John Wick: Chapter 4 Review: Beautiful symphony of destruction

In the three previous installments, John Wick has had to pull story punches at certain turns to keep the series moving. For each step, John takes toward overthrowing the High Table, there’s always someone or something standing in the way. In Chapter 4, Director Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves empty the clip.

The ultimate big bad is revealed, new characters threaten to steal the show and the action, set in some of the most gorgeous locations on earth, continues to set new standards for action cinema.

Bill Skarsgård is fantastic as Marquis. He sits at the head of the table. Similar to many of the villains, Marquis only abides by the rules when it suits him. He thinks he’s smarter than everybody by trying to stay above the fray, which makes his inevitable comeuppance all the more satisfying.

Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanada and Shamier Anderson shine in supporting roles with Yen’s Caine nearly stealing the movie from Wick at times. Nearly is the key point. Reeves has never been better at playing the boogeyman on a mission, John Wick. His ability to move forward through wave after wave of adversaries is pure videogame fun in live-action form.

The action setpieces are the best in the series. Every sequence is brimming with creativity. Whether Wick is squaring off against foes in Osaka, Berlin or Paris, every scene is a gorgeous, unrelenting explosion of violence.

Without a doubt, Chapter 4 is the most cartoonish film in the franchise. The amount of damage Wick can withstand is superhuman and quite frankly not believable.

Chapter 4 is also the longest in the franchise, but the long runtime allows for the scenes featuring Sanada, Yen, Skarsgård and Reeves to breathe.

Overall, Chapter 4 is a fitting end to the John Wick franchise and one of the best films of 2023 so far.

With the overview out of the way, let’s dive into the elements that stand out in John Wick: Chapter 4. The other John Wick films are available to stream Peacock.

New friends of John Wick

Stahelski, screenwriters Shay Hatten and Michael Finch introduce multiple new characters with ties to Wick’s past.

The most prominent is Caine (Yen). Similar to Willem Dafoe‘s character in the 1st film, Caine and Wick were friends before Wick’s sabbatical. Dafoe’s character in Wick could afford to be loyal since he didn’t have any family ties. Caine has a daughter to care for and is under Marquis’s thumb. He agrees to take the assignment. There isn’t a better martial artist on screen than Yen (Andrew Koji‘s doing his best to test that title). Yen’s performance is also terrific and in one film he cultivates a rich character worthy of multiple films in this universe.

When Chapter 4 begins, John heads to Osaka. He’s friends with Osaka Continental Hotel Manager Shimazu (Sanada). Despite his capable daughter Akira’s apprehension, he remains loyal to John. Caine leads a group of Marquis’s men to the hotel and lays siege. Caine doesn’t want to hurt Shimazu, but can’t let Wick escape. The brief nonviolent scenes between Sanada and Reeves goes a long way to showcasing the bond between these two friends.

The Tracker

A third major adversary is introduced in Chapter 4. He’s simply known as Tracker (Anderson). Along with his dog, he’s able to track (hence the name) Wick to the Osaka Continental and everywhere else Wick travels.

He’s connected enough to The High Table to know what the rules are, but follows his own code. During the raid at the hotel, Tracker actually picks off Marquis’s men. Not for Wick’s benefit, but to raise the price and force Marquis to up the reward amount.

Tracker doesn’t get as much time in the spotlight as Caine or Marquis. However, Anderson’s performance once again sets him up to have a larger role to play in this universe. He also earns the biggest laugh in the film during the 3rd act.

The Duel

Chapter 4 builds up a big confrontation between Marquis and Wick.

Marquis starts the film angry with Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (Lance Reddick) for their failure in Parabellum. They were supposed to kill John, but he survived. Marquis responds by condemning the New York City Continental and destroying Winston’s hotel.

After surviving in Japan, John makes it back to New York City. Winston reveals John can challenge Marquis to one-on-one combat and earn his freedom. In order to be granted a high enough station to warrant issuing the challenge, John must reconnect with his Belarusan family.

After John’s challenge is accepted, the two adversaries meet in Paris where all the arrangements are made. Harbinger (Clancy Brown) explains the rules. John and Marquis will draw cards over the course of three rounds. The higher card gets to choose a particular stipulation like time of day, weapons and mercy. They also can choose a No.2 person. John chooses Winston, while Marquis chooses Caine.

The duel won’t take place until the next day at sunrise. John wanted the duel to take place immediately but lost to Marquis when choosing that stipulation. Marquis uses the extra time to put the largest bounty possible on Wick’s head. After all, if Wick can’t make it to the duel, then a duel doesn’t need to take place.

Every time this franchise introduces a new wrinkle it works. In the 3rd film, they establish the importance of blood oaths. In Chapter 4, this concept of one-on-one combat is different, yet close enough to similar setups to understand the rules. Since the first film, Stahelski has never over-explained, which allows the audience to feel emersed in this surreal world.

John Wick: Chapter 4 final thoughts

John Wick’s latest entry is probably the best in the franchise. Marquis is a great villain. Wick’s motivation as a protagonist is clear. New characters are introduced in a way that enhances the world instead of cluttering it up. Simply put, there’s no stopping Baba Yaga.

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