After the grueling three-chapter saga of legendary hit man John Wick, Keanu Reeves returns in his incumbent role as the man seeking vengeance. The story began in 2014 with a simplistic, monochromatic man on the hunt in a world dominated by a layer of ruthless killers and underworld luxury.
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Escalating quickly in tempo as well as body counts, Chapters 2 and 3 of John Wick reinvigorated the paradoxical morality of the assassin as he is time and again brought out of retirement to fight for honor and survival. Almost a decade later, Chapter 4 holds the rein of the saga as it hurtles toward either a soaring success or a crash-and-burn riding on the profits of its predecessors.
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Keanu Reeves Performs His Own Stunts For John Wick 4
In a recent interview, John Wick: Chapter 4 cast, Rina Sawayama speaks about the brutal process of John Wick’s frontman, Keanu Reeves, and his regimen to keep in shape for the next on-the-run assassin movie. She talks about their shared experience on set and Reeves doing his own stunts:
“Keanu just has such an ordinariness about him – he’s really down to earth, he’s someone who is so chilled and lovely – just great to hang out with like he’s a family member. My favorite memory is looking over to him while we were both training in the same gym and being like, ‘Fuck!’
That was one of my faves – [training] was just so brutal! I loved sharing that moment with him – we were both like, ‘This is horrible.’ But I can’t compare to what he’s done – he’s in the whole movie and I am in a portion of the movie. I don’t know how he does it – he does all his own stunts!”
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The Sufferings of the Man Sent to Kill the Baba Yaga
Director Chad Stahelski reveals the formula that attracts the audience and makes them keep coming back to the uphill battle for the redemption of John Wick. Be it the much-awaited pencil massacre or the bone-chilling introduction of Mr. Wick as the legend who hunts the boogeyman, one thing is for sure, it is not human sadism that keeps us wanting more of this bloody story.
“We keep finding new and interesting ways to have John Wick suffer. That’s where the action comes from. Figure out how to make him suffer, and then design backward. We do it chapter by chapter. Just like an author; write the chapter, scratch head, write next chapter.”
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Undoubtedly, that is one way of doing it. The trauma of someone losing everything and holding on to the tether of their past life via a dog is not a subject of memes. The dog has become a symbol. A representation of all that can be good and possible. But, cinema does not become cinematic until there is a martyr, and in this case, the suffering of John Wick provides the proverbial head on a platter.
“I think Chapter 4 is a good continuation of all three previous films, and it’s got a bit of a conclusion to it, which is great. We introduce a ton of new characters that have a lot to say about John Wick from his past and from, obviously, present. I think it’s brotherhood, it’s hope. It’s what the life would really be like as a bit of an existential crisis with John, and I think that’s the fun part of the movie.”
John Wick: Chapter 4 is all set to release on 24 March 2023.
Source: ComicBook
