John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

John Wick: Chapter 4 is a master class in pacing and storytelling - especially for a movie which I am sure is put together as “OK - so here is a list of action scenes we want to create, here is a list of stunts we want to do - lets wrap a plot around that”. It rides the action in waves and gives you just the right amount of time to unclinch yourself from the theater seat. Story wise, there was just one loose end - a setup I thought would pay off but ultimately doesn’t go anywhere. For that character, I hope they grow and can get on with their life.

As for the action & stunts themselves (which is why you go see a JW movie), they were really well done. The cinematography was fantastic. They were a nice blend of CGI and practical. The CGI was only obvious in a few places. In this movie world of absurdity, the CGI was appropriately absurd.

I didn’t look ahead of time to know any of the supporting cast, and so I called out “Oh cool - Clancy Brown!” when he showed up. He didn’t have enough to do, but what he got was cool. Bill Skarsgård is the main bad guy, but the real star of the show in terms of antagonists is Scott Adkins. His makeup is such that I did not recognize him during the film - I kept thinking it was Max Greenfield from “New Girl”.  I would rewatch Scott’s scenes again - he was captivating.

I think John Wick is such a compelling series because of Keanu Reeves. He somehow manages to blend "Ted" Theodore Logan, Captain America, and a somewhat worn out middle aged man into a believable hero. Ian Shane and Donnie Yen were outstanding. If I could edit out 45 seconds, I would have chopped the scene where Larry Fishburne is explaining the merits of the Keanu’s pistol. If you aren’t going to bring back Peter Serafinowicz as “The Sommelier”, don’t bother. Made me wonder if some gun manufacturer paid for product placement.

In my ranking of the Wick-a-verse, I would say #4, #2, #1, and #3 is the order from best to worst.

Oh - and I forgot to mention - John Wick uses nunchucks without once hitting himself in the head or between the legs. I guess that is another reason I knew this was movie magic.