In the first minute of John Wick, Chapter Four John Wick kills four guys. Symbolic? John Wick has killed 299 Bad Guys in the first three John Wick movies. I stopped counting the bodies in this latest movie when I hit 100. And the movie had an hour more to go!
The High Table, a cartel of criminals and assassins, decides to punish The Manager (Ian McShane) for assisting John Wick by removing his hotel. The Marquis (Bill Skarsgard)–who rules The High Table–puts a $20 million dollar bounty on John Wick. The action shifts to Osaka where one of the most marvelous and stylized battle scenes on film takes place. The Continental, managed by John Wick’s friend, Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his daughter Akira (singer Rina Sawayama), gets attacked by High Table henchmen. Choreographed violence erupts!
The High Table has also enlisted the blind assassin, Caine (Donnie Yen), to kill John Wick. The wild card in this plot is a tracker called “Mr. Nobody” (Shamier Anderson) who will locate John Wick for The High Table…for a price. Mr. Nobody’s dog steals the show!
The action moves to Berlin where John Wick has to take on criminal kingpin in order to get reestablished in his Family. The final scenes take place in Paris where John Wick is hunted by an army of mercenaries eager to collect the bounty. Wick has to climb 222 steps–defended by dozens of killers–to the Sacre-Coeur where he has a duel with Destiny.
If you’re a John Wick fan, you’ll find this latest movie the best of the bunch! Director Chad Stahelski and scriptwriters Shay Hatten and Michael Finch…and of course Keanu Reeves, all deserve top grades! GRADE: A
Can I see this without seeing the first three?
Patti, yes. The premise is simple: a criminal organization wants to kill John Wick. John Wick just wants to retire from his career as a killer. The movies all a ballets of violence.
Is Halle Berry in it?
Of course we’ll see it. We loved the first three. They always make me think of Bill.
Jeff, Bill Crider loved John Wick movies. I know he would have loved JOHN WICK, CHAPTER FOUR…the best of the bunch!
There’s kind of a built-in spolier here. He’s the hero so he can’t be killed because if he were, that would put him in the past tense, and Wick-ed is just something a hero cannot be.
And if the series has a message, it’s be nice to dogs.
Jerry, the dog in this movie steals every scene it’s in. Just like the WICKED musical, John Wick defies gravity.
Yeah, when they killed his dog in the first movie, that was the unforgivable mistake.
Jeff, the dog in JOHN WICK, CHAPTER FOUR plays a key role.
Thanks again, Jerry, for hipping us to this series of comedy/parody/film-critique sketches, this one about the first JOHN WICK (and very dog-relevant, of course):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3eNE4Gk-tA
Wicked wordplay, as fellow-former Bostonians/areans would note.
I loved the first three, and this one is definitely on the agenda. Seems like I’ve read that this one is really long, but my memory of them is that they were all pretty long. Hard to believe Reeves is pushing 60. I wonder how much longer he can keep this up? At least he’s getting rich.
Michael, although JOHN WICK, CHAPTER FOUR is long, it doesn’t feel long. John Wick is the ideal role for Reeves. Just pull the trigger!
Among those not quite 60, I am acutely aware that Reeves and Lenny Kravitz are essentially within a few months of being my age; happy Stephen Colbert is, as well, so I don’t feel quite as bad about my current state of physical decrepitude. Though, clearly, all those guys have more money.
Todd, as the Beatles sang: “Money can’t buy you Love.”