John Wick: Chapter 4 - 4 Stars

John Wick, and Keanu, are back and

final film is a complete bloodbath; giving fans of the series everything they could want.

RUNNUING tiemn is epic. At 2 hours and 49 minutes, it’s a long one for sure - and particularly with the sort of film that has less story than could be expected. Instead, it’s a lengthy slugfest; with mammoth action sequences, endless shoot outs, and blood by the bucketload.

And that’s exactly what it should be. Keanu is pulling his usual Wick Schtick, grunting his way through the bare minimum dialogue they give him. Director Chad Stahleski wisely keeps him out of the first section of the film; making him more of a bogeyman than before. In particular, the scenes at the Tokyo Continental are particularly effective, with Wick standing like a painting atop the roof, hunted by everyone around the world.

It’s the newcomers, though, that really shine! Donnie Yen is an absolute standout as the blind assassin Caine. He is a complete badass, and worms his way into your heart over the course of the nearly 3 hour film despite being predominantly the villain. Perhaps most surprising is Scott Adkins, who plays the villain Killa in a fatsuit. He monologues fantastically, but more impressive is the physicality of his role. In a film filled with a heap of frankly over the top, fantastical gun violence, the fist fight between Killa and John in a water soaked Berlin club feels the most visceral.

The fight scenes continue to be striking in this franchise. This installment continues to up the ante. There’s fantastic moments peppered throughout, but the best scenes happen in Paris - one particularly fantastic staircase sequence, a gorgeously shot overhead gun battle in a Parisian apartment, and a tense gun battle amidst hectic traffic around the Arc De Triomphe. It’s gorgeously shot, stunningly brutal, and completely inventive - as we’ve come to expect from this franchise.

Ultimately, you find yourself longing for the feel of that first John Wick. What