John Wick: Chapter 4 – Keanu Reeves returns with guns blazing
Keanu goes toe-to-toe with Donnie Yen in a creatively violent action spectacular
Keanu Reeves is back as John Wick, the fatalistic hitman, as he embarks on a world tour of badassery, with stops in Osaka, Berlin, and Paris.
IT’S been almost four years since Keanu Reeves was last on the big screen as the violently un-retired master killer-for-hire, John Wick.
A showcase of top-tier action filmmaking and the actor’s own physical prowess, this latest instalment delivers some all-time great action sequences and a satisfying story.
After being unwillingly sucked back into the dangerous underworld of assassins over the course of the series, Wick has to confront his bloody past to truly be free of it. So to escape from a life of killing, he has to kill a whole lot more people.
The narrative of these movies, while not bad at all, has only gotten more convoluted since the first John Wick, when he went on a rampage on the men who killed his dog (it’s hard to think of a simpler hook to a movie). They definitely run on vibes instead of precise plotting.
With a bulletproof suit and a gun in his hand, John Wick is nigh unstoppable. – Pic courtesy of Warner Bros
The first half of the (2 hour and 49 minutes) film is bogged down in lore dumps and overlong exposition, which will probably be confusing if you haven’t been paying attention or are not up-to-date with the John Wick universe.
But really, the story can always be boiled down to Keanu going all one-man-army on waves of henchmen and hitmen, dispatching them with guns, knives, his bare hands, a book, and even a pencil, among many other things.
As Wick, a man of few words who prefers to speak through action, Keanu is in his element.
The first movie was a surprise hit that harnessed the actor’s innate likeability (they killed his dog!), as well as his dedication to martial arts and to doing as many of his own stunts as possible – the latter trait he shares with fellow ageless star Tom Cruise.
(From left) The antagonists, Caine (Donnie Yen), the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård), and Chidi (Marko Zaror), think they have what it takes to take down Wick. – Pic courtesy of Warner Bros
This time, the big bad is the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård), representing the High Table, the shadowy organisation pulling the strings behind everything. Wick needs to defeat him in a classic duel to extinguish his demons.
Unfortunately, in addition to an army of expendable bad guys, the Marquis has Caine (Donnie Yen) on his side.
Generally wasted whenever he appears in a Western film, the Hong Kong action legend (Ip Man himself!) gets to cook in Chapter 4. As a blind assassin, he is pretty much the co-lead of the movie and is given plenty of time to show off his skills with incredible action scenes.
He also balances Keanu’s glumness with a comedic glint, getting to say the funniest line of the movie.
Erstwhile allies Akira (Rina Sawayama) and Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada) make for a lethal combination. – Pic courtesy of Warner Bros
Speaking of which, that is where this film excels, with some of the best action filmmaking in years for a Hollywood blockbuster. It’s just so refreshing to actually be able to tell what’s going on and seeing people actually hit each other in wide shots that don’t immediately cut away.
When Keanu goes on a rampage with a pair of nunchuks it’s all there on the screen to enjoy.
Directed by former stuntman Chad Stahelski (who also helmed the last three John Wicks), who has gotten better and better with staging the action and the movie’s visual scale. While the first John Wick was set in New York and was mainly gun-based, the sequels expanded the types of action and the locations, with Chapter 4 going to Osaka, Berlin and Paris.
On one side is a guy in full armour and an automatic weapon, on the other side is a man armed with a couple of short sticks. One of them isn’t making it out alive. – Pic courtesy of Warner Bros
While the action in the first half was solid – all the bad guys in full armour gets repetitive after a while – it truly goes up a notch in the second half, ending on a streak of all-time great setpieces with a run-and-gun battle at a roundabout at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris being one of the standouts.
For action fans and fans of Keanu and Donnie, John Wick: Chapter 4 delivers everything and more.
Yes, the story can get a bit overwrought with all the repetitive talk of the High Table and the seemingly random rules of this secret world that make no sense, but if you want to see some serious ass-kicking done by the best, accept no substitutes.
BY Haikal Fernandez
source – The Vibes
