Rating of
3.5/4
John Wick Ends with a Bang
Chris Kavan - wrote on 03/30/23
John Wick has accomplished something that is almost unheard of in my journey through filmdom: each entry has managed to be better than the last. If this is indeed the final film in this series, Chad Stahelski has ended on the high note, giving us an action franchise for the ages and a satisfying ending for all characters involved while still teasing just a bit of what is to come.
Keanu Reeves may only speak 380 words but as we know actions speak louder than words and in the world of John Wick that action is cranked up not just to 11 but off the charts. Ever since the first entry we have come to expect plenty of gun battles, car chases and melee - this fourth entry takes all that has come before it, refined it to near perfection and fires on ALL the cylinders. From a top-down sequence involving a fire-breathing shotgun to a bullet-riddled and bone-crunching battle amidst the traffic of the Arc de triomphe to the smack-down and shootout in a Berlin techno night club - many of the sequences pays homage to the past films but delivers it in a unique and satisfying way. The series also more than earns that R rating and doesn't flinch from the violence but yet doesn't feel gratuitous at all. Although the near three-hour running time had me a bit worried, the film rarely gets bogged down and flies right along.
Beyond Reeves' Wick, the film does a good job of both introducing new characters while giving existing characters a satisfying arc as well. This includes Ian McShane as Winston - who finds himself in dire straights when Wick's actions reverberate back to him and the New York Continental - Lance Reddick as Charon, who has a small but not less impactful role and, given the actor's recent and quite sudden death - is a fine coda for an actor gone too soon. Laurence Fishburne also returns as the Bowery King and just seems like he's having a good time. New characters include Caine, played by Donnie Yen, who, like Wick, wants to leave The Table behind but is brought back in - being blind doesn't hinder his combat skills one bit as he will do anything to protect his daughter. This brings us to the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård) the new villain, rich, powerful and has seemingly unlimited resources at his disposal - he is cold, calculating but arrogant as well.
Shamier Anderson is on hand as The Tracker (or Nobody as he calls himself) - a resourceful man with a notebook full of secrets, a loyal dog and a wicked gun. He's after Wick for the money, nothing more. Hiroyuki Sanada is the head of the Osaka Continental, and his daughter, Akira (Rina Sawayama) is his concierge - and both find themselves in the crosshairs when their connection to Wick is exposed. Clancy Brown is all business as The Harbinger (but just having Clancy Brown on board is good enough) and Scott Adkins dons a fat suit to play the playful villain Killa - gold teeth and inhaler included. All told, I think this lineup is one of the most solid with Yen standing out but every addition feels like it fits perfectly with the story.
Speaking of story, our plot is simple - Wick, having disrupted The Table again and again, faces a final reckoning - one which doesn't just affect him, but those who call him, if not a friend, at least an ally. All the power against him lies with the Marquis, who brings out the biggest guns he can - including calling up Caine - once Wick's friend - to hunt him down or face consequences himself. He also has to deal with another outside force in The Tracker - who is willing to do anything to cash in the hefty bounty on Wick. After bringing his fist down on both the New York and Osaka Continental locations, he thinks he has Wick on the ropes - but Winston gives Wick his one way out - challenge the Marquis to single combat and either win his freedom or die. Of course, getting there requires a bit - including calling on his estranged family to welcome him back into the fold and actually getting to the duel itself - both tasks that require him to just survive, a difficult task in this world.
Some may think the first John Wick is the best because it feels more intimate and has the better story, but I don't agree. I think each entry has built upon what has come before it - improving the action and expanding the story and characters to a better degree. Thus this (supposed) final entry is the culmination of all that has come before - and I think it ends on the perfect note, while maybe leaving things up to the audience over what the future could hold. Ambigious? Yes - but still highly satisfying in my opinion. Stick around for the end credits for a hint of where things are going in the already-announced Ballerina spinoff.
The John Wick franchise is by far my favorite action series in the modern era. In fact, outside of James Bond and Mission: Impossible it may be the only other action series I truly enjoyed. Whether this is truly the end or not - John Wick 4 is just about everything I wanted and if you have watched the previous entries, this is the cherry on top.
