Movie Breakdown: John Wick: Chapter 4
Pre-Screening Stance:
Come on. It’s John Wick. This out-of-nowhere franchise has continued to get bigger and better, and judging by the trailers for Chapter 4, I’m feeling pretty confident the streak will continue.
Post-Screening Ramble:
If you’re wanting a lot of what the John Wick franchise has previously provided along with a reasonable bit of escalation, then Chapter 4 will delight you, as it very much feels like the series in peak performance mode. There’s no jumping the shark or lame shoehorned elements to try and change things up – it’s just a finely dialed and built to please affair that is in turn the culmination of everything that has made this series great. The story follows the titular character (Keanu Reeves), who is – of course – still alive and on a mission to regain his freedom. There are plenty of familiar faces around, like Winston (Ian McShane), Charon (Lance Reddick), and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), and some fierce new ones, such as the Marquis (Bill Skarsgard), Caine (Donnie Yen), and the Tracker (Shamier Anderson), plus a scheme that may actually allow Wick to pull off his latest impossible task. And that’s that. Well, outside of the fuck ton of people that get annihilated across the film’s near three-hour runtime. Speaking of the movie’s length, I do think that’s the only real hiccup here. I’m a big fan of the series and I had a great time throughout the fourth entry, but even I walked out feeling a little exhausted by it. The action scenes, as awesome and epic as they all are, stretch on and on and on, and everything that happens in between is rapid fire, so it’s like you’re getting pummeled as well. Such is life, I suppose.
Yes, you should see John Wick: Chapter 4 in a theater. Just be prepared for a long ride. The film opens tomorrow, March 24.
One Last Thought:
There’s a lot I could put here but I really only want to point out how fantastic and decadent Bill Skarsgard is dressed throughout this movie. I’d like every single one of those suits, please.
