REVIEW: John Wick: Chapter 4

Genre: Action; Drama.

Director: Chad Stahelski

Writers: Shay Hatten, Michael Finch & Derek Kolstad (based on characters created by)

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Ian McShane, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Shamier Anderson, Rina Sawayama & Hiroyuki Sanada

John Wick is not amazing and it won't be featured many TOP 10 film lists at the end of the year, but it is great as an action movie, with impressive fight scenes thanks to eye-popping stunt work and camera work.

The action takes place after the events of Parabellum with John Wick seeking revenge against the High Table and it takes a very simple narrative line that's not hard to follow, which allows the audiences to focus on all the action happening on the big screen and to notice the many impressive visual elements the movie offers.

Keanu Reeves reprises the role of John Wick and he commands the screen once again. Despite of being a victim of weak writing, he's able to overcome the poor dialogue with his charismatic presence and take viewers on a thrilling quest for revenge and inner peace. He's supported by strong turns from Donnie Yen and Shamier Anderson, with Rina Sawayama shinning bright in a very limited role. Still, the best in show is Bill Skarsgård as the Marquis, the big villain of this story - he's both refined and completely mad and you can't take the eyes off him, despite the one dimensional way his character was written.

But the truth is: people who buy a ticket for a John Wick movie don't expect deep dialogue, they expect action and Stahelski does a great job balancing what it takes to make a great movie and what the target audiences want. There's great detail and some truly impressive cinematography by Dan Lausten (The Shape of Water and Nightmare Alley) with his lightning and color choices and the sound work is top-notch in both editing and mixing! The scenes at the Osaka Continental and at the Berlin's night club are also a showcase for the production design team as they present us with beautifully designed sets that elevate the balletic fights. Visual effects are good, but they are overshadowed by the work of the incredible stunts team and the fighting choreographies - and Stahelski recognizes the high quality of this element in this production and gives it a lot of screen time (since he's a stuntman himself), which sometimes feel overlong.In fact, there are a lot (like A LOT) of fight scenes or life threatening moments, which might feel repetitive often or that it is dragging the movie, but they are so well-made that you don't really care. 

In the end, John Wick: Chapter 4 is a good and very well-made action flick. It's style over substance and it also feels overlong sometimes, but it is good overall. Like last year's The Batman, John Wick: Chapter 4 proves action movies can have award-deserving visuals to be forever remembered as one of the most "good-looking" action movies ever made.

RATING: 6 / 10

Oscar potential categories:

• Best Cinematography
• Best Production Design
• Best Visual Effects
• Best Sound