Imagine working in action movies all your life and being a famously nice guy – you'd sure get a good group of martial arts and stunt specialists around you. That's exactly what Keanu Reeves has done over decades, and the fourth installation of Hollywood's modern action movie masterpiece is the culmination of all that.
Despite being a 'Chapter 4' instalment, it is one of the best action movies in recent years. It carries a massive 94 per cent Rotten Tomatoes rating, while The Guardian called it an "enjoyably pulpy slaughterfest".
John Wick: Chapter 4 is now available to watch on Netflix, just in time for this weekend's movie night. This is action choreography at its best; like a dance movie of hard-rehearsed quality. Instead of well-timed pirouettes, however, you get mind-blowing martial arts and, arguably even more impressive, original gunfight sequences.
Do you need to have watched all the John Wick movies?
Indeed, this being the franchise's fourth outing, a whole story has grown and flourished in three prior movies, not to mention spin-off shows and more that have expanded the John Wick universe. For example, there is also a show on Amazon Prime called The Continental: From the World of John Wick... although this isn't required viewing to follow along in the latest film. It's been a long time since he sought revenge after a gangster stole his car and killed his dog...
If you want to get the most out of John Wick 4, I recommend you watch at least the preceding three movies. The third is also available on Netflix while the first two are available on Sky.
That said, this 2023 release does stand up as a movie alone, filled with seemingly non-stop action scenes that are so compelling they will carry you on, even if you aren't fully in the back-plot know.
John Wick 4 has grossed over $440 million worldwide, having won and been nominated for many awards.
The Reeves effect
The commitment of the stunt team and, of course, Keanu Reeves himself really shows on-screen: the action scenes are near perfect in their execution. And hey, this is probably not only thanks to collaborative hard work but also a good relationship where Reeves – ever the nice guy! – bought presents for everyone involved.
Keanu bought the entire stunt team personalised t-shirts detailing the number of times they died in the movie, as well as gifted Rolex Submariner watches (at $10,000 a pop) to each one when the film wrapped.
If you recognise the desert rock pictured above, you may have a good eye as this was where Lawrence of Arabia was shot back in 1962. Just don't expect this movie to be as verbose, with John Wick only delivering 380 words in the whole film – but that's the point.
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