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‘john wick’: film review.

Keanu Reeves and 'The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo's' Michael Nyqvist play antagonistic gangland adversaries in Reeves' return to atmospheric actioners

By Justin Lowe

Justin Lowe

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In an intriguing cinematic twist, Keanu Reeves ’ Matrix  stunt double Chad Stahelski becomes his co-director, with David Leitch,  on John Wick , a visceral revenge thriller that marks a confident, muscular action debut. After a marked absence from the genre, Reeves resoundingly returns with an effortless, kinetic style that positions the film extremely well for any potential follow-ups.

With much of the marketplace distracted by awards contenders and the seasonal onslaught of horror offerings, John Wick  may find an opening to start building some seriously sustained momentum with both male and female Reeves fans during its initial rollout.

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Economically recapping the recent personal loss of retired Russian mob assassin John Wick (Reeves) in nested flashbacks following the untimely death of his wife, Helen ( Bridget Moynahan ), the opening scenes find Wick shuffling around in a fog of grief before latching on

to his only remaining connection to her, a beagle puppy named Daisy that Helen arranged as a gift before her passing. As he struggles to regain any sense of normalcy, the dog and fond memories of his marriage give Wick some hope for the future, but it proves short-lived when he’s antagonized by petulant young gangster Iosef ( Alfie Allen ), who tries to intimidate Wick into selling his classic 1969 black Mustang. When that doesn’t work, Iosef and his crew break into Wick’s New Jersey home to steal the car, leaving him battered and bloodied before Iosef kills Daisy in a fit of pique.

Wick quickly snaps back into cold-blooded killer mode even after five years on the sidelines once he’s deprived of his only remaining solace, determined to hunt Iosef down in retribution. Unearthing his stash of weapons and cash, Wick discovers that his target is actually the son of his former gang boss Viggo ( Michael Nyqvist ). Fully realizing who they’re up against, Viggo tells Iosef: “It’s not what you did that angers me so, it’s who you did it to,” even though he’s committed to protecting his son’s life by putting a $2 million price on Wick’s head. First to consider the opportunity is Wick’s former colleague Marcus ( Willem Dafoe ), a crack sniper, as well as Perkins ( Adrianne Palicki ), a female contract killer who’s as deadly as she is gorgeous.

Wick checks into New York’s Continental Hotel, a declared neutral zone for mobsters of all stripes, quickly getting back in touch with his old underworld contacts to begin gathering information that can lead to Iosef. After Wick nearly wipes out half the security staff in a Russian nightclub in his quest to bring down his adversary, Viggo sends his son into hiding, but it’ll clearly take more than hired assassins and subterfuge to keep John Wick from claiming his due.

Read more  ‘John Wick’: Keanu Reeves, Willem Dafoe Talk “Fantasy” Drifting and Gun Fu Stunts

Derek Kolstad ’s admirably lean script propels the film’s galvanizing action with only the barest narrative essentials, quickly dispensing with the series of improbable coincidences necessitated by the initial setup. With rarely more than a quarter-hour between dynamically staged set pieces, there’s little time to wonder whether Wick has anything more on his mind than elemental revenge. As the body count skyrockets, however, the suspicion arises that he may in fact be making a final attempt at redemption by expiating his past transgressions with a final, cathartic convulsion of violence dedicated to the memory of his deceased wife.

Whatever his inner motivations, Wick isn’t one to clearly articulate them, which makes the character a natural fit with Reeves’ typically taciturn demeanor. With his stringy dark hair, scraggly beard and lithe physique, he’s in excellent form throughout the film, whether battling his way through imaginatively staged fight sequences or handling an impressive array of firearms and lethal blades.

Ironically, Nyqvist may be the more persuasive one with the turn of a phrase, but the outcome of Viggo’s final confrontation with Wick can only go one way. Although Allen doesn’t get much opportunity to develop Iosef beyond a simpering, spoiled brat and Palicki’s stone-cold killer would have benefited from a more central role, those shortcomings seem incidental in a movie where caricatures are almost more important than characters.

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Distilling a couple of decades of stunt work and second-unit directing experience into 96 minutes of runtime, Stahelski and Leitch expertly deliver one action highlight after another in a near-nonstop thrill ride. With a tendency to favor skillfully framed master shots over quick cuts from multiple angles, they immerse viewers in dynamic onscreen clashes that recall John Woo ’s classic bullet ballets with an overlay of emotional intensity.

Cinematographer Jonathan Sela bathes even daytime scenes in grim gray shadows and expressive blue hues that are sometimes broodingly dense even in Imax format, further enhanced by Elisabet Ronalds ’ focused editing.

Production companies: Summit Entertainment, Thunder Road Pictures, 87Eleven Productions, MJW Films Cast: Keanu Reeves, Bridget Moynahan, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Bridget Regan, John Leguizamo , Adrianne Palicki, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Toby Leonard Moore Directors: Chad Stahelski, David Leitch Screenwriter: Derek Kolstad Producers: Basil Iwanyk, David Leitch, Eva Longoria, Michael Witherill Executive producers: Peter Lawson, Mike Upton, Joseph Vincenti, Erica Lee, Kevin Frakes, Raj Singh, Tara Moross, Darren Blumenthal, Jared D. Underwood, Andrew C. Robinson, Sam X. Eyde Director of photography:Jonathan Sela Production designer: Dan Leigh Costume designer: Luca Mosca Editor: Elisabet Ronalds Music: Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard Casting director: Suzanne Smith Crowley

Rated R, 96 minutes 

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• Cast & crew
• User reviews

An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car. An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car. An ex-hitman comes out of retirement to track down the gangsters who killed his dog and stole his car.

• Chad Stahelski
• Derek Kolstad
• Keanu Reeves
• Michael Nyqvist
• Alfie Allen
• 1.6K User reviews
• 347 Critic reviews
• 68 Metascore
• 5 wins & 10 nominations

Top cast 85

• Viggo Tarasov

• Iosef Tarasov

• Ms. Perkins

• Hotel Manager …

• (as Kazimieras Tauginas)
• All cast & crew
• Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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Did you know

• Trivia According to Keanu Reeves , he did 90% of his own stunts in the film.
• Goofs (at around 1h 1 min) Russian Orthodox Churches do not have benches inside. When John is walking into Little Russia Church, he is actually walking into a Catholic church.

Viggo Tarasov : I heard you struck my son.

Aurelio : Yes, sir, I did.

Viggo Tarasov : And may I ask why?

Aurelio : Yeah, well, because he stole John Wick's car, sir, and, uh, killed his dog.

Viggo Tarasov : [pause] Oh.

• Connections Edited into Honest Trailers: John Wick (2017)
• Soundtracks Get Money Written by Jason Paul Thibeau , Roy Whitney Anthony and Benjamin Smith Performed by Jason Paul Thibeau (as T-Bo) featuring Bengie B Courtesy of Firecracker Entertainment & Off The Heezy Entertainment By special arrangement with Paragon Film Music, LLC

User reviews 1.6K

• donlessnau-591-637730
• Apr 14, 2018
• Is 'John Wick' based on a book?
• What is "John Wick" about?
• What's the deal with the gold coins?
• October 24, 2014 (United States)
• United States
• Official Facebook
• Official site
• Otro día para matar
• Calvary Cemetery, Woodside, Queens, New York City, New York, USA
• Summit Entertainment
• Thunder Road Pictures
• See more company credits at IMDbPro
• $20,000,000 (estimated)
• $43,037,835
• $14,415,922
• Oct 26, 2014
• $86,081,850

Technical specs

• Runtime 1 hour 41 minutes
• Dolby Digital
• Dolby Atmos

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Film Review: ‘John Wick’

Back in action-hero mode, Keanu Reeves joins forces with his 'Matrix' stunt double to deliver a slick and satisfying revenge thriller.

By Peter Debruge

Peter Debruge

Chief Film Critic

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There are no good guys in “ John Wick ,” but there are some great actors working alongside Keanu Reeves in his darkest and most tormented role yet: a stunningly lethal contract killer who goes on a rampage after a Russian thug murders his dog. Yes, his dog. If you can stomach the setup, then the rest is pure revenge-movie gold, as Reeves reminds what a compelling action star he can be, while the guy who served as his stunt double in “The Matrix” makes a remarkably satisfying directorial debut, delivering a clean, efficient and incredibly assured thriller with serious breakout potential, thanks in part to Summit’s simultaneous Imax release.

That unsung hero is Chad Stahelski, the stunt guru who stepped into Brandon Lee’s shoes on “The Crow” and spent the next two decades absorbing all the behind-the-scenes filming lessons that make “John Wick” such a technically impeccable actioner. (Stahelski and longtime stunt collaborator David Leitch approached the project as a team, but only Stahelski ultimately received directing credit from the DGA, while Leitch is credited as a producer.) Whereas the tendency among many other helmers is to jostle the camera and cut frenetically in the misguided belief that visual confusion generates excitement, the duo understand what a thrill well-choreographed action can be when we’re actually able to make out what’s happening.

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And that’s why Reeves serves as just the right star to play Wick, a short-fuse antihero whose ridiculous moniker (borrowed from screenwriter Derek Kolstad’s grandfather) clumsily conveys his explosive temper. There’s nothing clumsy about the actor who plays Wick, however, as Reeves’ lithe physicality enables extended sequences in which he moves athletically through an environment full of adversaries, shooting, stabbing or otherwise immobilizing them one at a time.

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Since brutally efficient action sequences are in such short supply these days, the fact that “John Wick” delivers no fewer than half a dozen — home invasion, hotel room, Red Circle club, church parking lot, Brooklyn safehouse, grand finale — more than excuses Kolstad’s lame-brained script. Basically, the idea is to mislead audiences into believing that Reeves’ character is a mild-mannered family man, compressing the preceding few months of personal tragedy into a montage in which Wick visits his wife (Bridget Moynahan) in hospital, attends her rain-drenched funeral (where former colleague Marcus, played by Willem Dafoe, makes an ominous appearance), and weeps upon receiving her final gift: a pre-trained puppy named Daisy.

This intro doesn’t exactly position Wick as someone Russian mobsters would refer to as “the Boogey Man,” but of course, everyone in the theater already knows what’s coming. Far from fooling anyone, this mopey opening merely provides an awkward bit of melodrama to get past before the carnage can commence — which it does soon enough, when “Game of Thrones” goon Alfie Allen, playing the bratty son of a Russian crime boss, improbably shows up at a rural gas station and offers to buy Wick’s prized 1969 Boss Mustang. When Wick declines, the punk and his friends decide to break into his house and help themselves, beating Wick with baseball bats, smashing his things, snapping the poor dog’s neck and taking the Mustang on their way out.

While killing a dog hardly seems enough to justify the meticulously orchestrated mayhem that follows, we should at least be grateful the pic doesn’t impose some greater emotional trauma upfront (like forcing us to witness his wife’s rape or murder, a la “Death Wish”). The script waits until this moment, when Iosef takes the stolen Mustang to the shop to have its plates changed, before revealing Wick’s reputation. The fence (a tough-looking John Leguizamo) nervously refuses to help, notifying Iosef’s relatively civilized mobster dad, Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist, looking suave and collected in the face of certain death), that his son has awakened a monster.

One almost feels sorry for Stahelski, who’s been given such a soggy pulp screenplay to work with, and yet it’s during these B-movie scenes that we start to feel what he can bring to the table. In terms of material, “John Wick” is nothing special, but there’s a suave elegance to the way Stahelski and Leitch approach this thoroughly generic project, seizing the opportunity to deliver some pretty spectacular setpieces along the way.

The result, photographed in sleek, steady-hand widescreen by Vilmos Zsigmond protege Jonathan Sela, looks more like recent Nicolas Winding Refn pics than relatively sloppy studio fare (right down to its cool, neon-lit shootouts), relying on a mix of heavy metal and electronic music from the likes of Marilyn Manson, Tyler Bates and Kaleida to generate propulsive forward energy. Needless to say, Iosef and his thugs picked the wrong guy to mess with. But their mistake wasn’t stealing Wick’s car and killing his dog. Their mistake was not killing Wick when they had the chance.

As written, everyone seen onscreen is bad to some degree — from the lethal minx (Adrianne Palicki) who accepts a $4 million contract to kill Wick to the corrupt Catholic priest (Munro M. Bonnell) who protects the vault where Viggo stores his valuables — which means every bullet fired potentially stands to make this corrupt underworld a better place. Evidently, evil is relative, and some of these killers are more supportive of Wick than others, including Dafoe’s Marcus, a fellow sharpshooter who intervenes whenever Wick finds himself in a particularly tight spot, and Ian McShane, who plays the manager of the film’s most inspired location: a high-end hotel for assassins where the house rules demand that no killing be done on premises.

Clearly, “John Wick” isn’t set in the real world, but rather in the sort of heightened parallel dimension that gamers use for target practice, where they must constantly be on their guard as goons pop up from behind objects and around corners. That’s effectively how we experience the better part of the movie, tagging along as Wick hunts down Iosef and brings down Viggo’s entire criminal organization in the process. With long greasy hair and wispy facial hair, Reeves isn’t nearly as tough or intimidating as your typical revenge-movie antihero, but his star persona helps to make the film more fun — or at least a lot less bleak — than downbeat classics as “Rolling Thunder” and “Get Carter.” All that violence won’t bring Daisy back, but it helps to clear enough space in Wick’s cold-blooded heart for another dog. Maybe he’s not so bad after all.

Reviewed at Metropolitan Filmexport, Paris, Oct. 14, 2014. (In Fantastic Fest.) MPAA Rating: R. Running time: 101 MIN.

• Production: A Summit Entertainment release presented with Thunder Road Pictures, in association with 87Eleven Prods., Defynite Films. Produced by Basil Iwanyk, David Leitch, Eva Longoria. Executive producers, Peter Lawson, Mike Upton, Kevin Frakes, Raj Singh, Sam X. Eyde, Tara Moross, Darren Blumenthal, Joseph Vincenti, Erica Lee.
• Crew: Directed by Chad Stahelski. Screenplay, Derek Kolstad. Camera (color, widescreen), Jonathan Sela; editor, Elisabeth Ronalds; music, Tyler Bates, Joel J. Richard; music supervisor, John Houlihan; production designer, Dan Leigh; art director, CJ Simpson; set decorator, Susan Bode Tyson; costume designer, Luca Mosca; sound (Dolby Digital), Danny Michael; supervising sound editor, Mark Stoeckinger; re-recording mixers, Jim Bolt, Martyn Zub; visual effects supervisor, Jake Braver; visual effects, Spin VFX; fight coordinator, Jonathan Eusebio; assistant director, John R. Saunders; stunt coordinator/second unit director, Darrin Prescott; casting, Suzanne Smith Crowley, Jessica Kelly.
• With: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Willem Dafoe, Dean Winters, Adrianne Palicki, Omer Barnea, Toby Leonard Moore, Daniel Bernhardt, Bridget Moynahan, John Leguizamo, Ian McShane, Bridget Regan, Lance Reddick, Munro M. Bonnell, Clarke Peters. (English, Russian dialogue)

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John Wick: Chapter 4

Where to watch.

Rent John Wick: Chapter 4 on Fandango at Home, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

What to Know

John Wick: Chapter 4 piles on more of everything -- and suggests that when it comes to a well-dressed Keanu Reeves dispatching his enemies in lethally balletic style, there can never be too much.

John Wick: Chapter 4 might run a little long, but when the action's this good, who's complaining?

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Common Sense Media Review

Action film is stylish, entertaining but extremely violent.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that John Wick is a brutally violent, frequently bloody thriller starring Keanu Reeves as an assassin. There's a very high body count: Characters are shot, maimed, stabbed, beaten, threatened, killed with firearms at close range, blown to bits in an explosion, strangled with bare hands,…

Why Age 17+?

Brutal: It feels like two-thirds of the film is made up of killings, and much of

Frequent language includes "f--k," "s--t," "goddamn," and more.

Several products/brands seen, including Apple, Chevrolet, Mustang, Acura, and Pe

Characters drink, usually hard liquor. Partiers at a bar swill champagne. One pe

Couples kiss. A singer in a nightclub performs in a leotard. Men and women wear

Any Positive Content?

Keanu Reeves, who is multiracial, plays a character that passes as White. Suppor

Your past may catch up with you, but that doesn't mean you have to let yourself

Despite being an assassin, John Wick is principled: He only hurts those who hurt

Violence & Scariness

Brutal: It feels like two-thirds of the film is made up of killings, and much of the violence is presented in a stylized, semi-glamorized way. Characters are shot, maimed, stabbed, beaten, threatened, killed with firearms at close range, blown to bits in an explosion, strangled with bare hands, and more. There's blood everywhere. In one of the most disturbing scenes, a man clubs a puppy to death; a trail of blood is shown leading to its carcass. In another extended scene filled with mayhem, the body count exceeds three dozen.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Several products/brands seen, including Apple, Chevrolet, Mustang, Acura, and Peligroso liquor. The film is the first of a franchise.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Characters drink, usually hard liquor. Partiers at a bar swill champagne. One person smokes marijuana. Cocaine is shown but not used on-screen.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Couples kiss. A singer in a nightclub performs in a leotard. Men and women wear bathing suits.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Diverse Representations

Keanu Reeves , who is multiracial, plays a character that passes as White. Supporting characters include Aurelio (played by Colombian American John Leguizamo ), Charon ( Lance Reddick ), who's Black, and the Doctor (Randall Duk Kim, who's American of Chinese-Korean descent). Though they play villains, White characters are just as amoral, which helps the film avoid stereotypes. John's dead wife strongly falls into the Hollywood cliche of killing women in order to spur a male hero into action.

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Positive Messages

Your past may catch up with you, but that doesn't mean you have to let yourself get caught up in it.

Positive Role Models

Despite being an assassin, John Wick is principled: He only hurts those who hurt others. Still, his "field" isn't exactly one that inspires admiration, at least from outsiders.

Parents need to know that John Wick is a brutally violent, frequently bloody thriller starring Keanu Reeves as an assassin. There's a very high body count: Characters are shot, maimed, stabbed, beaten, threatened, killed with firearms at close range, blown to bits in an explosion, strangled with bare hands, and more. And especially because so much of the violence is depicted in a stylized, semi-glamorized way, it's best reserved for the oldest teens and adults. Interestingly, a streak of humor also runs through it, and fight scenes choreographed so thrillingly that it's almost like watching ballet -- albeit a gunshot-riddled, rough-and-tumble one. You can also expect lots of swearing ("f--k," "s--t," and more) and a fair amount of drinking, as well as pot smoking. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

Where to Watch

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Parent and Kid Reviews

• Parents say (48)
• Kids say (158)

Based on 48 parent reviews

Good some bad scenes

John wick gets violent and has language, but avoids gore-good for mature young teens, what's the story.

JOHN WICK ( Keanu Reeves ) is a retired assassin who was once the best in the business. But after a long illness that leads to the death of his beloved wife ( Bridget Moynihan ), he's pulled back into a world that he left long ago for love. A chance encounter with the entitled, violent son of an old associate ends up with John bloodied in his own home and the dog his wife left him as a parting gift slaughtered. For John, there's now no other recourse but revenge.

Is It Any Good?

Few films in this genre are known for their intricate, layered dialogue or depth of feeling, and this doesn't exactly break these conventions. But there's no denying the artistry that went into making John Wick . The frames are well-crafted, the pace quick and effortless, the fight scenes choreographed like a ballet. It looks fantastic. And although it's an action thriller, it has a streak of humor that confidently runs through it, making it even more entertaining. Reeves' impermeable face and economic acting work well in this context because he plays a mystery man who remains mysterious throughout. And the rest of the cast -- especially Willem Dafoe and Michael Nyqvist -- is great, too.

But there's no doubt that John Wick is deeply violent. It starts out quiet, and the first attack comes as a shock, which works well for the story. But after a while, all the fights begin to numb; though they're beautifully filmed, they lose their potency, since they come fast and furious without much room to breathe or process what's happening. And parents will want to know that the fighting is so ferocious that it borders on barbarous, making the movie best left for mature teens and adults.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why John Wick gets back in the "business." Are his reasons, in this messed-up world, at all reasonable? Is he a sympathetic character, despite his line of work? Why or why not?

John Wick is a violent movie. Does it glamorize the violence? If so, how? Does all the violence serve the story, or does it go too far?

John is strongly motivated by revenge. Is that understandable? Is revenge ever an acceptable excuse for violence?

John Wick relies on the Hollywood cliche of using a dead woman as a plot device for a man's backstory. Have you noticed this in other action films? Is this fair to women characters? What are more creative ways to include female characters in genre films?

Movie Details

• In theaters : October 24, 2014
• On DVD or streaming : February 3, 2015
• Cast : Keanu Reeves , Adrianne Palicki , Bridget Moynahan , Michael Nyqvist
• Director : David Leitch
• Inclusion Information : Asian actors, Polynesian/Pacific Islander actors, Female actors
• Studio : Summit Entertainment
• Genre : Action/Adventure
• Run time : 101 minutes
• MPAA rating : R
• MPAA explanation : strong and bloody violence throughout, language and brief drug use
• Last updated : August 20, 2024

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• Movie Review

John Wick: Chapter 4 is unrelenting in every sense of the word

John wick 4 is a supersized all-you-can-eat buffet of the franchise’s signature dishes: bullet-riddled revenge, teeth-chattering action sequences, and gossamer-thin characters..

By Charles Pulliam-Moore , a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years.

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Lionsgate’s John Wick movies have always been over-the-top action / thriller joyrides more focused on dazzling you with visceral, expertly choreographed action sequences than trying to tell the most coherent stories about stylish assassins . Director Chad Stahelski’s John Wick: Chapter 4 is no exception. And it abundantly delivers on the franchise’s hallmarks — snazzy guns, lovable dogs, and one very haggard man in black — by picking up right where 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum left off.

Were this just any old chapter in the John Wick saga, it’d be fair to call the newest film slightly above average compared to its predecessors — and a testament to how far the franchise has come. But John Wick: Chapter 4 wants to be as monumental and seminal as it is bombastic — aspirations that the feature doesn’t quite manage to achieve despite giving it its best shot.

After three films of simply wanting to be left the hell alone, then wanting revenge, wanting to be left alone some more, and then being forced to go on the run, dog-loving widower and super-assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is tired but still very intent on making sure that the High Table gets what’s coming to it for trying to kill him. John Wick: Chapter 4 presumes Parabellum is still fresh in your mind as it immediately drops you right back into Wick’s jet-setting life of journeying to far-off places and popping off as many shots as it takes until his various targets are chock full of bullet wounds and quite dead.

With Wick still running around the world and demolishing virtually every single person who crosses his path, the High Table’s powers that be have every reason to be scared that he’ll find them and put them in the ground. That fear is what pushes the shadowy organization to start making the bold changes that set John Wick: Chapter 4 ’s story in motion.

Though John Wick’s just a man, Chapter 4 leans into the idea of him being the man (in black) — an assassin so clad in plot armor that he simply can’t be killed by conventional means or by following the ancient rules that made the High Table into the thriving operation that it is.

The Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) isn’t just another trained killer gunner for Wick’s head. He’s a high-ranking High Table member who speaks for the entire organization when he lets Wick’s longtime allies Winston Scott (Ian McShane) and Charon (Lance Reddick) know that their ties to him will bring nothing but ruin into their lives. But John Wick: Chapter 4 also frames the Marquis as the High Table’s destructive arbiter of change — an embodiment of the future clashing with the past — and the existential fear he elicits in his fellow killers is one of the more interesting elements of the film.

The Marquis also gives Wick a singular convenient target to focus on as he works toward making the High Table pay for what it’s done to him and giving him back his freedom. But between Wick and the Marquis are hundreds, if not thousands, of trained killers, like blind swordsman Caine (Donnie Yen) dead set on collecting the ever-increasing bounty looming over the excommunicado-ed man’s head.

When Chapter 4 ’s purely focused on detailing how Wick methodically mows down his pursuers, you can feel just how in their elements stuntman-turned-director Stahelski and Reeves are. But in its many moments where the movie’s either building up to or cooling down from its big set pieces, there’s both a wobbliness and a narrative thinness that ends up highlighting how overlong and somewhat repetitive Chapter 4 ultimately feels.

While Chapter 4 does eventually pit Wick against the Marquis, it’s only after the former goes on a globe-trekking journey to get all the right tools and make the right alliances to be able to challenge the High Table head-on. Wick’s quest takes him to a Japanese branch of the Continental run by series newcomers Koji Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada) and his daughter Akira (Rina Sawayama) — neither of whom know what to make of the mysterious Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson), a notebook-toting tracker who travels with a German shepherd.

Because Chapter 4 ’s really about contemplating the future, and because the movie couldn’t just be about Wick taking on the world, all of the new faces are welcome additions. Both Sawayama and Anderson are captivating as two of the movie’s most distinct, personality-forward fighters who — because of their charisma and solid acting choices — stand out in sprawling fight sequences overstuffed with large groups of stunt performers brawling. But John Wick: Chapter 4 spends so much of its 169-minute runtime focused on Wick doing things we’ve seen him do a few times over at this point that few of the movie’s characters end up feeling like real people.

The John Wick movies are about action first, character second, and plot maybe fourth, after tailored suits, but there is so little depth to a lot of the Shay Hatten and Michael Finch script that even John Wick himself sometimes comes across as if he isn’t sure why he’s fighting or how he feels about it. As with the previous John Wick movies, Chapter 4 ’s prolonged fight scenes are kinetic, brutally beautiful odes to the art of stunt work, and each feels crafted with diehard fans of the franchise in mind. But the film’s approach to fan service — letting less action-filled scenes run more than a bit too long and making sure that almost every one of its background fistfights gets ample screen time — has the effect of making John Wick: Chapter 4 feel needlessly drawn out.

The ability of the John Wick movies to make you feel the blows as you watch Wick take and dole out beatings is one of the more impressive things about them, and it’s something Chapter 4 ’s able to do well to a point. But the movie is so chock full of battles that feel like they were stuffed into the movie to make it bigger that they start to mean less as the story unfolds and the body count rises.

The movie’s length also has an interesting way of emphasizing just how little John Wick actually says, which has a curious way of making him seem a bit checked out and disengaged from the people around him, who all speak almost exclusively in grim aphorisms. But Reeves’ aloof deadpan does work as a counterbalance to Chapter 4 ’s forays into goofy physical comedy. Some of them work, like a scene involving Wick fighting his way up a flight of stairs and then falling back down it. But others, like Wick’s fight with an obese High Table head from Germany named Killa (portrayed by Scott Adkins in a fat suit), do not — and come across as cringe at best, mean-spirited at worst.

John Wick: Chapter 4 isn’t a movie you casually sit down to watch apropos of nothing. It’s a commitment, both in terms of how long it is and in how invested you really have to be in the idea of John Wick for the film to be engaging. To its credit, John Wick: Chapter 4 does an admirable job of leaving open possibilities for a future filled with stories of some of the movie’s new supporting characters. It comes as a pleasant surprise given how much time this story spends trying to remind you that Wick is the baddest man in town.

John Wick: Chapter 4 also stars Laurence Fishburne, Clancy Brown, Natalia Tena, Marko Zaror, Bridget Moynahan, and George Georgiou. The movie hits theaters on March 24th.

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John Wick Movies Ranked by Tomatometer

Crisp, clear camera work where you can see the stunts, punches, and gunfights? Sweet cars and exotic locales? Impossibly cool one-liners? Yeah, we’re thinking action movies are back. Since John Wick ‘s 2014 high-concept debut (don’t get between an ex-assassin and his dead wife-gifted puppy), Keanu Reeves and his creative team (including former Matrix stunt guys turned directors, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch) have booted the shaky cam and manic edits that have plagued American action movies to the curb, reviving old-school muscular filmmaking with modern polish. That includes an amusingly absurd amount of worldbuilding populated with colorful characters, featuring the likes of Lance Reddick, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne and much more. With Chapter 4 releasing (see the first reviews ), we’re ranking the John Wick movies by Tomatometer! — Alex Vo

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) 94%

John Wick: Chapter 3 -- Parabellum (2019) 89%

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) 89%

John Wick (2014) 86%

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John Wick Is a Violent, Violent, Violent Film, But Oh-So Beautiful

With any other actor in the role, the relentless revenge flick John Wick could have been just another variation on the Neesonian man-with-special-set-of-skills-kills-everybody genre. But with an actor as ethereal and ageless as Keanu Reeves in the lead, it becomes something else — more abstract and mythic.

At this point, Reeves can do stoic and haunted in his sleep. As John Wick begins, he’s (stoically, hauntedly) mourning the recent loss of his wife to a terrible illness. But then a little dog is delivered to his door one day — accompanied by a card bearing the same yellow-daisy design as his late wife’s coffee mug. It turns out she bought the puppy for him to help him grieve after her death. She was right: Having the pitter-patter of an adorable mutt following him around and jumping into his cold, empty bed with him does seem to brighten Wick’s day — marginally. (He’s still pretty stoic and haunted.) Thing is, the guy has nothing else to do. He lives in this giant, sleek, ultramodern house and drives a beautiful black ‘69 Ford Mustang. Most of his time seems to be spent taking care of his dog or angrily doing 360s and gunning his car around a nearby private airfield. That’s how stoic, haunted badasses mourn in the movies.

Then, a group of young, stuck-up Russian thugs led by mob princeling Iosef (Alfie Allen) invade Wick’s home, beat him to within an inch of his life, steal his car … and kill his dog. When Wick wakes up, he finds his dog’s carcass nestled next to him, a trail of blood-soaked doggie footsteps on the floor — with its dying breaths, the poor little creature apparently dragged itself over to die alongside his owner. And people, I am telling you … I don’t know if I’ve ever wanted somebody in a movie dead as much as I wanted those punks dead at this point in John Wick . This is shameless cinematic manipulation of the first order, but the film knows to parcel it out in doses. In The Equalizer , the manipulation never stopped; once Denzel Washington’s character got going, the villains’ brutality increased exponentially. John Wick is cleaner: It gives us a visceral reason for the bloodshed, but then it plays it cool. Its ambitions are aesthetic, not moral.

Up until this point, the film has played coy about who John Wick actually is, but now the truth is revealed, in a slow, anticipatory, Chinese-water-torture drip of exposition. Derek Kolstadt’s screenplay understands that so much of a character’s magnetism depends on what happens when he  isn’t around, so the film has as much fun dancing around the details of Wick’s former life as it does in showing us just how exactly he goes about his business. But it turns out that before meeting his wife and retiring, Wick was a legendary hit man known as the Boogeyman. “John wasn’t exactly the boogeyman. He was the one you sent to kill the boogeyman,” elaborates his former employer, Russian mobster Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), who just so happens to be the father of the same hotheaded ignoramus who killed Wick’s dog.  Now the entire underworld is scrambling to prepare for the ultimate killer’s return, and the inevitable bloodletting that will ensue. The hushed, terrified tones with which the mobsters discuss Wick ahead of his arrival help prime us for the film’s action scenes.

And those action scenes are something else, too. Directors David Leitch and Chad Stahelski are veteran stunt coordinators, so the fighting, the shooting, the neck-snapping and back-breaking and head-exploding are shot with startling fluidity. But they also appear to have taken a few pages from the heyday of arty action like La Femme Nikita and The Professional , films that were built not on anything real, but on our collective cinematic dreams of genre. When Wick chases one Russian in the middle of a rave, what’s onscreen becomes as much about the spiraling patterns on the club’s video screens and the gyrating dancers as it does about the actual pursuit at hand. The fight scenes themselves develop their own dancelike rhythm and grace.

None of this is new: Filmmakers have been aestheticizing violence for as long as movies have been around, and the idea of yet another action flick with hot music and cool images (however hot the music, however cool the images) may not strike many as cause for celebration. But John Wick commits to its defiant unreality, giving us a fantastical underworld of ritual, mythic figures and color-coded spaces. When Wick kills a bunch of goons in his home, he calls a professional mob-body-cleanup service led by a guy who looks like the Reaper himself. He pays for everything in gold coins that appear to be the currency of this realm. There’s even a common hotel that all the hit men stay at, with its own rules (no business conducted on the premises, or you pay a hefty fee) and its own secret spaces, such as a basement bar where owner Ian McShane holds court and dispenses wisdom over a martini. Such genre fantasies give the directors plenty of cover. John Wick is a violent, violent, violent film, but its artful splatter is miles away from the brutality of Taken or the gleeful gore of The Equalizer . It’s a beautiful coffee-table action movie.

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John Wick Review

10 Apr 2015

101 minutes

There are, broadly speaking, two ways to go when it comes to fight sequences. The first is to bust a few moves then use lively camerawork and quick edits to make an indifferent pugilist look like The Grandmaster. The more challenging route is to choreograph an extended sequence, sit back, frame a nice wide shot and let the actor carry the can. Given that first-time directors Stahelski and Leitch are both veteran stunt co-ordinators, that fact that they opt for door number two is not surprising. The assured proficiency with which they conduct John Wick’s symphony of gunplay, however, is.

Like the best Cantonese Gun Fu, every exchange of lead in John Wick is painstakingly mapped out and executed with silky smooth precision. Reeves glides through moves with practiced ease, rolling, ducking and grappling like a bearded ninja, only throwing bullet rain instead of punches. The sequences are inventive, too, touched by a wry sense of humour (an irritated mid-kill reload is a particular highlight) to keep any hint of fight fatigue at bay.

The dust-ups are the film’s main course and the directors know it, serving them up at steady intervals with narrative amuse-bouches passed out in the lulls. And bite-sized the story most certainly is, existing solely to set Wick in motion, then keep the corpses coming. Thin though it is, the plot is not without charm and as with the action, Derek Kolstad’s script boasts a confident exuberance. The setup is enriched by a fanciful mythology where New York’s contract killers all hang out at The Continental – a hitmen-only hotel that acts as a kind of homicidal Cheers bar. Gaffer in residence is a delightfully camp Ian McShane, one of several blink-and-you’ll-miss-them pop-ups alongside Lance Reddick, John Leguizamo, and Clarke Peters.

While this inhabits the same vigilante-porn subgenre as Taken 3 or The Equalizer, John Wick is in on the joke in a way that few such movies are. With this, Leitch and Stehelski (Keanu’s Matrix stunt double) have set themselves out as a duo to watch. Reeves, meanwhile, hasn’t kicked this kind of arse since he walked into that lobby with a bag full of guns back in 1999.

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John Wick: Chapter Two

Have you ever walked out of a film so struck by awe and wonder your skin is abuzz? Has a film ever left you so joyful and drunk on adrenaline that it made you more hopeful about the world? Has a lead performance in an action film ever had such balletic grace it made you marvel at the possibilities of the human body itself? This is exactly how I felt watching “John Wick: Chapter Two,” the sequel to the surprising 2014 action hit.

“John Wick: Chapter Two” is a more audacious film, bolder and more violent than its predecessor. It’s also surprisingly hilarious, wringing humor from physical pratfalls and dry wit in unexpected moments. In many ways, it’s the platonic ideal of an action film: operatic yet colored with fine-tuned details, blisteringly visceral yet tinged with pathos. For all its great craft, the movie is ultimately a showcase for Keanu Reeves , who returns as the titular assassin, proving his greatness as an actor and action star. Yes, that’s right, I said greatness. No qualifiers necessary. “John Wick: Chapter Two” is truly wondrous, but it wouldn’t work without Reeves, who has a sincere love of this genre.

Wick is not good at retiring. It’s easy to believe, as commented on by others in the film, that he’s addicted to the vengeance he dishes out with such panache. After all, what else does he have to live for? The sequel picks up shortly after the end of the first film; Wick is still reeling from the death of his wife, Helen ( Bridget Moynahan ), failing to adjust to a new life even with his adorable, unnamed pitbull steadfastly by his side. (For those wondering, the dog remains safe.) He has little time to relax when he finds Santino D’Antonio ( Riccardo Scamarcio ) on his doorstep, asking him to make good on the blood oath he made years prior that allowed him to retire from his deadly profession. At first, Wick balks. One devastating house explosion later, he sees no other choice. But accepting Santino’s offer does not bring Wick the peace he desires so intensely. Soon, he finds himself facing threats from all sides, including Santino’s mute enforcer Ares ( Ruby Rose ) and Cassian (Common), a bodyguard of the woman Wick is forced to kill.

“John Wick: Chapter Two” is never as singularly focused as its stellar opening, which is pretty much the best Batman sequence that never was. Wick has already avenged his dog and now wants to recover the car stolen in the previous film. This gives us a fun Peter Stormare cameo as Abram Tarasov, the brother of the Russian gangster Wick killed the last time around. The opening juxtaposes Wick fluidly moving in and out of shadow killing all manner of men who stand in his path. All the while, Abram listens to the ricocheting bullets and belabored screams of his henchmen growing almost cartoonishly overwrought with dread. The scene works by leaning into Wick’s mythic nature even more heavily than the first film and establishes the sequel’s excellent comedic stylings.

After the opening, the film wastes no time plunging us deeper into the mythology of Wick’s labyrinthine world of assassins, blood oaths and arcane rules. The budding franchise has some of the best world-building currently in film, besting comic properties and reboots that have decades of material from which to draw. There are many delectable details introduced like an old-fashioned steno pool of tattooed darlings that handle the release of hits and other nasty work needing to be done. Some of the most fun moments are just watching Wick prepare. He’s a man of extremely refined taste, whether he’s getting a new suit tailored or conversing with The Sommelier ( Peter Serafinowicz ) about weaponry with the metaphors of fine dining. Cinema was created so Keanu Reeves could wear a fine black suit and slice through people with the same grace as Fred Astaire . But in expanding Wick’s world the film often lacks the sharp focus that made the original so entrancing. But even though it isn’t a perfect sequel, the imperfections are charming, lending the story the ability to venture down fun avenues.

“John Wick: Chapter Two” is a character actor’s paradise. It’s so obvious that returning cast members and new faces are having fun that you can’t help but smile: Ian McShane returns to make a meal out of every scene he’s in as Winston, the owner of New York City’s Continental hotel; Lance Reddick and John Leguizamo are also a pleasure, giving completely different energy to the film; Ruby Rose might just have a great career soon as an action star. With not a single line of dialogue, she has a commanding presence, proving me wrong about her skills demonstrated in a previous season of “Orange is the New Black.” Common proves to also be a great foil for Reeves, nailing the silent but deadly assassin mode with panache. Franco Nero ’s brief appearance as the manager of the Continental hotel in Rome is especially great. Come on. It’s Franco Nero talking to John Wick. What else could you ask for?

But it’s Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King that may just be my favorite addition to this fascinating world. “ The Matrix ” co-stars understandably have great rapport. They riff off each other in the way only actors with deeply shared history can. Fishburne’s presence is commanding, with a tinge of eccentricity. His booming laughter happens to be one of the most powerful aspects of the film’s impressive arsenal. At one point, his laugh acts as a transition between scenes going longer than expected in response to Wick’s questionable request. He only appears briefly but he makes quite an impact.

Of course, the reason to truly cherish “John Wick: Chapter Two” is the action. Director Chad Stahelski and cinematographer Dan Laustsen make every frame a sumptuous visual feast. They take advantage of the outsized world they’ve created, forming a color palette unique to the action film landscape that gives “John Wick: Chapter Two” a painterly quality. They also know how good-looking and physically expressive their leading man is. Often Reeves is the only thing on-screen, his face and body cast in shades of turquoise, jade, and neon pink.

There is an artistry and detail to even minor scenes of characters trading barbs that express the sheer mythic and grand nature of the story. The sound design highlighting the crunch of bones, splatter of blood, and the various repercussions of these increasingly intense battles is also quite artful. Fight scenes are never over-edited, opting for continuous wide shots, making it evident how much Reeves trained. The violence is never one-note, running the gamut from darkly humorous to oddly poetic. And it is always very, very bloody. This film is far more brutal than the first. Assassins are sliced at the groin, stabbed in the thigh, and shot in all manner of body parts with the camera never flinching, forcing us to bear witness. Bonus: we get to see Wick’s pencil trick. It’s even more gruesome than I imagined.

But the action isn’t just intense and gorgeously crafted. In “John Wick: Chapter Two” physicality is identity. Screenwriter Derek Kolstad smartly doesn’t over-explain the history between characters—the way they fight speaks for them. When Ares gets her showdown with Wick, she’s scrappy and unhinged, like a starved lioness released onto an unsuspecting public. Cassian is more openly brutal and forceful. He’s more simplistic than Wick in his fighting choices but nearly as deadly. Their fight scenes often begin with long pauses and intense stares before giving way to outright mayhem. Then, of course, there is Reeves. No action star quite understands how physicality can communicate story like he does. His dialogue may be spare. But his body tells an entire story all its own, even in subdued moments. A glare or half-hearted smile communicates more history than many actors do with a monologue. Where Ares is energetic and Cassius is brutal, Reeves makes Wick elegant in his violence.

Interestingly, Wick often does a sort of flip, locking an opponent between his legs. It’s a move that is typically the domain of female action stars, reminding me of Black Widow’s signature move in films like “Captain America: Winter Soldier.” This demonstrates how Reeves uniquely blends typically feminine and masculine traits with aplomb. During the film’s most memorable fight scenes, Reeves seems like he’s creating dance crafted with punches and gun-fu. He effectively marries the cool grace of Fred Astaire with the sex appeal of Gene Kelly . No modern action star is so brutal and beautiful an equal measure.

But Reeves goes beyond being a talented physical performer in action scenes. The film highlights the thematic preoccupation that snakes through his entire career: loneliness. Reeves has always been best when playing men isolated due to equal parts choice and pathology. Wick’s struggle to find peace and his place in the world is surprisingly moving. Here is a man without any home in the world—emotional or tangible. Amid the high body count and clever design, “John Wick: Chapter Two” is a moving portrait of how loneliness warps the best of us. It ends with room for a third chapter, which I am definitely hoping for, since “John Wick: Chapter Two” demonstrates what film as an art form is all about: it awes and delights, challenges and provokes. It also proves that Keanu Reeves is the greatest modern action star and film is better for his return.

Angelica Jade Bastien

Angelica Jade Bastién is a Chicago based critic and essayist. She’s written for the New York  Times, Vulture, The Atlantic, and The Village Voice.

• Lance Reddick as Charon
• Keanu Reeves as John Wick
• Bridget Moynahan as Helen Wick
• Ruby Rose as Ares
• Ian McShane as Winston
• Thomas Sadoski as Jimmy
• John Leguizamo as Aurelio
• Laurence Fishburne as The Bowler King
• Chad Stahelski

Cinematographer

• Dan Laustsen

Writer (based on characters created by)

• Derek Kolstad
• Evan Schiff
• Joel J. Richard
• Tyler Bates

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John Wick (United States, 2014)

John Wick is a rousing action thriller of the sort rarely encountered in theaters these days. The once popular genre, which was headlined by the likes of Stallone and Schwarzenegger during its heyday, has been a dying breed during the past two decades. Occasionally, a movie like The Raid (or its bigger, better sequel, The Raid 2 ) comes along to satisfy fans with a penchant for R-rated violence, but the growing desire for PG-13 action and the emergence of computer generated imaging has rendered old-school brutality obsolete. Then along comes unlikely candidate Keanu Reeves to ignite the flame once again. For those who crave no-holds barred action, this may be the best the autumn has to offer.

There isn't much of a plot, but that's often the case with revenge-based tales. Movies of this sort aren't about narrative depth, they're about taking a hero through an increasingly difficult series of bad guys until he comes face-to-face with the Big Boss. In a way, it's like a video game. It should come as no surprise that John Wick is cross-promoting with Payday 2 . There are a lot of cinematic antecedents that could be mentioned in discussing John Wick , but this reminded me most strongly of the Mel Gibson version of Payback . Reeves portrays the title character, an ex-mob assassin who is brought out of retirement when his car is stolen and his dog is killed by the punk Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen). Iosef is the son of Wick's former boss, Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist). The path to the father-and-son Tarasov's forces Wick to run a gauntlet comprised of old friends, associates, and enemies played by the likes of Willem Dafoe, Adrianne Palicki, John Leguizamo, and Ian McShane.

John Wick 's greatest strength is its relentless momentum. The film doesn't have a lot of down time. It offers occasional breaks, including some amusing scenes that take place in a hotel where guests aren't allowed to "talk business." (Breaking that rule, it turns out, can have serious consequences.) For the most part, however, John Wick knows what it is and is unapologetic about it. This is a kick-butt action film with no pretensions of being anything else. There is a short dialogue about karma and God but it's neither deep nor long.

Reeves is in many ways a perfect choice for the lead. When the movie begins, Wick is in a deep funk following the death of his wife. His emotions have been shut down and remain thus for most of the film as he goes about his work. Reeves has never displayed much range; his screen presence has always been his strongest asset and it's in evidence here. Wick is more of a force of nature than a fully realized character. He has sufficient backstory to make him sympathetic but, like Denzel Washington's The Equalizer , his past is murky. The supporting cast is nicely eclectic, with Michael Nyqvist providing a villain who is more urbane that the usual frothing-at-the-mouth bad guy and Adrianne Palicki adding a little black widow sex appeal.

My biggest gripe (and it's not a big one) with John Wick 's presentation is the prologue flash-forward which adds nothing to the narrative progression while telling us pretty much how things are going to end. This is always in the back of our minds as we're progressing through the movie; it's an unnecessary distraction.

The film was co-directed by former stuntmen/coordinators David Leitch and Chad Stahelski (DGA rules mandate that Stahelski be given sole official credit). They show a good understanding of how to frame a fight and never resort to the kind of rapid-fire cutting that reduces an action scene into visual confetti. The shoot-outs in John Wick are short and brutal and the few one-on-one battles don't drag on forever. There's a car chase but it's short and sweet. Leitch and Stahelski may not be on the short list to direct the next Jane Austen adaptation but they know their stuff when it comes to action films.

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Every John Wick Movie, Ranked by Action

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The John Wick movies are well-known and praised for their intense, gun-slinging, bone-popping and well-executed action sequences: it's what draws audiences to theaters every time a new installment is released. Well, that and the legendary Keanu Reeves . It's difficult to find action films with better choreographed and performed action than the Wick entries, especially given the absolute dedication and love for the franchise from not only Reeves but from the entire crew as well.

It's quite difficult to compare the action of each film, given that each one has explosive sequences that are superb in almost every single way. Reeves' commitment and physicality take the whole thing to the next level, producing some of the most electrifying action movies of the new millennium. Still, some John Wick films are executed a tad better than others, action-wise , and while difficult, it is possible to compare and rank the four films in the franchise.

4 'John Wick: Chapter 2' (2017)

Directed by chad stahelski.

Following the first John Wick film was always going to be incredibly difficult, so comparing it to the first film is no easy task. John Wick: Chapter 2 sees Wick forced back into his old life of ruthless murder when he must fulfill a blood oath to crime lord Santino D'Antonio ( Riccardo Scamarcio ).

John Wick: Chapter 2 has some astounding car action that is genuinely some of the best in cinema history, especially in the opening sequence of the film. It improves upon the action in the first John Wick film in many ways, mostly by feeling larger in scope. But there's something about following up the classic first film that makes it difficult to place the sequel above it, especially when the action quality is quite similar to the first film . The first film just barely surpasses the second, mainly because of how refreshing it still feels; the sequel feels a tad safe, which is odd in a franchise of this nature. It is clear the pressure was high when following up on the first film, but sadly, John Wick: Chapter 2 is a sequel that played it too safe .

John Wick: Chapter 2

Not available

3 'John Wick' (2014)

There's something so special and refreshing about the first John Wick film . The action set the standard for what was to come and for action films in general and paved the way for the many over-the-top and hectic copycats that would dominate the second half of the 2010s. The plot follows retired hitman John Wick, who comes out of retirement to kill the man who killed his dog, the final gift from his beloved deceased wife.

The action in John Wick was crafted through intense dedication to quality entertainment, and it shows. The hand-to-hand combat and gunplay are astounding in almost every way. Sequences like the home invasion and the hectic final act are proof that John Wick is one of the best action franchises out there. The film's stunt and fight crew do a wonderful job at not just using hand-to-hand and gun combat but allowing John Wick to use his environment as a weapon as well. The film's action is so good that it spawned the franchise itself and redefined action for films moving forward.

2 'John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum' (2019)

If audiences thought the action in the John Wick franchise was good before, they were blown away when walking into theaters in 2019 to watch John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum . The plot sees Wick on the run after the events of the previous movie. Now, without the protection of the high table and with a $14 million bounty on his head, Wick must do everything he can to survive. Reeves is at his best, joined by a scene-stealing Halle Berry .

The action in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum not only heightened the standard for John Wick 's setpieces but also used a plethora of new ways to execute increasingly daring stunts. The dog action at the end of the film's second act, the book fight in the library, and the chase scene that features Wick riding a horse through New York streets are just a few of the highlights in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum , proving the action is unique in every way . If the stakes in the previous two films were on the 10th level, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum brings them up to the 15th. The fights are fresh and remarkably creative , keeping the film from feeling like a rehash of the previous two in the action department.

• John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

1 'John Wick: Chapter 4' (2023)

The most recent installment in the John Wick franchise has the best action the series has ever shown audiences. John Wick: Chapter 4 sees John taking one last stand against the high table, which has granted the Marquis de Gramont ( Bill Skarsgård ) unlimited resources and free reign to finally kill him. Reeves is at the top of his game, receiving considerable help from two combat legends, Donnie Yen and Hiroyuki Sanada .

Not only is the action itself stellar, but Chad Stahelski 's kinetic filmmaking is just as impressive. Scenes like the overhead gunfight simulating top-down video games or the extensive fight sequence on the stairs of the Rue Foyatier prove that the action in John's journies only continues to get better with time. Chapter 4 gives audiences something new with every fight scene it displays. It cements the legend of John Wick into the minds and hearts of audiences and proves that with dedication and love for whatever one is making, incredible and breathtaking things are more than possible.

John Wick: Chapter 4

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How to watch all the ‘John Wick’ movies in chronological order

The John Wick movies are the perfect reminder that hurting animals for fun is the quickest and most painful way to meet the world’s deadliest dog lover.

John Wick, immortalised by Keanu Reeves on screen, is one of the most formidable characters in cinema. Call him Baba Yaga or the Boogeyman, his name alone sends chill down the spines of even the most dangerous assassins in the world. His killer hands move faster than bullets in close combat.

The John Wick franchise started in 2014 and successfully blended the old-school cool of ’80s action heroes with a touch of modern thrill in cinema. As the franchise grew, Wick’s thirst for vengeance went beyond avenging his dog’s death. It morphed into exploring the themes of loyalty and betrayal as he takes on the entire world single-handedly.

There are four movies to watch in a particular order if you want to initiate yourself into the John Wick fandom. Although fans wish to witness Reeves in action for the fifth time, the release date of a potential final instalment is still uncertain. However, Lionsgate’s motion picture group chair Joe Drake confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter in May 2023 that the film is in early development.

As we eagerly wait for John Wick 5: Final Chapter , check out all the John Wick movies in order of their release to catch up with the world of the most dangerous hitman .

Here are all the ‘John Wick’ movies in order

1. john wick (2014).

IMDb rating: 7.4 Rotten Tomatoes: 86% Cast: Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan and more. Director: Chad Stahelski

“John Wick isn’t the Boogeyman… He’s the guy you send to kill the f*cking Boogeyman.”

In 2014, John Wick started the global phenomenon of “choosing the red pill”. The plot centres around John Wick (Keanu Reeves), a retired hitman, peacefully living his life alone after the death of his wife. Unaware of his real identity, Russian mobsters decide to kill his dog after an unpleasant encounter with him. Big mistake!

What follows is a relentless saga of revenge stained with blood. Wick paints every street and wall with the blood of his dog’s murderers. In his quest for revenge, he dives back into the shadowy underworld.

Although John Wick was a sleeper hit with a USD 86 million box office collection worldwide, the film earned praise for its immaculate choreography of action sequences and Reeves’ well-written stoic yet emotionally complex character.

Another appeal of the 2014 film was that it was more than just a well-executed action movie. The film not only revived Reeves’ career in Hollywood but also started an entire cinematic universe filled with unwritten rules, blood oaths and more aspects that every action-genre lover finds fascinating.

John Wick successfully expanded its universe by inspiring sequels, spin-offs, and comics. The movie redefined action in Hollywood.

John Wick trivia:

Director Stahelski’s journey in Hollywood is exceptional. He was Keanu Reeves’ stunt double in The Matrix movies.

2. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Welcome back, Mr. Wick. Watch the first official clip #JohnWick2 – In theaters February 10! pic.twitter.com/1kBw0LF0mt — John Wick: Chapter 4 (@JohnWickMovie) January 18, 2017

IMDb rating: 7.4 Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Cast: Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio and more Director: Chad Stahelski

“Never stab the devil in the back”

Picking up shortly after the events of the first film, Wick faces the consequences of his gory actions by diving deeper into the underworld. He locks horns with Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), who later betrays him by sending every assassin after him. You can imagine the trail of blood Wick left behind as he tries to survive every other second.

As expected, the second instalment in the John Wick franchise doubled down on the action, continuing the bloody saga of the hitman. The film pushed the boundaries of its universe with its explosive action sequences and intricate world-building. It also introduced the shady council called the High Table.

John Wick: Chapter 2 earned over USD 174 million against a budget of USD 40 million. The massive commercial success of the second film solidified the franchise in the Hall Of Fame of cinematic universes.

The second movie in the franchise perfectly sets up future conflicts by declaring Keanu Reeves’ hitman an “excommunicado”. It was a clear signal to the world that John Wick won’t die anytime soon.

John Wick: Chapter 2 trivia:

Reeves performed 95% of the stunts in the film. One of the few stunts he did not perform included the one where he got hit by a car.

3. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)

IMDb rating: 7.4 Rotten Tomatoes: 89% Cast: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos and more Director: Chad Stahelski

“It’s the world Vs. Wick”

After being declared an “excommunicado”, John Wick navigates a way to survive a bounty of USD 14 million on his head. He seeks help from old friends from his past like Director (Anjelica Huston) and Sofia (Halle Berry).

The audience did not have enough of John Wick and the exceptional success of the third instalment is proof enough. Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves did not disappoint by taking the franchise to new heights.

One of the biggest highlights of the film is the ultimate showdown at the New York Continental between Wick and Winston (Ian McShane). Made on a budget of USD 75 million, the movie raked in over USD 327 million worldwide. The film’s attempt at expanding its lore gave us some of the best action sequences like the unforgettable horse chase through New York.

John Wick: Chapter 3 trivia:

At around 1 hour 22 minutes, when Wick is reunited with his dog, a smidge of peanut butter or some other substance can be seen on Reeves’ face to get the dog to lick him more.

4. John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

  View this post on Instagram   A post shared by John Wick: Chapter 4 (@johnwickmovie)

IMDb rating: 7.7 Rotten Tomatoes: 94% Cast: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne and more Director: Chad Stahelski

“No way back. One way out.”

The chronological order of the John Wick movies ends with this film being released in 2023. Needless to say, the makers ramped up the creative action to dizzying levels.

The fourth instalment took the franchise to a globe-trotting scale with an epic showdown between Wick and the High Table. The intense and mind-bending battles in the film explore the high-stakes game of chess with blood and bullets. Wick’s quest for freedom makes him determined to destroy the High Table once and for all.

With a massive budget of USD 100 million, John Wick 4 grossed over USD 425 million worldwide. The film upped the ante in terms of visually appealing action choreography, and emotional depth. The most fascinating part of the fourth instalment was the ending that hinted at both closure and the possibility of more sequels in the future.

All the movies over the years, regardless of their order, prove that John Wick is one of the most iconic action anti-heroes in cinema.

John Wick: Chapter 4 trivia:

Being the generous guy that he is, Reeves gifted his five-person stunt team Rolex Submariner watches, each costing around USD 10,000.

Where do the ‘John Wick’ spin-offs fit into the timeline?

1. the continental: from the world of john wick (2023).

IMDb rating: 7.2 Rotten Tomatoes: 63% Cast: Mel Gibson, Colin Woodell, Mishel Prada and Ben Robson. Director: Albert Hughes and Charlotte Brändström

The neo-noir crime-action drama television miniseries is a prequel series set in the 1970s. It centres around the origins of Winston Scott (Colin Woodell). It follows his quest to take over the hotel from the hands of his ruthless manager Cormac O’Connor (Mel Gibson).

To jog your memory, Scott eventually becomes the manager of The Continental Hotel seen in the John Wick movies. The events in the series take place four decades before the events of the first John Wick film.

Apart from Winston’s climb to power, fans also explore the backstory of The Continental Hotel and all the rules of the underworld that eventually play a huge role in all the John Wick films.

Although The Continental was praised for its stylised action sequences and its efforts to dive deeper into the John Wick universe, it received mixed reception due to its pacing and underwhelming performances.

2. Ballerina (2025)

Cast: Ana De Armas, Keanu Reeves, Lance Reddick, Ian McShane and Anjelica Huston Director: Len Wiseman Release date: 6 June 2025

Ballerina starring Ana De Armas is an upcoming spinoff of the massively successful Keanu Reeves-starrer John Wick franchise. As the title suggests, Armas will step into the shoes of a graceful ballerina-assassin named Rooney. She was first introduced in Parabellum  and was portrayed by Unity Phelan.

The film takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). The trailer of the movie was released in April 2024 at the CinemaCon. It is yet to be released officially to the world.

The impressive trailer showed Armas engaging in ruthless hand-to-hand combat and torching a truck with a flamethrower in her quest to avenge her family’s death. Reeves will also be in the film along with some familiar faces from the previous instalments.

Ballerina will be released in 2025.

(Header and feature image courtesy: John Wick: Chapter 4/ IMDb )

This story first appeared here . 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

There are a total of four John Wick movies in the franchise — John Wick (2014), John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023).

You should start the franchise by watching John Wick released in 2014.

John Wick: Chapter 4 is the latest film in the franchise. It was released in 2023.

Princia Hendriques

Princia is an entertainment writer and pop culture addict whose eyes sparkle at the sight of true crime docu-dramas. In her free time, she consumes an unhealthy amount of Korean dramas and anime. She has previously worked for Mashable.

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Haitian Senpai

First Time Watching John Wick Chapter 2 | Haitian senpai #johnwick #moviereaction #shorts

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZQmx6zLWDM Yo, what’s up! Today, I’m reacting to John Wick Chapter 2 for the first time, and trust me, this movie is a wild ride. It has everything from intense action scenes to Keanu Reeves being a total legend.

If you’re a fan of John Wick or just love crazy fight scenes, you’re in the right place. Hit that like button, subscribe, and drop a comment to let me know your favorite moment. Part 3 reaction is coming soon, so stay tuned!

This movie stars Keanu Reeves and is directed by Chad Stahelski. It tells the story of a retired hitman who wants to get revenge for the death of his beloved house. Haitiansenpai reaction to the intense fight sequences, stylish cinematography, and moving journey that makes “John Wick” a modern action classic can be seen here.

This video is about First Time Watching John Wick Chapter 2 – Epic Action Movie Reaction. But It also covers the following topics:

John Wick 2 Fight Scenes Reaction John Wick Chapter 2 Movie Review John Wick Chapter 2 Intense Moments

First Time Watching John Wick Chapter 2 – Epic Action Movie Reaction | Haitian Senpai

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