John Wick Chapter 4

"Wow!"  basically sums up the entire film for me. John Wick Chapter 4 follows John Wick who must uncover a path to defeat The High Table but before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes. 

What makes the John Wick franchise so memorable and iconic is the world-building and lore behind it. Thankfully, the film used its past entries smartly to conclude it in an epic way. Sure the story is simple and straightforward but it is well-executed. Now let's address the elephant in the room and that is the action. The John Wick franchise is well-known for putting on an action fiesta on screen. Wow! Wow! Wow! This is the BEST action that I've seen in a film in a while. Why? For starters, the stuntwork in this film is absolutely mind-blowing. Seriously, some of the fight sequences had my jaw on the floor. The excellent camera work combined with the blood-pumping score and superb sound design helped elevate the action even more. The work gone into each detail is so intricate and I absolutely love it. It was brutal, thrilling and I couldn't keep my eyes off of it! What's not to like about this film? 

All this couldn't have been achieved without the help of a talented and great cast. Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Hiroyuki Sanda, and Scott Adkins were the stars of the show! They were amazing! It's like a dream come true seeing 3 legends fighting each other. The fight sequences between Keanu and Donnie were phenomenal. I mean you can't mess with Hiroyuki Sanada. Right? He's still a phenomenal yet underrated actor that does most of his stunts and dedicates so much to his role. Scott Adkins' character was funny and brought a touch of humor to this dark and serious film. Let's not forget the rest of the cast here! Lance Reddick while having 5 minutes of screen time was great. On that thought, my condolences go to his family and loved ones. I knew Lance as Sylens from the Horizon franchise and his performance always made me smile.  He was in my opinion an amazing actor who had a bright future ahead of him. Now let's go back to our review. I had my doubts about Bill Skarsgård playing a villain but this man certainly perfected his role. Ian McShane, Lawrence Fishburne, and Shamier Anderson did an equally great job too!

Furthermore, I need to praise the cinematography here. Cinematographer Dan Laustsen did a phenomenal job this time around. Nearly the entirety of this film is beautiful to look at, especially the end sequence. Additionally, he perfectly captured the setting which is France. Director Chad Stahelski well utilized some of France's well-known locations which was a marvel to watch with the crazy fight sequences happening. My 2 minor problems with this film are that this is the least bloody/gory film in the franchise and that one subplot which I cannot discuss due to obvious spoilers was added for the sake of the story and could have been done in a smart and efficient way. 

If you're looking for a good action film or something enjoyable to watch then look no further because John Wick Chapter 4 has it all!