Starting to think this secret society of assassins isn’t too secret anymore after all the mayhem over these four films.
The latest installment starts with the titular character, played by Keanu Reeves, recovering after the events of the third film. Having gotten himself healed and in fighting shape again, Wick heads out on a mission to battle the all powerful High Table so he can once again be free of the assassin life.
Looking to put an end to Wick’s conquest is Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgard), a member of the High Table fed up with John’s antics. To do so, he hires another elite hitman who has been retired for a while. The man’s name is Caine (Donnie Yen), and he’s a former friend of Wick.
It should certainly be noted up front that the fourth “John Wick” installment has some stunning action set pieces. The fights in the film often have long takes instead of quick cuts, letting a viewer see the action fully. The choreography is also top notch, making the combat intense and fast paced. On top of that, the sequences are enhanced with great stylization.
The lighting, use of color and variety of sets, as well as the camera work and sound design makes for a lot of high-quality entertainment. The film can be absolutely enthralling at times because of the superb action.
There’s an especially fantastic moment where the titular character does battle with nunchucks. But the thing is, action, even action that’s exceptionally well made, can get a bit old after a while. This is a film that comes close to three hours, and by the time the 20th fight happens, it becomes noticeable.
Keep in mind, the first “John Wick” was a clean, lean hour and 40 minutes, which was sufficient since it was a simple revenge picture. The fourth “John Wick” also has a rather simple story. In fact, one could say it’s even simpler.
The result is the running time feeling far overstretched. There’s just not enough substance, even with some of the added lore of the High Table, to make this movie intriguing. Narratively, it just feels as though the film is retreading the same ground with little to no new stakes.
Every time a new bit of action tries to reel a viewer in, there are diminishing returns. By the time the final scenes get underway, it’s hard to find a reason to care. The only thing really managing to keep a viewer engaged, other than the action, are some good characters.
For example, Caine is a great addition to the “John Wick” universe, Yen is fantastic in portraying an interesting action character with his own history, demons and code. Ian McShane, as usual, is also great in reprising his wise, cool mentor-like character Winston.
John Wick himself, though, doesn’t really feel like he has a meaningful cause anymore, other than just surviving. Which again, goes back to the issue of not having much of a reason to be fully invested in the fourth installment. There’s plenty of things that cause excitement in “Chapter 4,” but the movie just doesn’t have enough besides its fighting for a richer experience. 2.5 out of 5.
Matthew Liedke on Film 
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