Movie Review: John Wick Chapter 4

 

Michael's Movie Grade: A-

This is about as fun as an action movie can get.

Having a near three-hour movie that is mostly made up of large action scenes sounds like something that would start to get boring and repetitive. The truth is in lesser hands such a thing might be unbearable. Yet this movie was not made in lesser hands. With this and the previous three John Wick films, former stunt double Chad Stahelski (who had actually doubled for Keanu Reeves in The Matrix (1999)) has already proven himself an excellent action movie director and anyone who has ever watched a movie knows that Keanu Reeves is a perfect action star. Add to this the return of cinematographer Dan Laustsen (who worked on the last two John Wick films) and a wonderful musical score by Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard and you have one heck of a fun ride. Much of this movie centers around large action set pieces. While these set pieces may mostly consist of John Wick killing a bunch of bad guys, they do not feel like they are simply copying one another. Each one has their own unique feel. The environments and the visual style of each one is quite different as is the one each one is shot. Many of them also have such an incredibly stylized look to them that is simply a joy for the eyes. Even with the large amount of action movies that have been made over the years, none of them quite look like the John Wick films and off the top of my head I can't think of that many that have visually impressed me anywhere near as much. This is why you need to see this on the big screen instead of waiting until it comes out on streaming. The action scenes are also wonderfully paced and choregraphed. Despite how long these scenes go on for, they never become boring. This in itself is an incredible achievement. The music, whether it be the musical score or the use of songs, always fits the action perfectly and in fact makes it even more exciting. 

While the story may not be the focus here, it does its job quite well. While it is not one with any depth or subtly, it does make one care about the characters and how the film will end. We become invested in the story just enough to make all the action scenes work to their full potential. This story also keeps this movie moving at a fast pace and by the end, it is hard to believe it has been nearly 3 hours. This film also has a wonderful sense of humor and in the stairs scene, it is hard to not simply crack a smile. 

If you also love the previous John Wick movies, this film is simply a must see.