by Greg Uke, Reporter

There’s something viscerally satisfying about a good action movie. Even when the action is corny or blatantly unbelievable, it scratches a primal itch for passion and adrenaline that can’t be denied. We learned this many years ago from actors like Stallone, Chan, Li, Schwarzenegger, and Statham. They form a constellation in the cinematic heavens. A cloudy nebulae made out of testosterone, explosions, and raw sex appeal. And we, happy little moviegoers that we are, eat it up. 

So….a new star has joined this constellation. It speaks in an emotionless monotone, performs awesome throws and leg takedowns, and hides its head from bullets behind a jacket flap “made of kevlar”. This star manifested back in 2014, but it did not fully cement its place in the heavens until last night. Its name is John Wick, and only at the conclusion of this mighty saga did it realize its fullest potential. For nine years things have been building towards this final movie. 

And it does not disappoint. 

As always, let us start with the good. John Wick 4 is GORGEOUS. The world it describes is a dark and slickly elegant mafia paradise of intrigue and arcane traditions. Wrapped in a fitted suit covered in sexy noir sauce. The backdrops are so stunning they lend it an almost supernatural feel, and in each successive movie the producers up the ante. Nowhere is that more apparent than in John Wick 4. From desert mesas to subterranean waterways to gothic cathedrals to waterfall-nightclubs where people continue dancing even though bullets are flying everywhere, it’s solid eye candy all the way through. The action is satisfying. The costumes are terrific. And the gutsy emo-banter between the main characters is just clipped enough to come across as authentic rather than corny. The action scenes are great, and varied, with the right intensity and a bittersweet ending. 

These days, that’s a real prize. 

Keanu Reeves reprises his role as John Wick, who needs no introduction. If you don’t know who he is by now then you’ve been living under a rock, and I don’t want to mess up this great zen rock thing you’ve got going on. In all the interviews he said he’d been training and getting better…and he has. Unlike in John Wick 3, where he performed the same throw over and over throughout the movie, in John Wick 4 Keanu reveals an impressive arsenal of new moves which look very smooth. His interactions continue to lack feeling…but that’s sort of his thing, so I won’t knock it. 

Ian McShane figures prominently in the final episode, doing justice to “Winston” with immaculate exchanges that convey the emotional turmoil of a man who prides himself on dignified stoicism. Lance Reddick’s “Charon” is also spot on, reflecting an equal depth of feeling in the same tone. Laurence Fishburne doesn’t normally get to do “low grade manic-sarcasm” much, so I could tell he was having a great time in his role as the “Bowery King”. With all his biblical references and grand semi-nutty speeches.

On the villain side of the fence….there’s only one true villain in the series, and that’s the Marquis de Gramont played by Bill Skarsgard. I haven’t enjoyed hating a posh Frenchman that much since the Merovingian in the second Matrix movie, and frankly Bill did it better. The two other antagonists who add depth to the movie are Shamier Anderson’s “Tracker”, who remains nameless but has a frenemy thing with John Wick that adds an element of tension to the drama, and Donnie Yen in his role as John Wick’s friend-turned-reluctant-hunter “Caine”. Donnie brings a level of martial artsiness worthy of a proper kung fu movie, and he’s in fine form. 

This wouldn’t be a fair review without some constructive criticism, so here it is. Some of the action scenes were long to the point of being mentally exhausting. In certain fights the goons didn’t actually attack John Wick; they just jerked around like rag dolls while he beat on them. Some of the damage John sustains is so over the top that it detracts from the action rather than adds to it, like being repeatedly hit by cars and not breaking bones. That means viewers will need to embrace some suspension of disbelief to get the most out of this movie. 

Overall:

Not only does John Wick 4 end the saga begun 9 years ago on a high note, it lays the groundwork for a great setting which will give birth to several other series in the future.

Rating:
ComicsOnline gives John Wick 4 – 5/5 action thrillers.

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