John Wick has been one of the most popular action franchises of all time. Audiences and critics alike just seem to love to spend time in the world of John Wick. After the success of all the previous movies, the man himself is back in another high-stakes battle for his life. So the question is, can it hold up to the previous classics?

John Wick: Chapter 4 sees John Wick once again, running from the mistakes he’s made. The High Table has kept him running for long enough, and he finally finds a way to defeat them for good. To defeat them and earn his freedom back John must face off against many new foes as he goes on a globe-trotting adventure. The High Table trying to kill the rogue assassin starts turning his once great and trustworthy friends into deadly foes he must overcome.

The main character of John Wick: Chapter 4 is well, John Wick. He is a merciless and effective killer, but he has a lighter and kinder side to him. He tries to escape the life of constant death and tragedy and live one that is happy. But he’s constantly forced by the high table, and even some of his friends to keep on killing, and that’s all he will ever be good at killing. He’s a man with very few words, but with so much depth, you can just see his eyes and you’ll know exactly what he saying.

Another character is the blind and tactical killer Caine. He’s just a father trying to provide for his daughter, but being a merciless assassin, he has to keep his distance in order to protect her. When John threatens the authority of the High Table, he is told to kill his friend John. Initially not keen on the idea the High Table makes sure he ensures the job is done by threatening his daughter’s safety. Caine is forced to confront one of his great friends to protect his daughter and uses his senses and sword cane to fight John to the death.

Another character is Tracker. He’s just a poor man down on his luck with cash, and after seeing John’s increasing bounty, he is keen on finding the acclaimed assassin. He uses his dog and his gun pistol to get things done but when he finishes he wants to collect his bounty and become rich.

The final villain of the story is Marquis. Marquis is a speckled and refined member of the high table. He resembles all of the refinements and glory of the High Table. When his title and position are threatened by John he will stop at nothing to keep his place among the elite.

I really like most of the characters in this movie. John Wick and Caine were some of my favorites in the film and I just loved seeing them on screen. They just had such great chemistry with each other and the other actors, and they made for some really riveting fight scenes, and in a new John Wick movie that’s all you really need. 

Though some of them I thought didn’t really add much to the movie. Tracker and Marquis are two of the biggest examples I could come up with. Tracker doesn’t really get a character arc. He’s really set aside in order to focus on John Wick. I feel it is important to focus on the main character, but I don’t think the director should’ve completely forgotten about one of the side characters. 

Marquis isn’t that bad of a villain I like how he resembles everything the high table stands for with all the injustice and fashion and refinement, it embodies, but I don’t feel like he poses a great threat to John. I feel like Caine and Tracker do that much better.

And this is probably one of my favorite John Wick movies in cinematography alone. Every single frame of this movie has so much love put into it. Loads of color and personality. Drip from every single scene and location that John is in. From the dry deserts in Africa to the lush and bright lights of Tokyo to the warm wet streets of Paris, every scene looks phenomenal. 

The filmmakers use great camera work for the action scenes. They make the shots interesting and most importantly a wonderful eye for the viewer for seeing all the action. Where are some studios that would’ve phoned it in for their fourth installment in the franchise, John Wick sets itself apart and truly embodies its title as being a respected and artful John Wick sequel. 

And though there are not many CGI parts to the film, there are quite a few in the action scenes and backdrops. They all look stunning and pretty unnoticeable. You never look at this movie and feel as if it’s fake, you always feel immersed in the action in the story.

Action is one of the main reasons for seeing a John Wick movie. Though I would say that this movie doesn’t have the best action in the series, I will say it does have some phenomenal ones. Near the beginning of the movie, John Wick is forced to use ninja gear, such as num-chuks, swords, and his trusty pistol to fight off hordes of enemies. It makes for some very riveting and enjoyable scenes. 

Caine also makes this movie shine. Since he is blind, he offers a whole new way of fighting that we’ve never seen before. He puts up sound traps to figure out where people are when he’s shooting and when close his cane can be used to detect vibrations and movements, but also be used as a deadly sword.

The movie brings such a promise and its action near the beginning and you feel so excited. Though I will say near the middle of the film, it does dip into a repetitive motion. They never really think of restricting John’s arsenal or restricting his movement. They always give John his trusty pistol and though cool at some points, it starts to get repetitive. Even near the end in a battle next to the Arc de Triomphe and constant traffic, the once inspirational and unique scene starts to dip into boring repetitiveness. Though all can be forgiven due to the extremely entertaining first half.

Another stellar part of the film is the acting. Of course, Keanu Reeves as John Wick does as always does a stellar job at portraying the character. He uses so few words, but the emotion you feel is all in his face and eyes. He can tell so much without saying a word and throughout the nearly 3-hour film, he says only 380 words. He still does better than most actors with thousands of words to use. 

Also, another shoutout is Donnie Yen as Caine. He does such a great job at acting like he’s blind. You never feel like he can really see and it all adds to the immersion of his character. But with the restrictions of his eyes, you can’t really get any real emotion from them. Though his brilliant acting makes up for it in his facial reactions. 

All the other actors like Laurence Fishbourne as Bowery King, Lance Reddick as Charon, Clancy Brown as the Harbinger, and Bill Skarsgård as Marquis all do a great job at portraying their roles.

Overall, this is probably one of the best action movies I’ve seen all year. After a few months full of superhero slop, it’s nice to see some great art and action in a movie. John Wick: Chapter 4, is such a joy to watch and its acting, cinematography, and action scenes will keep you glued to your chair.