John Wick 4

Synopsis

John Wick is looking to take out the high table after they hunted him down again. However, the High Table is calling in all of their chips to take him out.

Review

For the first time, we see the John Wick isn't just Baba Yaga. He has friends and they are there to support him in his quest. I know Winston was his friend, but at the end of the last movie there was some ambiguity to that. I say all this to point out the evolving story telling in this series.

The acting and fighting are awesome. Keanu continues to kick ass in this series and with the introduction of Donnie Yen and Hiroyuki Sanada this is just a power house of martial arts relishing the tradition they are based in. Skarsgard is the one that is weird here, as his french accent feel more stereotypical French rather than actual. I mean he sounds/acts like I would if I was attempting to be a French overlord. He is a giant and does a great job, but he is the weird part.

The settings are awesome, from Osaka, the Desert, and the Paris stairs fight scenes are absolutely steeped in perfection. I am a big fan of the fight scenes in the Osaka Continental as it is true a master class of explained continuity. What I mean by that, is something I wanted to call out any way. Donnie Yen's character, Caine, is blind. He and the story do a great job of showing how he fights while being blind without the introduction of "Just cause" story telling. Specifically he uses motion sensor door bells to know where the bad guys are coming and attack in that direction. It is a true hero moment for the writers in thinking this through so that way he wasn't just blind as a description element. He really uses it to his advantage.

One of the last things I want to mention is the camera work. There is a scene that is a one shot of at least 5 minutes from a top down angle like an old video game with Dragon's Breath round shotguns. It is stunning.

My Rating

Love this move. Saw it opening weekend and as again as soon as it came to digital. This a "high octane" movie with lots of love. It is a 9 only because Skarsgard is a little stiff and the move itself is just a tad long in pacing.

Parental Rating

Language is there along with the violence, but not thrown into the story for effect. This is a John Wick film so there is gore, but not gore of lingering death. Dad is 100% in. Mom is not. While there is a wholesome point to 4 movies of violence, it isn't the plot framework that is push forward. Approved by Dad, rejected by Mom.