Movie Review: John Wick 4

Keanu Reeves is an actor who has many iconic characters in his filmography: Ted from the "Bill and Ted" movies, Johnny Utah from "Point Break," and Neo from "The Matrix" movies, to name a few. Nine years ago, he added John Wick to that list.

"John Wick Chapter 4" is the culmination of Wick's story. What started as a former assassin killing the man who killed his dog became the story of Wick getting out from under the thumb of "The High Table," the mysterious group he used to work for.

One of my favorite things about the first movie is the world of assassins it builds. They have their hotels (The Contentinal) worldwide and currency they use for all transactions. They follow strict rules: no business can be done on the grounds of the Contentinal, for example. The world-building in that first movie was fascinating. My biggest problem with all the sequels is that they get too bogged down in expanding the world beyond what the first one established, which continues in the fourth movie.

That is not to say I don't enjoy the other movies. I love them for what they are; some of the best action movies of the past decade. One of the most impressive things about these movies is that no two action scenes are alike. There are some incredible ones in this movie; one at the Arc de Triomphe and one on an extremely long staircase are two that I loved. These are the scenes that the series has been known for and are what get people to go to the theater.

If this is the last movie starring John Wick, it is a solid and satisfying ending. The movies have never been dull, and Reeves, even at 58, does a fair number of his stunts and puts in the work in the action sequences. He has been playing this character for close to a decade and I think he deserves a break.

8/10

Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some language

2hrs. 49mins