The Plot
John Wick: Chapter 4 follows the story of Wick finding a way to defeat The High Table. However, before he can do so, he must confront familiar faces from across the world looking to cash in on the big bounty on his head. Keanu Reeves returns to what has become one of his most memorable and iconic roles. Martial arts icon Donnie Yen (Ip Man) and Bill Skarsgård join the mayhem for the longest entry in the action franchise yet.
The Critique
There is quite a lot to unpack within this film, which is both good and bad; but I’ll start with the good. One of the things that have made this franchise so successful is dedicating themselves to having some great fight sequences, and this film has some downright incredible moments of combat (especially the ones with Donnie Yen) that will have your jaw on the floor. We see director Chad Stahelski’s creative use of the camera several times, but it particularly stands out the as we see a beautiful aerial shot of a fight that will have your jaw on the floor.
Also Read: The Circle Is Complete: John Wick: Chapter 4 Gives Keanu Reeves His Own Puppy Assassin
A few other components that worked for me were adding two characters. Bill Skarsgård plays our villain in the movie and knocks it out of the park. He is a formidable foe that is easy to hate and root against. Shamier Anderson as Tracker is the other, is something different. We see him and his dog trek around the world to be in the hunt to cash in on the bounty of John Wick, and watching him throughout only made me want an origin story for his character. My only bone to pick about either of these new additions is that we didn’t get enough story to understand why they were the way there were.
Speaking of story, the script is very weak, and the franchise suffers from fatigue and losing what made these movies special. Yes, these films have gone the same path as Fast and Furious, where we have a relatively simple first one, but as each movie progresses, it becomes way more over the top than the last one. It wouldn’t be a problem if you started the wild sequences in the first film and we moved forward, but instead, the third act becomes a comedy, and not in a good way.
The run time was a massive issue, and I felt every bit of the almost three-hour film. When watching John Wick: Chapter 4, I looked down at my watch several times and couldn’t believe how much time was left in the movie, which is never a good sign. Furthermore, you find so much dialogue that could’ve easily been cut. That dialogue was rough at times, too, with some cheesy one-liners that made me audibly sigh.
In Conclusion
Overall, John Wick: Chapter 4 is an objectively bad movie with some strong components. I do believe audiences will eat this film up and enjoy it, which is always a good thing. But for me, it’s far too long, filled with nonsense for dialogue, but some rather incredible action moments that satisfy at least that urge. I am glad (or hope) that this franchise has come to an end because John Wick: Chapter 4 was a huge letdown.
6/10
Follow us for more entertainment coverage on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
