The John Wick Thread

[Silver Nemesis]

I revisited the previous three movies on DVD over the past few nights, and today I went to see John Wick 4. I'm very satisfied. There hasn't been a bad JW movie yet, and the fourth instalment doesn't spoil that winning streak. Here are some thoughts.

This franchise has an interesting aesthetic that mixes gothic architecture (churches, ruins, museums, art galleries, libraries) with modern art installations, neon lights and random panes of glass. It's a cool look that's simultaneously dark and colourful. No matter what country John's in, the stylish visuals remain consistent. So does the quality of action. This series has done a great job utilising the skills of some of the best screen fighters from around the globe (Mark Dacascos, Yayan Ruhian, Donnie Yen, Scott Adkins, etc), and the martial arts choreography in JW4 remains top notch. The photography and editing are excellent, with the overhead one-shot sequence standing out as particularly impressive. This is Hollywood action done right.

A dry sense of humour runs through these films. Whether it's the over-the-top absurdity of some of the action scenes, or the use of gentlemanly euphemisms to refer to weapons and violence (e.g. being fitted for guns and body armour in a tailor's shop as though they were eveningwear, or referring to corpses as "dinner reservations"), the movies don't take themselves too seriously. It's not the tired snarky Whedon/Gunn humour of the MCU, where someone spouts a pop culture reference or says something inappropriate during a dramatic scene to deflate the tension. It's a more ironic form of humour, and Reeves' deadpan performance is perfectly suited to it. He doesn't nod and wink at the camera as if to say "isn't this silly?" Instead he plays it completely straight, and that makes the humour all the funnier when it lands.

That said, these films also have their share of darkness and pathos. Charon's death was especially poignant, given the recent passing of Lance Reddick. He was one of the most likeable characters in this franchise, and it was nice to see Winston and John show genuine sadness at his demise. Themes of friendship feature more prominently in JW4 than the previous films, and this time there's a hint of loyalty underpinning some of the alliances rather than just mutual convenience. In particular the relationship between John and Cain, the latter of whom might be my favourite character in the entire saga. He's the only person in that universe who shows mercy and only kills when he has to. I got the impression he was the one character who might, back in his prime, have been superior to Wick. At the very least he was his equal, and Donnie Yen was perfect in the role. I hope he survived the post-credit scene. Tracker was also an interesting new character, and like Caine he ultimately displayed more conscience and honour than most of his contemporaries. I didn't even recognise Scott Adkins as Killa. It was only when he started fighting that I realised it was him. An all round solid cast.

The JW films have often paid tribute to their influences. While earlier entries referenced things like The Prisoner (1967) and The Matrix (1999), the most obvious allusion in JW4 is to The Warriors (1979). The sequence with the radio DJ calling on all the "boppers" to prevent John reaching his destination, and even playing the song 'Nowhere to Run', was a direct homage to Walter Hill's movie.

The final dual reminded me of Barry Lyndon (1975), and I also got strong Daredevil vibes. There was the moment where John threw a playing card like Bullseye, the fat mob boss who could fight like Kingpin, and of course Caine being a blind martial artist like Matt Murdock. Even his name, Caine/Cane, evoked Stick.

Apropos of the ending, when John asked Winston to take him home I didn't realise at first that he was talking about his body. I'd seen something online about John Wick 5 being in production, so I wasn't expecting him to die. But I thought his death ended the film on a satisfying note of closure, which is something audiences are generally denied in this modern age of shared universe open-endedness. I'm happy for the series to end here, with four good movies and a perfect batting average. However, if it turns out John faked his death so he could team up with Winston, the Bowery King, Caine and Tracker to dismantle the High Table, then I'll be first in line for John Wick 5.

I don't really have any major criticisms. If I had to nitpick, I'd say it's a bit on the long side and some of the CG effects weren't entirely convincing (for example the dog). But these really are minor points. It's a very satisfying film that lived up to my expectations. This is one of the best action movie sagas of the modern age. I'm looking forward to seeing The Continental.

On the useless trivia front, this movie features two Highlander villains. Clancy Brown, who plays the Harbinger, played the Kurgan in the first Highlander (1986), while Donnie Yen played Jin Ke in Highlander: Endgame (2000). According to writer Derek Kolstad, the 2021 movie Nobody takes place in the same universe as John Wick, and Nobody featured Michael Ironside, who played the villain Kain in Highlander II: The Quickening (1991).

[Silver Nemesis]

John Wick 4 is killing it at the box office. According to Deadline:

Worldwide start is also a franchise best as we always knew it would be with $137.5M. The Keanu Reeves movie debuted to No. 1 in each of the 71 markets where the pic opened this weekend. Internationally, the film took in an estimated $64M overseas exceeding all pre-release estimates for the film.

Other bragging points:

—John Wick joins a select few film series that set a franchise record with their fourth outing, only nine in the past 40 years. Of those nine franchises, only five have done what John Wick has accomplished in building to four films with each new offering exceeding the last (i.e., 4 greater than 3, 3 greater than 2, 2 greater than 1).

John Wick: Chapter 4 is the biggest R-rated opening post-pandemic, exceeding Halloween Kills' $49.4M (which was hampered by a theatrical day-and-date release on streaming service Peacock).

To date, John Wick: Chapter 4 is the second best domestic opening of 2023 after Disney/Marvel Studio's Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania ($106.1M).

https://deadline.com/2023/03/box-office-john-wick-chapter-4-keanu-reeves-1235309015/

[The Dark Knight]

The last two DCEU films have been flops, and I've seen it said that The Suicide Squad, Black Adam and Shazam 2's box office wouldn't equal Man of Steel's take. That's absolutely damning. The aftermath of these films has been more entertaining than the content, with the cast and crew squirming around, assigning blame and maintaining the product is actually good...when it's not.

None of that mess exists with the Wick universe. Each movie opened better than the previous, and the audience/critical reviews matched that. The movies also feel genuinely like one connected series, especially in the way Chapter 2 segues into Chapter 3. There are franchises that don't capture that and instead end up becoming a patchwork quilt - the DCEU being a prime example of that.

I agree about the artistic flair in the Wick series, particularly in the transition shots and cinematography. Bowery King blowing out the match and jumping straight to the desert sunrise is straight out of Laurence of Arabia, for example. And for a nearly three hour film I wasn't checking my watch. The pacing is remarkably good.

I'm open to a fifth but at the same time think this would be a fine ending if the studio refuse the temptation for more. Can the High Table be destroyed? I'm doubtful. Chapter Four makes it pretty clear that another head grows at the head of the snake if it's chopped off. Nobody can escape the rules and the dogs are only called off if you play by them.

[Travesty]

I liked it a lot, but I was pretty surprised by the ending. I didn't see that coming.

Selfishly, I want to see more. So who knows?

[thecolorsblend]

Working my way through the first three so far in advance of the fourth one. Never seen them before. Just finished the first one.

It's good. But I see room for improvement. And it already looks like the sequels will deliver on that. Enjoying what I've seen so far.

[The Dark Knight]

I liked it a lot, but I was pretty surprised by the ending. I didn't see that coming.

Selfishly, I want to see more. So who knows?

"There's a will and there's an openness. And you could certainly interpret that ending in different ways," said Drake. "We're all going to take a tiny rest here and then scratch at ideas about whether there's a credible way to get into five. But there's no guarantee."

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/john-wick-5-back-on-the-table-box-office-blowup-1235361085/

[Silver Nemesis]

On reflection, I think they should leave it at four and go out on a high note. I don't like the idea of bringing JW back just because the latest entry is overpeforming. I'm looking forward to The Continental, but I think adding to the main film series might be stretching it too far. But we'll see what happens.

It's interesting to note that if you add up the production costs of all four John Wick movies, their combined production budget (unadjusted for inflation) is smaller than that of Thor: Love and Thunder. In other words you could finance an entire series of films based on an original IP for less than the cost of a single formulaic MCU sequel.

The fact that John Wick is an original IP, and a relatively new one at that (still less than a decade old), is part of its appeal for me. I think audiences in general are tired of Hollywood's overreliance on pre-existing cinematic brands. They want to see movies and TV shows based on original screenplays, or adapted from works that haven't previously been adapted. I'm okay with a small number of old franchises coming back, but let's start building more new IPs instead of just endlessly milking things from the seventies, eighties and nineties.

Obviously John Wick is influenced by earlier films and TV shows, but rather than simply remake those influences the filmmakers used them to build something fresh from the ground up. The result has its own distinct identity. I have a soft spot for The Conjuring franchise for the same reason, even though most of those movies aren't very good. We need more new IPs and fewer reboots.

[The Joker]

Finally checked this out tonight, and yeah, it's one heck of a ride.

I've only seen the 3rd John Wick film once, and it's been awhile, but I would probably rank em as of right now; 1, 4, 3, 2.

We'll see how the spin off stuff pans out. Keanu being apart of "Ballerina" is a big plus, and "The Continental" taking place in the '70's with Mel Gibson in the cast does sound intriguing to me.

[The Laughing Fish]

The sneak peak for The Continental spinoff is here.

[Travesty]

It looks like it's going to get even wackier. I hope it stands up to the quality of the movies....or at least, gets close.