John Wick Chapter Four (2023)

The kevlar-suited master assassin returns for his fourth (and possibly) final film.   Yes Keanu Reeves has once again returned as the titular John Wick, this time on a mission to seek out his freedom by taking on the "High Table."  He's a man on the run with very few options......but at least he has some necessary allies returning this time as well, once again played by Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, and the late, great Lance Reddick.  He also has a new villain in his sights who's determined to take him out played by Bill Skarsgard along with a new physical adversary played by the legendary Donnie Yen.  What results are even more locations and more crazy set-pieces this time around.....once again directed by former stuntman Chad Stahelski.  Yeah I'm thinking he's back! ;) 

Host: Geoff Gershon
 
 Editors: Geoff and Ella Gershon

Producer: Marlene Gershon

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Transcript

JOHN WICK CHAPTER FOUR - 2023

Directed by Chad Stahelski

Starring Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Hirokyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, and Lance Reddick

Genre: Action Epic (Audio clip)

John Wick Chapter 4 is the ULTIMATE incarnation of video game-as-movie with a dizzying array of characters, locations, setpieces, newly discovered weapons, big bosses, power-ups, apparent cheat codes, and more NPC's than you can swing a nun-chuck at. :) It runs a blisteringly paced 160 minutes with enough stand-out action sequences to fill out three or four movies and BARELY enough plot to sustain one....and I mean barely! The body count is astoundingly high and yet it maintains its humanity with several winning performances plus a surprising ending which lands just perfectly.

On paper, this movie just should not work nearly as well as it does thanks to several attributes I just described. Over the past several years from Once Upon A Time in Hollywood to The Batman to Midsommar to The Irishman to that latest Avatar...it has been a MAJOR sticking point for me to see every studio and a variety of super-talented filmmakers just struggle to pull off relatively straightforward genre movies within reasonable runtimes. :/ It's been disappointing to even witness living legends like Scorcese or Cameron weakening the impact of their stories by just being UNWILLING to make any hard choices when it comes to editing. And even though that seems to be the case here with directed Chad Stahelski, it's hard for me to fault him because everything moves, is incredibly well choreographed, and looks AMAZING

The artistry is up there on the screen every moment from a extended sword battle in Osaka to an extended dance club gunfight in Berlin....and from a physical acting standpoint, Keanu is clearly giving it his all. He's charismatic as always as the titular Wick though from a pure character/acting performance standpoint, he might very well be the least interesting on-screen as his character just isn't given THAT much to do. I mean there IS an emotional throughline here for his character and it leads to an effective ending but pretty much all of that emotion is derived from what we've seen him experience in previous sequels....mainly the first one.

And that's probably why for me, this film DID drag a bit in the middle despite some impressive choreography and stuntwork featured during that Berlin sequence AND martial arts extraordinare Scott Atkins as an oversized Eastern European goon threatening Wick. :) Yup Atkins is hamming it up under gobs of Dick Tracy-villain-like makeup and it works. As does the rest of the supporting cast including some real banger performances from genre veterans Hiroyuki Sanada and Clancy Brown with prominent roles, a strong return from Ian McShane as Winston the head of the ill-fated Continental Hotel, and the return of key character who I’ll get to in just in a bit.  

The true standouts of the cast are each technically antagonists...Pennywise up-and-comer Bill Skarsgard as the elegantly venal Marquis who is head of the high table and DETERMINED to take down John Wick....along with two hit-men hired by him to do the dirty work, Caine and Mr Nobody. Mr Nobody is played by Canadian relative newcomer Shamier Anderson who is a KICK to watch as a generally laid back but effectively lethal tracker whose dog proves to be an invaluable partner - every Wick movie needs to have one stand-out canine performance right? :)

And as played by the legendary Donnie Yen, his blind assassin Caine proves to be the true heart of the movie - we are introduced early on to the daughter he is determined to protect which actually provides HIS character with the highest emotional stakes in this particular story. Besides delivering the expected series of blisteringly fast and fluid moves to every one of his fight scenes, Yen is also adept at bringing a droll wit to the proceedings....especially the exasperated way with which he helps Wick fight through a small army of goons during an bone-crunching extended outdoor stairway during the third act.

Speaking of that third act.....it takes place entirely in Paris and pretty much saves the movie. ;) Yup there was a point at roughly 100 minutes in when I found myself thinking, "Ok that's all great....but this is dragging, where is this thing going??" And then Stahelski kicks off the final act in Paris with a framing device which DIRECTLY rips off/homages The Warriors and I was gleefully on board again. :) (Stahelski KNOWS his audience clearly) And I mean REALLY on-board as the last hour of this movie comprises four distinct setpieces which are not only gloriously entertaining but adeptly build on each other - it's truly bravura top-of-the-line blockbuster filmmaking not pulled off THIS exquisitely since Mad Max Fury Road!

From what I can gather, this is expected to be THE last John Wick film....to be followed by spin-offs involving other characters of course. And I truly hope that is the case as not only do I see no further directions they could take this character.....but for truly jaw-dropping action, I doubt they could top themselves. Overall this movie is a bit unwieldy but for all action blockbusters to come, the bar has TRULY been raised!

Best Needledrop (best song cue or score used throughout runtime of film): 

Regarding that framing device from The Warriors….yes we DO hear a DJ suddenly providing slightly coded running commentary on the action and it’s glorious.  Of course that brings up some obvious questions:

-        Here in 2023, are folks in Paris STILL listening to terrestrial radio and if so, how can be sure that so many assassins from this secret society are actually tuning in?  Beyond that, why would a local station in Paris be broadcasting in English?

-        And if it’s not standard radio, is this just a live-stream being fed to ONLY this society of assassins and if so….would they REALLY be actively listening to it while out on assignment attempting to kill a $20 million target like John Wick?? 

Well no matter because it’s a VERY cool beat to add to this portion of the movie….kind of even ups the stakes a bit.  And the first song that we hear from this DJ?  Well it’s yet ANOTHER cover of the seminal 1965 pop song from Martha and the Vandellas, “Nowhere to Run” – both the original version of this catchy ditty and remade versions have been heard in MANY movies going back decades including Good Morning Vietnam, previous episode Days of Thunder, AND…..most prominently, it is the first song announced by the DJ near the beginning of The Warrior….hence taking this homage even further, we hear it over a pretty dazzling action sequence taking place around the Arc de Triomphe which I’ll get to in just a bit.  THIS version is probably a bit folksier and laid back sounding but still nice….it’s performed up-and-coming LA-based singer-songwriter Lola Colette.  (Audio clip) 

And beyond that, I DO appreciate that we once again hear a reprise of the original official John Wick theme music by composer Tyler Bates who returns to score this film after doing the previous three….we hear this theme throughout the movie in various forms including one incorporating acoustic guitar at key dramatic points. (Audio clip) 

Wasted Talent (most under-utilized talent involved with film):

This fourth chapter of the Wick saga also sees the return of Charon, the witty and debonair main desk concierge of The Continental hotel in New York City….played by Lance Reddick who sadly just unexpectedly passed away last month at the age of 60.  SUCH an unexpected loss as Reddick was certainly one of our most charming charismatic character actors who most rose to prominence around 20 years ago with his recurring role as Cedric Daniels on “The Wire” a principled member of the Baltimore Police Department who we witness rise up the ranks from Lieutenant all the way up to Commissioner through the lifespan of the show.  He just delivered such a fine performance in this role with a consistent regal presence and clipped way of speaking which was a nice contrast to many of the looser-sounding characters on that show.  (Audio clip)

And he has been a great fixture in the John Wick movies – definitely among my favorite characters in the franchise - likely most prominently when we are introduced to him in the first movie and we actually get to see him get in on the action in Chapter Three…..and SADLY he’s just kinda underused in this latest sequel.  I’m sure that wasn’t the intention of the filmmakers nor could they have known that he would pass away shortly before the release – I mean WOW he was on the press tour doing interviews for this movie just two weeks ago as of the recording of this episode….but yeah, his character gets killed off relatively early in the movie though at least not before seeing him deliver one more grace note.  Just a shame and I MIGHT be wrong here but I had heard that there was some kind of tribute to him at the end of the movie….if there was, I missed it disappointingly.  If there wasn’t, well there should have been but regardless Mr. Reddick is a unique talent who will be missed.  Rest in Peace Lance and may your business ALWAYS be conducted on Continental grounds. (Audio clip) 

Trailer Moment (scene or moment that best describes this movie):

Now back to that final hour taking place in Paris, it’s wall-to-wall action and impressive actions at that.  And as far as I'm concerned, the standout set-pieces are back-to-back:

1) A fluidly executed car-chase/bumper car brawl situated on the roundabout around the Arc de Triomphe which just has to be seen to be believed....so many LITERAL moving parts including stunt-men, moving vehicles, AND a dog. 😆 It's akin to the pile-up climax of The Blues Brothers blended with one of the 3rd act gonzo brawls from Matrix Reloaded....but even more impressive.

2) And then JUST as we couldn't imagine Stahelski possibly topping himself any further....he does with an extended ONE-shot setpiece set inside a nearby mansion following Wick both evading and taking out rival assassins with a new incendiary weapon ALL shot from directly overhead taking us from room-to-room, clearly separated by walls that we can only see the outlines of. This is all presented with the sort of crisp precision you would expect from.....you guessed it....a video game. :)

Each of these sequences ALONE are just worth the price of admission, they’re that good!

MVP (person or people most responsible for the success of this film): 

The obvious choice from most would likely be Keanu and I get why as his presence and appeal is of course a critical driver for the success of this franchise.  But make no mistake this is a director’s movie and I have to tip my cap to Chad Stahelski for orchestrating SO much well-choreographed chaos on a roughly $90 million budget.  

It’s already well known that Stahelski is a former stuntman/stunt coordinator who also served as the stunt double for Reeves during the original Matrix trilogy – as directed of each of these four Wick films, he has clearly brought that mindset and acumen to the table, it’s ALL up there on the screen this time around as well!  Not only is he getting best possible work from seasoned on-screen martial arts performers like Reeves, Donnie Yen, and Scott Adkins but just for this film, he adeptly managed a crew of around 35 stunt performers some of whom died TWENTY times on-screen even.  

Yes much of it might feel akin to a video game and much of the action does reach ridiculous heights at times…..including for our main character who I’m pretty sure would have died several times over in a real-life WELL before the climax as a result of being hit by moving cars around a half dozen times when he wasn’t tumbling down more than 40 to 50 concrete steps in one key scene.  Regardless, almost everything we are seeing on screen is shot in camera and it FEELS real….so real at times that it kind of feels INSPIRED at times akin to the legendary on-screen physical hijinks seen around a hundred years ago by the likes of Buster Keaton.  For directing one of the most deliriously entertaining action films of recent years, Chad Stahelski is the MVP. (Audio clip)   

Final Rating: 4.5 stars out of 5

I remain an avid fan of this franchise and certainly consider this movie to be a worthy final entry, not as good as the first one, definitely better than the third one, and probably on par with the second one….maybe even a tad better just based on sheer spectacle and the more satisfying ending for this fourth entry.  The length is an issue but there are still no shortage of banger sequences which make this film worthy of being seen on the BIGGEST screen possible!

Now Playing in Theaters

And that ends another BONE-CRUNCHING review!