their mouth to deliver a deadly blow along with the rhythmic dances between the stunts and camera are long gone. Instead, Chapter 4 opts for simple shoot-outs or redundant fist fights for a better part of the film. One can only withstand seeing people shoot at each other before burning out and trying to find something else to latch on to such as a riveting character arc, pensive themes – hell – even a stunt we haven’t seen before. It seems director Chad Stalehski has found a formula for the franchise: overstimulate the audience with the grating, overbearing thump of punches and a barrage of bullets to distract from the absence of a plot. Clearly, it works for some, maybe even most, but after a while, it gets mind-numbing and senseless. Perhaps, that’s the appeal of the John Wick films, though – a time to go to the theaters, turn your brain off, and watch Keanu Reeves kick some ass. Suffice it to say the film just might not be for me.
No one is refuting that Chapter 4 is a labor of love from all involved. Keanu Reeves returns in the lead role of the franchise he has truly made his own by involving himself in the stunts, delivering his cheeky one-liners, and maintaining his signature stoic demeanor. Bill Skarsgård devilishly plays the villain role in a manner reminiscent of an 80s cartoon – over-the-top foreign accent and all. Every time Marquis was on the screen, the film recaptured my attention whether because of Skarsgård’s natural draw or his character’s unexpected nature. Never knowing when his calm composure was going to implode into a violent temper tantrum with deadly consequences. Who takes the cake, though, is the introduction of Shameir Anderson’s Tracker. Accompanied by a cute yet lethal dog, Tracker’s subplot is easily the most engaging aspect of the film with his constantly shifting allegiances keeping you on your toes and excited to see what he does next. It would be remiss of me to not mention pop star Rina Sawayama’s first foray on the silver screen who asserts her presence in her role as Akira. For the short time she is in the film, Sawayama shines through her character’s fearlessness and loyalty and even rivals John Wick in his skill and presence.
A shining example and the crowning jewel of John Wick: Chapter 4’s next-level production design and sleek lighting.
The lighting in John Wick: Chapter 4 is meticulous and makes for visually arresting scenes. From the pink and blue accent lighting clashing on the simple shot of a subway train or the green and red strobes of a massive club washing over the crowd that brings the grimy venue to life, the lighting compositions had me more enraptured than the fight scenes themselves. The sheer scale of the production design is also staggering and is yet another testament to how much the franchise has grown. Stahelski gets the job done at the director’s helm but fails to innovate and maneuver the camera to play more with the stunt choreography as he has in previous installments. There is one instance in the film’s final act where a glimmer of the franchise’s soaring past rears its head with an impressive overhead tracking shot of Wick clearing an apartment floor of assassins. Reminiscent of James Wan’s Malignant iconic overhead shot, the scene displays the film’s potential with a taste of what could’ve been in what is otherwise a sea of monotonous assassinations.
After four films, there’s not much else to do with the John Wick IP and Chapter 4’s reuse of old material is clear evidence of that. John Wick being hunted as an “ex-communicado”? Check. Shoot-out at a rave? Check. Tense gunfight set in a pristine, modern location with harsh fluorescent lighting? Check. It reached a point where the film often bordered on becoming a parody of itself. Whatever made John Wick the sleeper blockbuster hit it is today can no longer be found amidst all the bullets flying and dead bodies lying. Like the bullet casings left in the wake of Wick’s encounters, John Wick: Chapter 4 is a hollow shell of what the franchise has shown itself capable of being with its redundant sequences and drawn-out runtime despite its impressive scale and solid performances.
Verdict: John Wick: Chapter 4 elicits a “we’ve seen this film before” reaction; for that, it’s a Nick Skip, but that’s not to say it isn’t a technical achievement in action blockbuster filmmaking.