Roughly three weeks ago, I did the unthinkable. I logged into my Netflix account, typed in the search bar “John Wick”, and found all three parts of this franchise. Knowing that the next installment would launch in the cinema in the upcoming days, I decided to binge-watch John Wick. Thus, for the next roughly seven to eight hours, I was glued to my 13″ screen.
The first chapter, which I had already seen multiple times, was the first, and for some reason, until a couple of days ago, it was my favorite. I had an issue with the second chapter because of the main villain. His arrogance and overall demeanor, for reasons unknown, got under my skin; even though it is in this part that we see the sequence of John “going shopping”. And then the third part. Honestly, I don’t know why I had seen it only once before. Keanu Reeves with Halle Berry is an explosive duo, and the overall film is an action masterpiece from the martial arts to the horse-riding shoot-outs.
Did you know that Keanu Reeves gave four of his stunt doubles engraved Rolex Submariners? That was after John Wick: Parabellum. As of yet, we don’t know if Keanu gave new watches after this latest chapter, but we do know that John Wick 4 had at least two beautiful Carl F. Bucherer watches shown on the big screen: a wristwatch for Keanu and a pocket watch for Donnie. A beautiful product placement.
Also, did you know that the run-time of Chapter 4 is almost three hours, but during these three hours, Keanu Reeves speaks only 380 words? And that his paycheck for this movie was 15 million dollars? Money well earned if you consider the physical toll he had to endure while filming. At times, you start to think about how a mortal man could sustain that non-stop fighting and shooting. Yes, it is a movie, but I can’t be the only one who simply wonders – could it even be possible? Probably not, but that is why we have movies to see and experience the impossible.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is an action-packed movie. It features such action stars known for their martial arts skills as Hiroyuki Sanada, Marko Zaror, Donnie Yen, and Scott Adkins. However, two of the four actors in this movie seem to be at a disadvantage, namely, Donnie Yen is blind, whereas Scott Adkins wears a fat suit. We need not worry if Mr. Yen is going to be able to fight blind, but I did have my doubts about Mr. Adkins. If you are like me and you think that you will not see Keanu vs Adkins, put your doubts aside. They fight. Oh boy, do they fight.
Chapter 4 is a beautiful movie with a somewhat sad ending. It may seem that this is the last John Wick movie, but if you go on IMDB and type Keanu Reeves, then that may not be it. Chapter 5 is in pre-production. Furthermore, John Wick 4 blew up at the box office; therefore, there is every incentive to continue this bullet-filled ride. However, Keanu has stated that in Chapter 4, John Wick has finally found his peace, and that seems like a fitting end to this character. Will there truly be a fifth chapter? Called possibly “Resurrection”? We don’t know for certain, but please do sit through all the way to the end credits, since at the end there is a short scene.
I like the John Wick franchise. And I am not the only one. Not only is John Wick Chapter 5 in pre-production, but a John Wick spin-off, “Ballerina,” is in post-production, and we will also have a John Wick series called “The Continental”. Yes, the world of John Wick is immersive, and the lore is captivating. Will I go and watch everything John Wick related? Probably. Did I finally buy a leather jacket before seeing this movie? Of course. Am I considering writing something about my leather jacket? Yes.
And how is my leather jacket relevant to John Wick? Well, at the beginning of the first movie, before the dog is killed, John Wick wore a leather jacket instead of a bulletproof suit. It all started with a leather jacket, if you don’t count the dog, the car, and the house. Furthermore, the John Wick franchise has an excellent clothing department. Truly, those suits are simply beautiful, almost all with an Italian cut (remember Chapter 2).
I recommend seeing this movie on the big screen while it is still being shown. As my lovely woman told me, it is non-stop action with only a couple of minutes spared for breathing and relaxing before the next big action sequence starts. Worth the money and time.
Kind regards,
Olaaf
Photo credit: John Wick official Twitter account and Olaaf
