The fourth installment of the 'John Wick' franchise has officially been released in Russian theaters. The story of a hitman who initially sought revenge on gangsters for killing his puppy and stealing his car continues to expand its world and raise t...

'John Wick' first appeared on screens nine years ago and was conceived as a fairly modest action film. The lead actor, Keanu Reeves, whose career was going through a rough patch at the time, recommended hiring stunt coordinators Chad Stahelski and David Leitch for the film. These two eventually became directors not only of the action scenes but of the entire film. They managed to surprise audiences and show the industry what the genre was missing on the big screen. Reeves shone again, the film got sequel(s), and the universe began to expand. And now, for the fourth installment, the creators are once again raising the bar on violence and adrenaline, delivering not just a worthy sequel, but possibly the best film in the series.

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What's the Plot?

After falling from the roof of the 'Continental', John Wick (Keanu Reeves) survives and recovers in a safehouse provided by the King (Laurence Fishburne). Now the legendary hitman plans to declare war on the High Table and kills the Elder without obtaining the coveted freedom. In response, the Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård), given full carte blanche by the High Table to kill Baba Yaga, destroys the New York hotel and declares manager Winston (Ian McShane) excommunicado.

The Marquis is determined to get Wick at any cost, so he hires his former friend, the blind assassin Caine (Donnie Yen), and sends men to the 'Continental' in Osaka, where John has found refuge with another old friend, manager Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada). His daughter Akira (Rina Sawayama), who works as a concierge at the hotel, is worried about the New York situation and the 'ousting' of her American colleague Charon (the late Lance Reddick, to whose memory the film is dedicated), so she asks her father not to get involved with Baba Yaga. Nevertheless, help has already been given to the wanted man, which means John Wick will soon leave mountains of corpses in his wake and continue his quest for freedom, pursued by an army of thugs, his own friend, and a mysterious killer with a dog, Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson).

If You Have Bullets, You Gotta Shoot, I Figure

Time and again, the creators of the 'John Wick' franchise have raised the stakes, pitting Baba Yaga against more and more opponents, while barely letting the audience get tired of the action. By the fourth installment, the dial for ultraviolence and action seems to be cranked to the max. Mr. Wick travels the globe, dispatching all his enemies in the most spectacular ways, always finishing with a headshot, for nearly three hours — a whole hour (!!!) longer than the first film — and still doesn't manage to get boring! Having a former stunt coordinator as director is a clear advantage, as such people know better than anyone what it takes to make on-screen action look cool and convincing.

The fights and shootouts in the film are mesmerizing, like dances. The choreography is simply incredible. The nunchaku fight combined with firearms in Japan and the war in the Parisian building, shot from above with almost no cuts — this is probably the most adrenaline-pumping and brutally beautiful thing in the film. From an action movie standpoint, Chad Stahelski's direction is impeccably brilliant.

The script, while guilty of pompous dialogue, is not without humor and is meticulously crafted. All the character arcs (and there are quite a few) are clearly written and resolved, not abandoned halfway. Character motivations are outlined and, within the universe, seem quite logical. If you abstract from the lack of realism (which you absolutely must do) and turn a blind eye to moments where people keep dancing during horrific shootouts and axe massacres in a club, where the police and states seemingly don't exist, and cars drive without drivers, then 'John Wick' is almost perfect cinema.

Keanu Reeves still hides behind his bulletproof suit, fights hordes of enemies simultaneously, and constantly falls from great heights, only to get back on his feet and continue his path. It's amazing that this always looks great and hasn't gotten old even by the fourth installment. How do the creators manage it? I think it doesn't matter; the main thing is that 'John Wick' doesn't turn into a family franchise like 'Fast & Furious', where an initially decent series transformed into absolute farce that you can't look at without laughing. They are, of course, united by pompousness, action, muscle cars, and the main character's love for family, but Baba Yaga definitely has no business in space.

The Gun is Loaded and Firing

In almost ten years, the assassin universe has grown in lore. Even though the films have abandoned all realism, turning it almost into a superhero movie (otherwise you can't explain Donnie Yen's character, who is so similar to Daredevil), the film looks very spectacular. The actors barely had to learn the script, but they clearly had to train until they were drenched in sweat. I can imagine how Hollywood stars and stunt performers gave their all on set to make each subsequent episode more colorful than the last.

Of course, the aesthetic of weapons hasn't disappeared, and the characters still use firearms, but the arsenal has become even wider. There are the aforementioned nunchucks, as well as katanas, bows, shurikens, and even a rocket launcher. At the same time, Mr. Wick, following the precepts of Jackie Chan, still occasionally uses something from his surroundings, like a playing card or the legendary pencil. Furniture isn't far off either.

The old characters are still charismatic and cool, and the new ones fit perfectly into the franchise. The incomparable Ip Man — Donnie Yen — feels confident in any action film where you need to showcase martial arts mastery, so in a fight he can easily steal the spotlight. Other actors like Rina Sawayama, Hiroyuki Sanada, and Shamier Anderson are also worthy of praise. Even if the backgrounds of all the newcomers are hazy, here every character has their own skeletons in the closet that you'd love to see. It's all according to canon.

Special attention should be paid to Bill Skarsgård and Scott Adkins. The first brilliantly plays a wealthy, impeccably dressed villain who loves art. Skarsgård blended his own Pennywise, the Joker, and an aristocrat, so the audience is accompanied throughout the film by a damn strong desire for the arrogant bastard, confident in his inviolability, to be caught by John Wick. As for Adkins, he's unrecognizable in the costume of a fat man with gold teeth, who strongly resembles Stas Baretsky (who knows, maybe they based it on him) mixed with Brendan Fraser from 'The Whale'. Instead of a can of beer, the hero is given an inhaler, as if granting him strength, and is pitted against Keanu Reeves in another spectacular fight at a rave in Berlin.

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The locations used in the film are a feast for the eyes. The horse chase in Morocco, the carnage in neon-lit Japan (sakura in the frame is a must), and the battles against the backdrop of French landmarks are a prime example of how to use interiors in action films to make them look cool. The Russo brothers definitely need to take a few lessons from 'John Wick'. Especially since Stahelski's film budget likely didn't reach two hundred million. That's what it means to get the maximum out of your resources.

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What awaits Mr. Wick next is not entirely clear. On one hand, the creators have put a period on his story, but on the other, a fifth installment has already been announced, though not confirmed. The director has also said that he and Reeves clearly need a break to rest well and possibly come up with a good plot for a continuation. Nevertheless, viewers this year (if nothing changes) can expect the series 'The Continental' about the hotel network, featuring young Winston and Charon. And a spin-off 'Ballerina' starring Ana de Armas and Norman Reedus is already in development. The film is also expected to feature familiar characters played by Reeves, McShane, and Reddick. We hope for an expansion of the lore and the addition of new details, which the universe sometimes sorely lacks.

What's the Verdict?

To be honest, 'John Wick: Chapter 4' would look great even as a computer shooter, because it has everything you need for that: missions with long shootouts where tons of extras get mowed down, transitions from level to level via dialogue cutscenes, and a hierarchy of game bosses, including the main one. But as a film, it also looks stunning.

Three hours of running around in different countries, constant shootouts, ultraviolence using various weapons, a pompous plot, beautiful locations, and magnificent staging. Who would have thought that the fourth installment could turn out not only the best in the series but also the best representative of the genre in recent years. This is definitely a mark of quality that needs to be preserved in side projects and, if it is approved, the continuation. A true 'ActionWick'.