The premiere of ‘John Wick 4’ brings us back to the legendary assassin played by Keanu Reeves. Nine years after a first installment that was almost launched directly on the digital market, this character has become a benchmark for action movie lovers.
Next we will review All the films in the ‘John Wick’ saga ordered from worst to best, although in this case perhaps it would be more appropriate to say from less good to better. In my case, I am only very clear about which one occupies the last position, but even that delivery I quite like. As always in these cases, this list is only a reflection of my personal preferences, so feel free to share yours through the comments. Without further ado, let’s get to it:
4) ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ (‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’, 2019)
Address: Chad Stahelski. Distribution: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane
A pivotal film at all levels, both in the narrative, with the protagonist in a constant flight mode after the drastic decision he makes at the end of the second installment, as well as in terms of tone, because there comes a point where any guy of realism jumps through the air to opt for a logic almost closer to that of a cartoon, which will later be deepened remarkably in the fourth part.
In its favor it has an indisputable ambition, proposing a series of impressive action scenes that in isolation work dazzlingly. In addition, its mythology continues to grow and Reeves is even more comfortable giving life to this mythical assassin, but it is also the only film in the saga with clear imbalance problems, which is why it ends up falling somewhat below the other three.
Review of ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’
3) ‘John Wick: Blood Pact’ (‘John Wick: Chapter 2’, 2017)
Address: Chad Stahelski. Distribution: Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare, Bridget Moynahan, Franco Nero, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane
A film that had the challenge of reopening the story of a character who seemed completely closed after having avenged the death of the dog that his wife had left him. To do this, we opted for a decided commitment to that juicy mythology that was already intuited in the first installment and that here marks the final result from the very basic premise so that Reeves’ character returns to action.
Much more stylized and brutal than its predecessor, in the end it is practically as entertaining and serves to lay the foundations for what would come later, because in the end the three sequels to ‘John Wick’ form a kind of trilogy with the beginning, development and final. In his own way, a way of establishing the myth that this contract killer had already become.
Review of ‘John Wick: Blood Pact’
2) ‘John Wick 4’ (2023)
Address: Chad Stahelski. Distribution: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Ian McShane
It doesn’t usually bode well to say that anything goes in a movie, but that’s exactly what happens in the case of ‘John Wick 4’, where the emotion of a climax seems to be sought at all times and then be able to surpass itself over and over again. time with action scenes each time more impressive and overwhelming than the last.
I am very clear that this film would not have been possible without what may become a problem in the third installment, since here Wick becomes almost an invincible superhero, which gives rise to wild confrontations that reach such a point that there are situations that can only be read in a comic key, no matter how brutal they may be. This leads to a bet on the most excessive action but without giving up that characteristic stylization of the saga and delving even deeper into that suggestive universe of its own that Lionsgate intends to squeeze in several parallel projects.
Review of ‘John Wick 4’
1) ‘John Wick’ (2014)
Address: Chad Stahelski (and David Leitch uncredited). Distribution: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Willem Dafoe
What at first might seem like little more than a curious twist on the hit ‘Revenge’ ended up turning into a vibrant show that squeezed its limited means to the max to deliver some jaw-dropping action scenes that fully lived up to how we’d been presented to the movie. character played by Reeves.
Seen today, it is clear that subsequent installments have gone further both in the scale of the action scenes and in the mythology around the Continental Hotel, the High Table, everything that surrounds that society of shadow assassins, but ‘John Wick’ retains the unmistakable charm of the first time and also that here you really go all the way with one idea to the end, whereas after that it had to be expanded over several feature films.
Review of ‘John Wick’
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