If we choose to leave the always attractive borders of the Asian continent and, more specifically, to leave an Indonesia that has given us tremendous joy under the direction of Gareth Evans —’The Raid’— and Timo Tjahjanto —’The Night Comes for Us’ -, There is no doubt that the ‘John Wick’ saga is the standard of current action and martial arts cinema; at least in the west.
After two more than notable first installments, ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ decided to incorporate into its intense opening scene a tribute to Buster Keaton in which images of ‘The General’s Machinist’ could be seen; a declaration of intent that, paying tribute to the king of the stunt of the silent cinema, it served as an appetizer for the accumulation of impossible risk scenes that would follow one another on the screen.
The start of the huge ‘John Wick 4’ also contains a determining wink that, in this case, is very different. In it, a direct reference is made to the mythical transition of the matchstick and the desert of ‘Lawrence of Arabia’; a match cut that anticipates the almost absurd levels of epic, scale and ambition that have been injected into almost three hours of pure adrenalinerarely seen in a production of this type.
Even more. Even better.
If anything has marked the ‘John Wick’ franchise since its inception, that is the feeling of constant crescendo movie after movie. The original film, despite dazzling with its action-packed passages, kept its feet closer to the ground in the form of a typical revenge thriller with an extra bit of —great— stylized violence; but its two sequels were increasing in intensity and rampage almost cartoon until leading to a trilogy closure that seemed insurmountable.
After the show of ‘Parabellum’, it was difficult to think that the adventures and misadventures of Keanu Reeves’ Baba Yaga could surpass themselves, but Chad Stahelski has returned to occupy the director’s seat to serve us on a silver platter. a cathedral of actioner contemporary that manages to leave its predecessor in diapers while unhinging jaws in the stalls.
As soon as it begins, and after putting the cards that will be played on this occasion on the table, this fourth chapter puts all the meat on the spit to begin chain set pieces that evolve in an ascending way from the first moment with regard to the spectacular nature of their wild choreographies, their load of violence and the brutal combination of hand-to-hand combat, with bladed weapons and firearms.
If this cocktail of blood, gunpowder and broken bones works perfectly, it is no longer just because of the creativity contained in each action sequence, which differs from the previous one with characteristic mise-en-scène concepts or visual treatment, but also thanks to a simply impeccable technical and formal invoice that cries out to be enjoyed on the biggest screen that we have at our disposal.
the way of death
The planning of Stahelski and his team of choreographers, in addition to being brilliant, has eclipsed what was seen in the previous tapes, reminding that the exchanges of blows also need take care of the narrative as much as its intensity. However, it is cinematography by Dan Laustenwhich repeats for the third time in a row in the saga hitting the ceiling, the one that takes the cake.
The work of the Danish DOP is, simply and plainly, on another level, with practical light effects and neon-key colors that seem to be taken from a hyper-vitaminated film by Nicolas Winding Refn and with a use of the camera that elevates even more if possible the extraordinary production design of the film, as elegant —in its own way— as ostentatious, and which leaves astonishing passages, such as an overhead shot that evokes the spirit of the video game ‘Hotline Miami’ with unusual fidelity, including electronic music.
But none of this would be so special if it weren’t there. contained in that universe one hundred percent brand of the house, populated by a collection of characters as picturesque as usual. A new repertoire has been added to regulars such as John, Winston and company, among which the perfidious Marquis of Bill Skarsgard stands out —the great villain of the show— and, above the rest, Caine, a blind assassin played by the master donnie yen whose dynamic with Reeves is worthy of all praise.
If we add to this an even greater expansion of lore and context into the peculiar universe of deadly hitmen and criminal organizationsnew details about the operation of the High Table and a taste for homage that does not hesitate when alluding directly to that jewel by Walter Hill titled ‘The Warriors’, the delight is not only full, but difficult to match.
Keanu Reeves already warned a season ago that, after ‘John Wick 4’ it would be time to let the character rest for a season; but if this is the last movie we will see in the saga, we can consider ourselves lucky, because this self-conscious delight dedicated to the cause of all-out entertainment has transformed cinematic action into a true work of art.
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