John Wick 4

Stuntman turned writer/director Chad Stahelski struck gold with his 2014 surprise hit John Wick. It was somewhat of a comeback for the legendary Keanu Reeves and reinvigorated the action genre. Since then it's become THE action juggernaut franchise. Now we are on number 4 and while usually things get redone with that amount of sequels, this film innovates and thrills to new heights in an absolute epic.

One of the most surprising aspects of this particular entry, is the story being written as well as it is. Something that is hard to come by in the genre at times. Not saying the others in the franchise weren't but this is easily the best story diving deeper in the high table aspects as well as John Wick's true emotions . The rich characterization is also at its best with outstanding additions like Skaarsgard, and even more screen time for supporting greats like Fishburne to compliment the magnificent Reeves. RIP Lance Reddick. It's nice to have such substance amongst the endless high octane ballistic visuals.

Speaking of ballistic, this movie goes more all out than any I've seen for insanely well crafted choreographed shootout and fight scenes. Just when you thought you've seen it all, Stahelski/Reeves prove their action minds are ever evolving. These guys were born to make action movies together.

The extremely vibrant colors and plethora of locations is also a feast for the eyes. The sharp atmospheric imagery creates the ultimate backdrop for not only the action but also just the dialogue. The sound is also top notch and perfectly compliments the intensity. It's just an absolute sensory journey that you don't get in too many action films aside from the Wick genre.

Overall the limitless and outrageous action alone is nothing like we've seen before for the genre or just cinema in general . But also this rich unique story may only build Wick's timeless character for more films in the future which at this momentum will be welcomed.

For a conclusion to a franchise (at least the Wick story arc) you'd expect story. Each movie has gotten a little further away from telling an interesting story. I even enjoyed when they layered in more of this far-fetched stuff with the high-table & continental in 2 & 3. But, we still don't know much about this world, how it was created, or who is in charge. I thought this movie would do more with this secret government for criminals, but instead this movie made those aspects of the story pointless. So many elements from the past movies were just glazed over to essentially give this movie no story. No Elder, No Winston's betrayal, No past characters except Winston & The King, No Dog, No Wife. All of those things amounted to a few 1-liners in this movie. Instead they focused on the worst aspect of 3 and multiplied it with fights that last too long, and people that need to be shot 20 times. I personally preferred the realism and tactical focus to the action of 1 & 2.

If you enjoy watching other people play video games then you'll definitely enjoy this.

There's lots of action, weapons and style - all the things we've come to expect from a John Wick film.

Of course it's ridiculous - all of them are. The mere idea that you can deflect bullets with a jacket lapel gives you an indication of how far from reality this film is. Keanu Reeves sustains what would be critical injuries half a dozen times - and shakes it off without any ill effects.

With one exception, the amount of damage a character can sustain appears to be directly related to how important they are to the story. Most of the victims in the extensive gun battles (at one point it appears Keanu Reeves is single-handedly depopulating Paris) are gone after a couple of shots. If you have a speaking part then you can take much more damage than any of the extras.

The whole idea of the "secret assassin society" only works if you don't draw attention to yourself". So having a full blown Blackwater Contracting reunion at the Arc de Triumph isn't exactly the best way of keeping things on the down low.

Throw in a Mr Chow-esque (from the hangover) character and then deciding to make him blind really shows how silly things have got. Last time I checked, gunfighting requires you to be able to at least the person you want to shoot. That said, he is at least still more convincing than Ruby Rose was.

The first John Wick film was such a hit because the audience felt a connection with his loss and wanted him to be successful seeking revenge on what were some nasty (if ineffective) bad guys. At this point I'm not really sure what John Wick is supposed to be fighting for. He just lurches from one noir styled location to the next before embarking on an unrestrained killing spree, leaving dozens dead in his wake - you wonder if these people have families.

If you liked the second and/or third film, then you'll like this. It requires little to no thought and the plot is as by the numbers as you'd expect.

That said, the action, although resembling a video game, is very well shot, there's lots of cool locations and stylish outfits. Despite the tactical nonsense and the fact that the bad guys wait in line for their turn to attack him, Keanu Reeves has genuine skill in martial arts and pistol shooting.

It's as constructive a use of time as playing 3 hours of Call Of Duty in your best suit.

By now you know what to expect from a John Wick movie. I thought the franchise was losing a little momentum in chapter 3 so I was worried this could be disappointing. It's not. It's even more on steroids than any Wick before! Even close to 3 hours it doesn't feel to long which is very special for a action movie. This franchise has set new standards. If anybody says a movie is good like John Wick, it better f'n be! The set pieces as everyone mentioned before are really insane this time. The Tokyo sceney with illuminated cherry blossoms was beautiful. The only super illogical thing that bothered me was that nobody flinched at the nightclub, eventually they did but after a whole 10 minute beatdown through the whole club, but then again it's a shady nightclub for high table people. If you liked the first three movies, get your ass to the cinema. Yeah.

I've enjoyed the entire Wick collection but this was my least favorite' The fight scenes were just way too long and usually followed immediately with another way too long fight scene. This movie felt like one long fight scene with a little dialogue mixed in. I could have done with a lot more story dialogue and a lot less fighting. The other movies felt like the fight scenes were part of the story and this one feels like they did fight scenes just to do fight scenes.

It's kinda hard to put into words but watch it, and I recommend watching it, and you'll see what I mean. You might like it a lot more than I did.