John Wick: Chapter 4 Review

What is John Wick about? Why is it audiences are increasingly drawn to the movies? The three previous John Wick movies were about elevating action to an art form; excelling with creativity, choreography, and outstanding cinematography. They take a well-known genre and add style, flair, and sophistication. The movies provide just enough story and character development to connect the incredible action sequences and create a world you’re intrigued by.

 

So then, does John Wick: Chapter 4 carry well the torch it inherited?

 

 

Let’s take at look the good and the not-so-good of John Wick: Chapter 4

 

 

As with the previous installments, John Wick 4 features dramatic, picturesque settings and pairs them with dramatic, moody complementary lighting. The lighting beings with nighttime blacks with cool blues and greens as a base bathing the environment. On top they layer bright florescent LED pinks, reds, oranges, and whites. The effect is highly cinematic and beautiful.

 

Director Chad Stahelski and Cinematographer Dan Laustsen once again show off their astute aesthetic sensibilities. Taking the film to the Osaka Continental, a waterfall filled club and a dungeon in Berlin, and gorgeous streets and plazas of Paris; every scene gives you plenty to please the eye.

 

In Osaka, blind assassin Caine (Donnie Yen) uses strategically placed motion sensor doorbells to expose his enemies. In a Berlin club, Wick punches out Killa while half in and half out of an indoor waterfall. In Paris, Wick fights assassins in the middle of the traffic circle surrounding the Arc de Triomphe with cars constantly zipping by. There were multiple times while watching this where I found myself saying, “Yeah, that’s cool.”

 

Donnie Yen was a standout in the movie. His character had the best arc and clearest motivation. He’s trying to get away from the Table but protect his daughter at the same time. The table uses this to force him to attempt to kill his friends, including Wick in order to get out and keep his daughter safe. 

 

He’s the rare movie adversary you actually like.

 

 

 

2 hours and 49 mins. 2 HOURS AND 49 MINS. It really does seem like movies are really pushing the boundaries on length over the past year or two. There really is no reason for an action movie to be this long. It’s one thing if you have a complex and intricate plot, or in the case of Marvel, you have 30 characters and 20 movies to bring to a close, but this is John Wick.

In practicality, this means all the action sequences are entirely too long. They start out with amazingly cool concepts that wear thin and drag out. This leads to trouble with the suspension of disbelief the longer the scenes last. This is particularly true in the stairs fight scene near the end. It began as a fun, interesting action scene, but how many times can someone be thrown down the steps?

 

We need to bring back the lost art of editing. You need to earn it if your movie is over 2 hours 10 mins.

 

 

Is John Wick trying to destroy the Table or gain his freedom?

 

The movie can’t seem to make up its mind. It’s like what happens when one writes does a first draft, and then a different writer takes over. You end up sensing two distinct voices in the final product.

 

Chapter 4 begins with Wick out to destroy the Table, and then part-way through he seems to switch to just trying to win freedom through a duel with Table representative The Marquis.

 

The most obvious reason for the mix of motivations was a change in future plans. I think they began with the idea Chapter 4 would be the last one. But as they were creating it, the decided they needed to keep this world around for another potential movie and possibly a spin off. Therefore, they couldn’t actually allow John Wick to destroy the entire world. If this is the case, it’s a slight to the art, as it absolutely effects the quality of the movie.

 

Even with story and length issues, the reason we go to see John Wick movies is the action. If that’s what you’re into, Chapter 4 delivers.