![]() ![]() ![]() The choreography of the action here can be simply breathtaking. So much modern action is cluttered with characters or muddled objectives, but the "Wick" films have such brilliant clarity of intention that they can then have fun within those simple constructs. We know what needs to happen for John to keep pushing forward as he has since the beginning of the first film. But this is really true of all the major action scenes, in which we very clearly understand what John needs to do and who he needs to go through to "finish the level." The simplicity of objectives allows for complex choreography. At one point in the film, John and an enemy decide on the parameters of a battle, including time, weapons, and variables. They also have wonderfully defined stakes. The action sequences in "John Wick: Chapter 4" are long battles, gun-fu shoot-outs between John and dozens of people who underestimate him, but they have so much momentum that they don't overstay their welcome. The great action directors figure out how to film combat in a way that doesn't sacrifice tension for showmanship. Filmmakers who over-think their shoot-outs often land on a tone that feels distant, lacking in stakes, and feeling more stylish than substantial. Stahelski and his team construct action sequences in a manner that somehow feels both urgent and artistically choreographed at the same time. More than the last couple of films, the plot here, despite the movie's epic runtime (169 minutes), feels refreshingly focused again. Laurence Fishburne pops up now and then as Wick's Q when the killer needs a new bulletproof suit, and Shamier Anderson plays an assassin who seems to be waiting for the price on Wick's head to hit the right level for him to get his payday. The opening scenes take Wick to Japan, where he seeks help from the head of the Osaka Continental, Shimazu ( Hiroyuki Sanada), and runs afoul of a blind High Table assassin named Caine (the badass Donnie Yen). The main villain of the series is the Marquis de Gramont ( Bill SkarsgÄrd), a leader of the High Table who keeps raising the bounty on Wick's head while he also cleans up the messes left behind, including potentially eliminating Winston Scott ( Ian McShane) and his part of this nefarious organization. "John Wick: Chapter 4" opens with its title character (Reeves) on the run again as the villainous Powers That Be known as the High Table get in his way. ![]()
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