John Wickwas initially hailed asKeanu Reeves’ comeback vehicle, but in the near decade since its release, the film has proven to be much more than that. It seems likeJohn Wickhas become this generation’sDie Hardin the sense that it’s now a short-term point of comparison for pitching new action movies. Similar to the movies pitched as “Die Hardin a___,” recent revenge movies likeNobody, Atomic Blonde, Violent Night, Kate,andExtractionhave all taken inspiration fromJohn Wick’s premise. However, theJohn Wicksaga has influences of its own, andJohn Wick: Chapter 4pays tribute to the extensive history of action cinema that has come before.
John Wick: Chapter 4is easily the biggest, boldest, and most emotional installment in the series thus far. After being nearly killed at the end ofJohn Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John is rescued by Winston (Ian McShane) and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) and taken to safety. However, John is not given much time to breathe, as the High Table member Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård) has put a price on his head that lures assassins like the blind swordsman Caine (Donnie Yen) and the ruthless tracker Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson) on his trail. John has been excommunicated by the High Table, and the only way to clear his name is by challenging Marquis to a duel.
It’s no secret that the reason that theJohn Wickfranchise has been so successful is that directorChad Stahelskiis a former stuntman himself. No one knows thetype of effort that goes into pulling off these critical scenesbetter than someone who’s made a career out of it, and there’s an elegance to Stahelski’s precision that blends gun play, martial arts, neo-noir, and swordsmanship into something totally unique. However,John Wick: Chapter 4goes beyond the series’ initially simple premise into a grandiose homage to 100 years of artistry.
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The Earliest Silent Film Masters
The joy of seeing theJohn Wickfilms in theaters is getting to marvel at what you’re seeing with a crowd; you may be laughing at some points because there’s no other way to respond to seeing Reeves run through the Paris traffic firing his pistol than to begin chuckling. This is a hallmark of theearliest days of cinema, in which cinematic stuntmen delivered daring feats like carnival performers simply to wow the viewer. It’s notable that Reeves bears a lot of similarities to “the great stone face” ofBuster Keaton, whose 1920s films had a similarly outrageous sense of comedy. It’s hard not to think of Keaton’s classicThe General, a film that takes place during a nonstop war, when watchingJohn Wick: Chapter 4because every location introduces new assassins and enemies.
There’s also a reverence for the1930s films ofCharlie Chaplin; Chaplin and Reeves share the same inherent likability and simple motivations that make them so endearing. InModern Times, The Tramp goes on a wild quest just to give a girl flowers, and inJohn Wick: Chapter 4, Reeves spares Mr. Nobody’s life after seeing his dog. Chaplin’s films often showed the perseverance of humanity amidst complex works of infrastructure, such as the overbearing factories inModern Timesor the endless metroplex inCity Lights. This is a part of the reasonJohn Wick: Chapter 4is so constantly thrilling; between Paris, Berlin, New York, and Osaka, each new location is more complex and layered than the previous one.
Homages to International Cinema
It’s impossible not to note the influence of international filmmaking on theJohn Wickseries; the code of chivalry that binds John and the other assassins in the High Table is comparable to the same code of honor that the samurai inAkira Kurosawa’s classicsYojimbo, Throne of Blood, The Hidden Fortress,andRashomonall share. While this has been an aspect of every installment in the series,John Wick: Chapter 4gives characters like Winston, Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada), and Harbinger (Clancy Brown) the chance to speak about the importance of tradition and the art of their training.
However,John Wick: Chapter 4is as much rooted in modern Asian action cinema as it is in the past. John goes through a nonstop confined killing spree in a Paris building that bears significant similarities to the infamous “hallway scene” inPark Chan-wook’s 2003 masterpieceOldboy, and there’s a large-scale hotel battle similar to the recent “prison breakout” inThe Raid 2. The reverence for Asian performers is evident, asJohn Wick: Chapter 4gives us the chance to see legendary action stars Hiroyuki Sanada and Donnie Yen duke it out in an epic brawl.
The Noir Influence
John Wickis also as much a noir as it is an action movie, as John must search within the lower levels of each city to follow a complex series of clues that lead him to his next target. The idea of assassins hiding in plain sight is similar to the paranoia of 1970s political thrillers likeThe ConversationandThe Parallax View, combined with the non-stop repulsiveness ofThe French Connectionand the brutality ofDirty Harry. The nearly worldless, stoic nature of these covert assassins also takes heavy inspiration from the cinema ofJean-Pierre Melville, specifically his 1967 crime masterpieceLe Samouraï.
While the firstJohn Wickfilm was set within the gritty underbelly of society,John Wick: Chapter 4goes to the largest cities in the world. Stahelski shows his respect forMichael Mannwith the eerie beauty of his cityscapes, specifically during John and Winston’s brisk conversations in New York. Mann had a gorgeous way of framing his flawed protagonists against a stunning backdrop; comparisons can be drawn between John’s silent musings and the late greatJames Caan’s adventures inThief.
The Inspiration of Westerns
Nearly all theJohn Wickfilms have been westerns in their own way, butJohn Wick: Chapter 4homagesThe Good, The Bad, and The Uglyin the most perfect way imaginable. The final duel between John and Caine is held at thirty paces with pistols; all the tension comes from the expressions on their faces that precede each shot being fired. LikeSergio Leone, Stahelski understands that keeping everything still for a moment leaves the viewer with bated breath, daring them not to move until the end of the battle.
John Wick: Chapter 4is as much a sendoff to the titular character as it is a sprawling, epic love letter to the masters of filmmaking over the last century. Reeves has certainly solidified himself as a new legend, and the film reflects on his legacy in this genre. WhileJohn Wick: Chapter 4is certainly influenced by the past, its success will hopefully inspire a new generation of artists that look to its accomplishments with wonder.
