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Sunday, March 26, 2023

"John Wick: Chapter 4"

SO John Wick... and more.  Chapter 4 takes John Wick out of New York to Tokyo, Berlin and Paris on the ever-complex targeted campaign, bounty-hunting, murder mayhem and crime saga.

Stunning set pieces with elegant use of light, shadow, fire and water. Hard-hittingly entertaining gun battle and swordplay, both direct and hide-and-seek, are still there, but brutal action sequences involving hand-to-hand fighting rampage against wild dancing raves as backdrop, wrecking cars and crashing bodies in nonstop circular traffic, mountains of staircases and rolling humans, and dog-as-ace card are inventively shot, not to mention mind-blowingly bonkers. Absolutely stellar camera work, intricate choreography and luminous cinematography. With killer score blasting throughout, it's maximum adrenaline rush. It's hard to believe until you see these with your own eyes!

It looks comical that John Wick is turning into a superhuman, but the scenes are shot with self-aware winks it's hard to fault. While crossing, double and triple crossings are commonplace, the rules of engagement remain intact; there's radical professionalism, brotherhood and honor among killers, something the ruthless emissary may not see coming.

Chapter 4 blows all previous chapters out of the water.  At the same time, this chapter looks like a sunset, although it feels inevitable.  Stay through the end credit and you may just see a loose end.