John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

 

6/10

Starring

Keanu Reeves

Donnie Yen

Bill Skarsgård

Laurence Fishburne

 

Directed by Chad Stahelski

 

As a fan of the franchise, it was nice to see something that felt like the end. It’s not like I wouldn’t line up to see a part 5, but the whole battle with the High Table seemed like it needed closure, and this was okay for me.

The movie is too long. I think a slimmed-down version would have made it perfect. Yes, there’s nothing cooler than seeing Keanu Reeves in a suit dishing out badass moves and showing off his gun-shooting skills against the bad guys. But the movie stretched these scenes out a lot. Whenever these sequences come up, get ready for very elongated shootouts and fight scenes.

That aside, there’s a lot to love about this movie—and a lot to dislike. The introduction of new, complex characters from Wick’s past didn’t work for me, but the added depth to existing characters did. The franchise brought in new world-building rules, which I wasn’t a fan of, but I did appreciate the effort to tie up some loose ends.

In John Wick 4, our lead goes all out to stop the High Table, only to realize there’s a better way to get what he wants than endless shooting and killing. John is no longer running from the Table; instead, he’s decided to go after them. He starts by killing one of the High Table members, which brings the full wrath of the Table down on him. They begin by sending a strong message to John’s allies: Winston, the manager of the New York Continental, is rendered homeless when they destroy his hotel.

Then, they go after another Continental in Osaka, which belongs to one of John’s friends. They also bring in Caine (Donnie Yen), a blind assassin and an old friend of John’s. The Table has something on Caine and uses it to force him to go after John.

Winston eventually finds John and convinces him to stop the cycle of endless violence. Instead, they decide to use the rules of the High Table against them.

The movie is fun and ends in a way that lets us breathe a little before seeing John pick up a gun and go on another killing spree (if that ever happens).

I don’t know what the future plans are for the franchise. There’s been a lot of talk about spin-offs, some focused on female assassins. Personally, I’d appreciate a break from this world. If it’s not John picking up the gun for a new adventure, I don’t think I’d be as engaged in watching another “badass.” I also wonder what new reason they’ll come up with to make the next killer mad enough to keep this going.

This franchise has had its run. This movie isn’t as fun as the others, and there were boring moments creeping in. The character development and world-building felt more convoluted, making me worry that the writer and studio, in their push to keep making money, have stretched the series too far. It should have ended with this third film.