What is a bullet in the John Wick franchise? It certainly doesn’t serve the traditional role it does in most forms of film; oftentimes, it feels like a suggestion more than anything else, an abstraction of what we conceive as a weapon or a statement of violence. At times in this quadrilogy, a gun can take on role of weapon, metaphor, and percussive device, the holy device interlocking the creative and performative qualities of the only modern action franchise worth mentioning in the same breath as Mad Max: Fury Road or the Mission:Impossible series. After three films exploring these ideas and racking up massive body counts, John Wick: Chapter 4 is a celebration of these revelations – and though it is a lumbering, near-three hour adrenaline-draining experience, contains plenty of moments worthy of
One can appreciate the lack of pretension in John Wick: Chapter 4’s production; as Keanu Reeves careens off three-story buildings, takes hundreds of bullets to his Kevlar-laden suits, and generally gets his ass kicked across four continents, John Wick 4 exists in a much different realm than the more grounded, tightly constructed world of the original. There are goofy nicknames galore, and a thick layer of expository nonsense full of assassin rules and customs that make absolutely no sense – led by a magnanimous Bill Skarsgard performance (as the film’s primary antagonist), John Wick 4 lives in a reality of its own creation, one it has increasingly inhibited in the past two films, and displays full mastery of with this fourth, and possibly final, film.
The usual lackluster plot beats, however, provide a fascinating framework that play into the film’s two biggest strengths (not named Keanu); its structure, and Donnie Yen’s role as Caine. Though John Wick: Chapter 4 bounces around quite a bit, it centers itself on three central locations: the Osaka Continental, a Berlin club, and a staircase leading to the Sacré Coeur in Paris. These three scenes (along with one other set in Paris), represent the backbone of the film, the four action set pieces with which director Chad Stahelski, Reeves, and dozens of stunt performers dazzle and impress with their continued ability to find new and fun ways to depict pain and dismemberment.
The action is obviously fantastic (though in Tokyo and Paris, waaay too drawn out in a few scenes) – what makes these scenes tick, however, is seeing our wary protagonist make his way through the different biological and found families in his world. These stories, which range from an angry young samurai to Scott Adkins in a fatsuit (trust me; it works), drop some of the ridiculousness of John Wick sequels, and tap into some of the more potent, raw emotional material often left on the sidelines of these films (and modern inflections of this genre in general). These small touches go a long way – and more importantly, set the table for Yen’s film-stealing performance as Caine.
Though I’m not one for hyperbole, indulge me for a moment – Yen’s performance as the reluctant, out-of-retirement (and blind) assassin Caine is an Oscar-worthy performance (though one that may elude him, given some of his recent comments and position within the Chinese government). The gravitas he casually brings to the role provides the film with a heart it so desperately needs, setting the tone for John Wick: Chapter 4 to be perhaps the most unique film in the series.
Putting aside some of the more superficial narrative-related origins of Caine’s character, Yen’s ability to navigate the subtle emotional beats of the film’s few quiet scenes, while also delivering a breathtaking action performance is incredible (where he really is just showing off; for those unfamiliar with the Ip Men series, Yen’s ability to make the impossible seem simple remains incredibly impressive). It brings such an unexpected pathos to the barrage of blood squirts and knuckle sandwiches, and is easily one of the finer action performances of the past decade… and hopefully, something I hope doesn’t get ground into dust with the inevitable wave of spinoffs, tie-ins and other IP nonsense to come.
John Wick: Chapter 4 definitely falters at times – most noticeably with its length; this movie needed a more stringent editor – but the trio of Yen, Reeves, and Ian McShane (with a helping hand from Rina Sawayama and Skarsgard) are more than enough to anchor what (I hope) purports to be the swan song of the series (also, fans of the Hotline Miami games – there’s a special treat for you in this one). In that regard, its frequent indulgences are a bit deserved, a film that acts as both showcase and victory lap for an underappreciated performative discipline – and of course, a fitting end for perhaps the most beleaguered, bruised protagonist in cinematic history. At that, John Wick: Chapter 4 is a pitch-perfect, a loud, vibrant, empathetic farewell for the ages.
