Film: John Wick, Chapter 4 (2023)

Reading time: 4 minutes...

Off to the local Odeon this afternoon with Jo and Janet to see the fourth (and final?) Chapter of the John Wick movie franchise.

Imaginatively titled ‘John Wick Chapter 4‘, it stars ‘man of few words’ Keanu Reeves who we’d last seen in Matrix Resurrections back in January, 2022.

(and what a pile of pretentious nonsense that was! 😟)

Anyway, back to KR’s latest – John Wick Chapter 4. What can we expect? Well, if you’re looking for a multi-layered plot, with award-winning dialogue then you’re in the wrong place! Just go for the expertly choreographed fight scenes in a simple good vs evil storyline. Rumour has it, KR spoke fewer than 400 words across the whole movie, but the other rumour (that the whole thing was sponsored by Elastoplast) are untrue! 😉

And, as the actress said the Bishop… “It’s the longest I’ve ever seen!” 😉. At a whopping 169 minutes, it is indeed the most bladder-testing in the John Wick franchise. How the heck they can make this fight-a-thon last that long? Well, they did! — and it seems all those that have officially reviewed the film have had nothing but praise for this latest fisticuff frenzy! Even the Daily Telegraph! So, that either means it’s another Matrix Resurrections… (King’s New Clothes and all that!) or we three are all in for an enjoyable Sunday afternoon!

Wick-ipedia

But first, some Wick-History! In 2014, cinema-goers were enthralled (based on the box office takings) by the first of the John Wick ‘Chapters’. Ultra violent and with a storyline as thin as Mrs Thinny from Thinnbury Drive, Thinsville, it did surprisingly well. The technical phrase, I guess, would have been ‘high octane cinema’, but to the rest of us, it was simply an orgy of well-choreographed uber-violence, punchtuated 😉 by the occasional dialogue – sometimes even stretching to THREE syllable words. Plus a loveable dog!

Many think it helped Keanu Reeves resurrect his career (his dog wasn’t so lucky!)

Chapter 4 eventually hit cinemas worldwide almost a week ago – on Friday, 24 March. I say eventually, because this fourth adventure was initially set for a May 2021 release, but COVID and the main star’s commitments with another project — The Matrix Resurrections — delayed things. With a budget of $100m, there’s little doubt it’ll cover its costs (and some) by the time this latest outing has done the rounds.

Does it matter if you haven’t seen any of the previous three movies? Well, it helps a little with continuity – especially during the first 30 minutes-or-so whilst characters are re-established, and the scene is set. It certainly explains why there’s so much shooting/stabbing/maiming/gouging/burning/slicing/exploding/gonad chewing* going on! But in the grand scheme of things, it all sits well as a standalone.

*Delete as applicable…. actually don’t bother, it’s got them all! 😊

Takings to date for the franchise indicate that Chapter 4 will eclipse all those that went before (remember, Chapter 4 has only been out for just a week!)

John Wick ($43m)
John Wick – Chapter 2 ($92m)
John Wick – Chapter 3 Parabellum (£171m)
John Wick – Chapter 4 ($94.7m so far!)

Credit: BoxOfficeMojo

Synopsis

“With the price on his head ever increasing, legendary hit man John Wick takes his fight against the High Table global as he seeks out the most powerful players in the underworld, from New York to Paris to Japan to Berlin“.

It’s always been about the body count across these four movies rather than the ‘big message’ – and yes, someone HAS counted them! (not me!). Thanks ScreenRant and GeekTyrant. Here we go then…
John Wick = 77
John Wick – Chapter 2 = 128
John Wick – Chapter 3 = 94
John Wick – Chapter 4 = 140

Cast & Creatives

Directed by: Chad Stahelski

Written by: Shay Hatten Michael Finch

Based on characters by: Derek Kolsta

Produced by: Basil Iwanyk Erica Lee Chad Stahelski

Music by: Tyler Bates Joel J. Richard

Edited by: Nathan Orloff

Cinematography by: Dan Laustsen

Main Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins and Ian McShane.

Any Good?

Here we are in the back row at the movies for the 1pm performance. And with just two minutes to go before ‘the off’, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Kettering-ites don’t appreciate John Wick! 😮

After the obligatory advert break, it was curtain up! As previously suggested, there are no prizes for the plot line nor the metaphysical narrative, but you’ve got to hand it to the stunt co-ordinators for a job REALLY well done. It made the James Bond movies and even the Bourne franchise look somewhat pedestrian by comparison. It was worth going just to appreciate the scene based around the Arc de Triomphe and you’ve got to feel sorry for the stuntman who fell down over 100 concrete steps (being filmed ALL the way!) 👏👏😮. Dog lovers will feel vindicated too! Give your brain the afternoon off and go see this!

The Future of Wick’s World

Many thought that the Wick’s saga would end after ‘Chapter 3’ and then along came this latest release! In fact, word is, that the whole John Wick ‘thing’ is taking a leaf from Marvel Studios and looking ahead, creating a sort of ‘John Wick Cinematic Universe’ based around the major characters.

One example, already on the cards, is the movie: Ballerina, which began filming in Prague in November 2022, and stars Blonde’s Ana de Armas as a ballet dancer seeking retribution following her family’s murder. Anjelica Huston who played the head of the Ruska Roma crime family in John Wick 3 – Parabellum, will reprise her role alongside many other familiar faces from previous JW Chapters. Additionally, I just heard the pivotal Hotel ‘The Continental’ that featured in all the JW Chapters is getting its own series, set in the 70s – a sort of prequel to all things, John Wick.

Plenty to look forward to then, but I guess fans of Shakespeare need not be concerned!😊.