For lovers of action films, the series ‘John Wick’ should not be a stranger. Appearing in the world cinema industry since 2014, this action series is popular through the emergence of Keanu Reeves who goes blind in the middle of a series of conflicts from his character’s past with action full of adrenaline. Almost a decade old, the series is back again with ‘John Wick Chapter 4’ which is currently hitting theaters.

‘John Wick Chapter 4’ is an action film directed by Chad Stahelski who brought back Keanu Reeves along with other famous stars such as Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, and Hiroyuki Sanada.

As a sequel to ‘John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum’, this film continues the story of John Wick who is still running away from the pursuit of the High Table and threatens his relations. Even though he has found a way to get his freedom back, he must fight the Marquis de Gramont who wants him dead and Caine who was recruited to kill him.

John Wick: Chapter 4 Review

Narratively, ‘John Wick Chapter 4’ continues to have a linear flow regarding a new story in the criminal underworld of the High Table that hunts the titular character. The narrative that is carried is kept simple, regarding the returning John Wick having to solve his problems like the previous titles. This linear plot grip makes the film straightforward without being verbose.

Like the 2019 prequel, ‘John Wick Chapter 4’ is again trying to expand the lore regarding the High Table which has been established since ‘John Wick Chapter 2’. This also encourages the emergence of a number of new characters over the course of 169 minutes of play, such as The Harbinger, de Gramont, to Caine. But of course, the lack of explicit introduction regarding the High Table makes its existence feel too broad and it is difficult to care about its presence as supreme power.

John Wick: Chapter 4

At least, ‘John Wick Chapter 4’ is still able to spoil the audience with the appearance of a variety of unique new characters. The appearance of de Gramont as an adversary of John Wick, Caine who excels in killing despite his blindness, to Tracker who has Sofia-style characteristics from ‘John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum’ makes his world feel rich.

However, what is regrettable is that the backstory representations are fully shown regarding the exposition, making their existence minimal in meaning. Not to mention the absence of several characters who previously had important roles, giving the impression that the continuity of the characters is underestimated in this franchise.

 

Like the three prequels, ‘John Wick Chapter 4’ continues to indulge through its various action offerings. The choreography is displayed very smoothly through very steady shots.

Not only that, the cinematography that carries feels more grand compared to its predecessor titles, one of the most obvious is the overhead shot as a good step in presenting adrenaline-filled non-stop action. Besides that, the thumping full score gives the overall impression of excitement to this film.

In conclusion, ‘John Wick Chapter 4′ is a very linear new story with an increasingly expanded world. Even so, the adrenaline-filled action game still manages to spoil the audience as the duration reaches almost 3 hours.