Welcome back to the blog readers. I recently saw the newest installment in the John Wick franchise, John Wick: Chapter 4, and I have a lot of thoughts about it that I want to share with you all (with no spoilers). Directed once again by Chad Stahelski, the film sees Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, the late, great Lance Reddick, and Laurence Fishburne reprising their series roles, with Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Hiroyuki Sanada, Rina Sawayama (in her acting debut), Shamier Anderson and Scott Adkins joining them. In the film, John Wick continues to find himself on the run from the High Table and attempts to find enough allies to take his revenge.
I am a massive, MASSIVE fan of this series, and I think it ties into my love for action films. It just so happens that these are slickly directed, wonderfully created, and fun as FUCKING hell. I went into this film with the same level of anticipation as the others, with this one being in my top 5 most anticipated films of the year. So now my main question is, did this film live up to my massively high expectations?
First off, I do have to say that there is one major complaint that I have with this film, and it kind of ruins the film for me. That thing is for a film that has a runtime of 2 hours and 49 minutes, it just isn't long enough. Gotchu guys, didn't I? What I am trying to say is that I love this film so much, I wish it was longer. I honestly believe that this is a flawless action film, and one of the best that I have ever seen. With action to no end, incredible characters and worldbuilding, and beautiful sound and visuals, this is the epitome of perfection.
First off, I absolutely HAVE to commend the action in this film. Chapter 4 takes an unorthodox approach to its action sequences. Normally in an action film, you would get a big set piece with some down time, a big set piece with some down time, and rinse and repeat about 4 more times until the end of the film. There are only 3 big action set pieces in this entire film, and each one is better than the last. There is a major set piece that lasts about 30-40 minutes and takes place in Osaka, one that lasts about 20-25 minutes in Berlin, and the final set piece lasts nearly the final hour of the film and takes place in Paris. The action is top-notch and even more bonkers than the last film, with some of the most creative kills I have ever seen.
Obviously these films are not acting clinics, but there are two performances that I considered to be incredible. The first of these is that of Bill Skarsgård. Bill has become a pretty good actor, he was incredible as Pennywise the Dancing Clown in It and its sequel, and he was good in the 10 minutes he was in Barbarian. He was absolutely phenomenal in Chapter 4. Playing the ultimate villain of the film, the Marquis Vincent de Gramont, he does a masterful job of making you hate his character from the get-go. And that is the mark of a great actor and a great character. Some of his facial expressions and subtle body movements make for a very compelling character.
The other performance I truly loved was that of Donnie Yen as the blind assassin Caine. He stole the show every time he was on screen and I truly felt the power that his character brought to the world. Caine is a hitman and a friend of John Wick's that gets involved in the High Table's pursuit of John in a rather heartbreaking way, and you can tell at certain points that he does not want to do what he does, but Yen plays this to perfection. It is truly amazing how he can portray a range of emotion while not showing a single ounce of it, and that right there is the mark of a fantastic actor. He also gets in some crazy and inventive action and you feel the conflict within himself.
Everybody else in the film is awesome in their own right. Keanu Reeves is as badass as John Wick as ever. Ian McShane has a lot more to do with a bigger presence, Hiroyuki Sanada is just awesome regardless of his role, Rina Sawayama pulls in a slick and beautiful performance in her acting debut. Shamier Anderson plays a conflicted bounty hunter and absolutely nails it. And Scott Adkins plays an honestly overinflated German High Table member, but it somehow works in the grand scheme of things. And Clancy Brown, my goodness. He plays the Harbinger with such a pomp and such a swagger that it almost makes you fall in love with his character. His deep-spoken voice makes for such a compelling character.
The music in this film may wind up being some of my favorite in film ever. Tyler Bated decides to blend punk rock with the feel of dubstep and I found myself enthralled from second one to the final second. The score is truly phenomenal and I hope to the God I do not believe in that this puppy gets a nomination for Best Original Score. And the two end credits songs are awesome as well. Star Rina Sawayama contributes to the score with the song "Eye For an Eye" and it could be a top 10 song of the year for me (in my top films list I'll let you know if it was), and the band In This Moment contributes with the song "I Would Die for You," another absolute banger of a song.
One final thing I want to talk about is the cinematography of this film. There are certain things that happen cinematically that absolutely took my breath away. Some shots of sunrises and viewpoints and such were monumentally gorgeous. And certain decisions that are made floored me. There are no spoilers here, so you needn't worry about being spoiled. There is an extended fight in a building. The camera starts off by following two characters but does the most unlikely thing ever. The camera lifts up and pans down and we see the action transpire top down, almost like an old video game. The camera shifts back to a POV perspective, but then does the video game look one more time. Once that happened, I had to pinch myself to see if I was dreaming up a segment like this in my head. Truly insane cinematography, and I will die if this is not nominated for cinematography at next year's Oscars.
In conclusion, John Wick: Chapter 4 levels up on almost every facet from its predecessor, whether it be characters, action, music, or cinematography, which results in a real good time at the movies that cannot be rivaled anywhere else. Thank you all so much for reading, and I will see you for the next one.
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