If you clicked on this review, you’re probably already familiar with the John Wick film series, but just in case – here’s a primer. Chad Stahelski rose to prominence around the turn of the century thanks to his gig as Keanu Reeves‘ stunt double in the Matrix movies. Hollywood legend has it that globally well-liked good guy Keanu stayed close with Stahelski, hoping one day that they work together again.
And work together they have: the original 2014 John Wick film has spawned one of the biggest R-Rated action franchises in the world, grossing hundreds of millions of dollars across (now) four critically acclaimed releases. And that’s not even mentioning the comic series, upcoming Peacock miniseries, and proposed connected universe of movies – starting with a spin-off featuring Halle Berry’s character from John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
“None of us can escape who we are.”
Early in John Wick: Chapter 4 a character says the above to Keanu’s Wick — directly before Wick proves how right he is. This seems to be the running theme of the entire John Wick series: no matter what you do, no matter how many lives you save, spare or end, when judgement day comes — you are the sum of your deeds.
Despite this through-line of rigid inflexibility, Stahelski and his team have always allowed each successive installment of the John Wick story to build on itself. By introducing more characters, traveling to more locations (Jordan, Berlin, Paris, Osaka and “New York City” by my count), and injecting every scene with more vibrant color than we’ve seen in the first three films, John Wick: Chapter 4 does the near impossible: making the fourth film in a nearly decade-long franchise feel as fresh and innovative as the first.
Perhaps the most exciting part, for me, was the way Stahelski built on the visual language he’d established in the first three movies, which are known for their cold, neon color palettes and New York City-centric action set pieces. By injecting additional colors (the three acts are delineated by red, green, and yellow color stories, respectively) John Wick: Chapter 4 breathes new life into a series that is likely keeping the entire Western Stuntperson industry working.
But tell me, are the stunts good?
I almost never use the “Bookmarks” function on Twitter, but the other day I made an exception when I saw this post:
Shoutout to this stunt guy from John Wick 4 in particular pic.twitter.com/Lil2uebf4Y
— Ethan | Film Enjoyer (@funEman_) March 20, 2023
And yes, for the sake of this stuntperson, this does seem to be the take that made it into the film.
Asking if the stuntwork in a John Wick movie is good is like asking if the sky is blue or if Keanu Reeves is one of the sexiest men alive — yes, obviously, of course. The stunts are out of this world, and the camerawork during the action set pieces is nearly immaculate. The camera becomes a stunt performer itself, making all the hand-to-hand combat, gunplay, and nunchucks (yes, nunchucks) feel all the more immediate and visceral (occasionally literally).
Throughout the movie there are multiple times where I put my hands on my head and would’ve shouted “wow!” or cackled maniacally had I not been in public with strangers. Without giving too much away, there is a sequence in the third act where lengthy drone shots capture the mayhem like a top-down shooter before seamlessly switching back to the handheld carnage.
If you’re a fan of the John Wick franchise, this film has everything you need. If you’ve (somehow) avoided the John Wick experience thus far, checking out John Wick: Chapter 4 first might be a bit like jumping into the deep end of a piranha-infested gator and shark pool — but maybe that’s part of the fun.
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