JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4 (2023)

The action in the latest John Wick is shot out of a cannon from the very first moments, a frenzied adrenaline ride takes everything to the extreme from start to finish in a crowd pleasing best sequel yet.

Still on the run from The High Table, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) sees a path forward (and out), but he may have to go through a familiar friend turned foe to accomplish it. This is a downright batty movie, one that is clearly focused on maximizing the action and making it look neat over just about everything else. The plot is rather thin, but for me that worked as compared to previous attempts at world-building that revealed weaknesses in the storytelling. Having seen how ridiculous the previous installments were, I walked in ready to check logic at the door, something that allowed me to maximize my enjoyment. The fight choreography is chaotically awe-inspiring and plentiful; at over an unnecessary two and a half hours long, get ready for a lot of it.

One of the most frustrating aspects of this series for me has been the dumbed-down dialogue of Reeves’ Wick. Kudos to the filmmakers for taking a negative and turning it into a unique attribute of the character, but those one-liners delivered in strange fashion highlight the weakness of the dialogue in the entire series. But at the end of the day, that’s not what these movies are meant to highlight. Chad Stahelski expertly provides an action-packed cinematic escape that combines stylistically stunning visuals and settings with pulse-pounding music and rather good acting from the likes of Donnie Yen, Ian McShane, and newcomers Bill Skarsgård, Rina Sawayama, and Shamier Fishburne. Skarsgård in particular is mesmerizing as this entry’s big bad with a subtle, quiet confidence that makes his character unpredictable and satisfying. 

Where the story goes from here is anyone’s guess; the latest installment will certainly have people talking as a number of impactful story decisions are peppered throughout. One thing is for certain: John Wick Chapter 4 is the best action film to hit theaters in years. 

John Wick: Chapter 4 hits theaters on March 24th, 2023.

Rating: 4/5