Keanu Reeves kills it in the fourth and final John Wick film. I never thought the original movie about a hitman getting revenge for the killing of his dog would turn out to be one of the best action movie franchises. This film delivers mind-blowing action sequences with amazing cinematography. Shoot, stab, reload, repeat – the fight choreography is performed like a ballet. The action takes place around the world. It’s difficult to select which action set piece is my favorite. They were all spectacular. The story goes to Morocco, Osaka, Berlin and Paris. The final installment to the franchise ends on an emotional high note. John Wick 4 is the best action movie of the year.
John Wick (Reeves) is recovering underground thanks to his friend, Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). And yeah, he’s going to need a gun. In the last film, Wick was shot off the hotel roof by the New York Continental manager, Winston (Ian McShane). Now that he is healthy once again, he is ready for action. There is a new baddie (Bill Skarsgard) in charge of the High Table with an overwhelming amount of power. He is obsessed with making sure Wick is put to rest once and for all. He hires Caine (Donnie Yen), who owes him a favor and in return nothing will happen to the blind martial artist’s daughter.
Because Winston didn’t finish the job of killing Wick, the High Table demolishes the New York Continental and makes him excommunicado. He has no other option but to get back into Wick’s good graces and assist him with completing his mission. The fight scenes are long and nothing less than spectacular to watch. I was blown away by the Osaka location. Wick seeks a safe place at the Hotel Continental Osaka. Akira (Rina Sawayama) is not pleased since it puts her father, hotel manager (Hiroyuki Sanada) in danger. He meets up with his old friend and now foe, Caine in a thrilling fight scene. I cannot say enough about Donnie Yen’s performance. He is a welcome addition to the franchise. From there the action moves to Berlin where there is another eye-popping sequence at a rave party with a waterfall cascading over the fights. One of the most suspenseful action set pieces takes place in Paris at the Arc de Triomphe. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, Wick clears a building of bad guys with a dragon’s breath shotgun. It’s an impressive overhead shot like it was filmed with a drone. It’s simply amazing!
What is it about John Wick films that makes us keep coming back? There is something alluring about the mythology of the High Table. In a world full of contract killers, they have to abide by a code. When they break that code, they have to pay the consequences. It is this authority that orders Wick to kill and also sets him up to be killed when they feel he has betrayed them. The High Table represents a secret society of elaborate wealth and power. It acts like a deep state entity that kills without any repercussions. They also have the capability of tracking Wick with a powerful surveillance network. One tracker aka bounty hunter is called Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson). His faithful accomplice is a Belgian Malinois that tears into unlucky bad guys on command. It’s a nice way to pay homage to Wick’s admiration for dogs.
Director, Chad Stahelski knows how to keep the action going with magnificent fight scenes. I never grew tired of watching the battles because of the changing scenery, the lush cinematography and the creative way of filming the set pieces. As one group of bad guys after another try to kill Wick, the body count rises. He kills many of them with a shot to the head. It’s relentless but the most efficient way to dispose of the never-ending onslaught of adversaries. You would think seeing this carnage would get tiresome but quite the contrary. We’re invested in Wick’s journey. We want him to succeed and kill everyone that gets in his way. He is looking for freedom and we are rooting for him.
The fourth John Wick is more stylish, more graceful and more over-the-top. The saga has evolved into one of the best action series in cinema. It’s given Keanu Reeves the title for being one of the most exciting action heroes. He impressively does many of his own stunts. It’s an extremely taxing and physical role. The final chapter for the John Wick franchise had me at the edge of my seat. I will miss this action-packed series but it’s best to end it on a high note. RIP, Lance Reddick. You will be missed.
