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MESSAGE IN THE MOVIES

John Wick: Chapter 4 is the fourth entry in the John Wick franchise that began with 2014’s John Wick. In that initial outing, John Wick (played by Keanu Reeves) was a professional assassin who spent most of the movie avenging the death of his dog. While also grieving the loss of his wife, Wick was a man full of sorrow and rage as well as a sense of purpose. We also discovered that the action was taking place in an alternative reality in which there were a lot of assassins who not only followed a code of honor but found respite in the Continental Hotel, a safe zone of sorts. John Wick was ultra-violent, but had a clear story to tell as well as a satisfactory ending. It did not need a sequel.

Here we are – three films later – with each outing more outrageous than the previous one. Without getting overly specific, by the end of 2017’s John Wick: Chapter Two our hero had managed to kill a couple of assassins inside the Continental, breaking the code of honor and setting off the higher ups (the High Table) to not only kick Wick out of the club but put a price on his head. 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum continued the pursuit of John Wick by a growing number of adversaries.

I could never defend these films (which I actually enjoyed at the time) or find much of deep substance in them (hence, they were not reviewed here). But I have come to learn time and again that any movie franchise that makes a lot of money for its investors is bound to continue past its freshness date, serving larger portions of less substance.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is almost three hours long and a sad commentary about the state of popular entertainment. It can best be described through its many shortcomings. Its world building is shoddy. As we learn about the High Table and its rules, a later scene will break the rules without much of a stir. The film is set in a number of locales including Japan, Germany and France (with recognizable landmarks) but it seems to be an alternative world in which only assassins and their prey reside. Violent gunplay can take place on a crowded dance floor or in the midst of heavy traffic without any involvement from bystanders or law enforcement. John Wick himself appears to be invulnerable and able to survive beatings, stabbings and falls. The movie includes scenes that duplicate earlier films (i.e., Lawrence of Arabia, The Warriors) but without any particular purpose other than a clumsy shout out. The capable stunt work is overwhelmed with CGI trickery. I was particularly offended by the religious symbolism that was used in a profane way (and by “profane”, I mean without respect of the holy). With the upsurge in gun violence and mass shootings, it is hard to find much to enjoy in the overcrowded carnage onscreen.

And yet – there are moments of impressive choreography, beautiful cinematography, slapstick comedy, and trained stunt dogs. The actors do as much with the thin material as they can, but everything is banal, violent and repetitive – like being stuck in a kind of purgatory, filled with endless sequels, reboots and never-ending comic book universes.

Halo and Pitchfork Rating:

Two halos: More is not necessarily better with this action series.
Five pitchforks: Shooting, stabbing, gouging, kicking, and mostly killing hundreds of people; religious symbolism exploited but not respected; considerable cussing.

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