After an unsuccessful bid to reverse his excommunicado status, Winston (Ian McShane) is demoted from Concierge and the Continental closed down. He reaches out to John Wick (Keanu Reeves), still in hiding, and forms a plan. Wick can solve all of their problems by defeating a member of the High Table in a duel, but to do so he must be a member of one of the families. He was exiled in Chapter 2 so that's kind of a problem. But the world runs on favors so it's not an insurmountable one and he is soon able to offer official challenge to the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård), the very same asshole who destroyed Winston's hotel. The Marquis is ambitious, not stupid, so he piles Wick's path with every low-level goon from Osaka to Paris, including a ringer in Caine (Donnie Yen), whose daughter's life hangs in the balance.
This clocks in at almost three hours but it never once feels like it. You'd think you'd get bored seeing one guy against wave after wave of faceless stunt men but you'd be wrong! It feels just as immediate and vibrant as the first one. I also really like that Winston's character is developing into a more Machiavellian figure. He's definitely on Wick's side but very much out for himself as well. It will be interesting if that comes into conflict in future installments. (They've left an out if they don't get a Chapter 5 but they are "in talks" so I remain hopeful.)
Donnie Yen steals every scene he's in and Rina Sawayama is an absolute star in her feature film debut. Plus, this movie gave me Marko Zaror AND Scott Adkins (almost unrecognizable) AND Hiroyuki Sanada. Shamier Anderson is a new face to me but instantly iconic as Mr. Nobody the Tracker. Honestly, at this point, you know what you're getting with this franchise. If that is your jam, this will be an easy win. If it's not, no worries. There are plenty of other films out there.
Currently, John Wick 4 is only available in theaters.
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