John Wick 4 Review

by Fanboy SEO · Published March 23, 2023 · Updated June 25, 2024

Here’s my John Wick 4 review which is directed by Chad Stahelski and stars Keanu Reeves, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Bill Skarsgard, Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada and more!

John Wick Chapter 4 Trailer

Keanu Reeves returns for the fourth time with the fresh installment and possibly the last time. John Wick Chapter 4 is all about redemption and rising up to the challenge.

Let me tell you something though, be ready for a lot because the movie’s run time is almost 3 hours; total running time is around 2 hours and 40 minutes.

There’s a ton of things to love about the movie. Chad Stahelsky has upped his game and a lot beautifully shot scenes and you’ll be remiss to not have a favorite scene from the many action scenes here.

BIG CHARACTER MOMENTS

Surprisingly there were big character developments and character moments for our boy John Wick and his supporting cast. John’s at the point where people who care for him are already asking him when will it be enough? What would it really take for him to stop what he’s doing and when will he stop. And John actually takes notice. But there’s a big difference between taking notice and doing something.

I’m always intrigued with Ian McShane’s Winston character even from the first one. The second one elevates him further and here in John Wick 4, we see him go through a complete cycle. The only bloody bummer for me is that he did not get what’s coming to him after his deceitful move in “Parabellum”.

Donnie Yen is a nice addition to this world of assassins. He plays yet another blind Asian man who can kill people easily. He does have a vague yet surprisingly understandable backstory and motivation in this film. Acting wise, it was awesome and I find it hilarious that he got some nice lines throughout the movie. I wish they did more in the final battle.

Also loved Bill Skarsgard’s character “The Marquis” as he’s clearly a rich asshole that nobody really likes but has to obey especially since he’s been ordered by “The Table” to eliminate John Wick once and for all. He nailed the bit about being a douche who will use any means necessary without having to dirty his hands.

New characters in the film can be brushed off aside like Tracker / Mr. Nobody played by Shamier Anderson who is just there to make things interesting and remind us that this whole bloody affair started with a dog. I like the dog partner here just like Fallout 4 or Remnant 2.

STUNTS!!!

I just have to applaud the stunt work for this movie. They definitely wanted to give this movie a bigger feel and grander scope so we get set pieces all over the world from the rugged desert to the bustling city of France to anywhere in between.

There were two scenes that I really really adore in this film namely that scene in the Arc de Triomph as well as the Sacre Couers complete with its 300 steps going to the top.

Action Beats

So many stuff to talk about and nitpick here so let’s do bullet points (no pun intended).

John Wick shooting “fireballs” is something I want to see every other month.
John Wick with a nunchuck
Taking out fully armored Japanese black ops assassins
John and his customized gun is a thing of beauty
Hundreds of gun-kata / gun-fu moments.
Gotta love how standard some of John Wick’s moves have become
We always got to have a rave fight scene and the one for John Wick 4 takes it up a notch.
SCOTT ADKINS!!!!!
The battle of The Continental Osaka was just too sweet!
That ingenious use of infrared doorbells as a means for a blind killer to get his targets.

Bummers

A few bummers I want to point out. I liked the ending but at the same time I kinda hated it. But from a narrative stand point, it was the only logical solutions.

Secondly I hated how short the late Lance Reddick was in here. The good side though is that while it was short, it was sweet and meaningful and that’s saying a lot considering this is an R-rated action movie.

Hiroyuki Sanada‘s role was so good that it was a major bummer the way things wrapped up for his role.