An issue that some films seem to forget to address is to give some context to the audience about the current state of events and what happened before the sequel. It does not need to show flashbacks from the prequel, but a summary would suffice.
Cinematographically speaking, this is by far the best film I have watched in 2023. The scenes are mostly dark, contrasting with the inclusion of great lighting in the style of neo-noir. At some point in the film, it even provides us with an isometric view, and we feel like we are playing a video game with John as our character of choice. It is refreshing and enjoyable to watch.
The film introduces a new character called Tracker, who has a dog and seems to know everything connected to John Wick. Unfortunately, they do not provide any background story or explanation of his motivation. Maybe it will be addressed in Ballerina. Still, when watching this Chapter 4, as good as his inclusion in the story is, I feel like we need to know the ‘why.’
Other thing that bothers me, and I have only just noticed it: how John uses his gun is so inefficient. How can a professional use three bullets, shooting skin-to-skin to someone’s throat, aiming for their head?
One of my motivations for watching this film was to see how they would bring back two unnamed assassins played by Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman. They are the only characters alive from the third film, but it seems that the silat duo has been dropped, or perhaps saved for another project. It feels like a letdown for me personally after waiting for almost two years, having watched a YouTube show that told us they would be back for John Wick 4.
Whatever happens at the end of this film or the franchise, I hope there will be a spin-off (not to be confused with the fifth instalment—Ballerina) that tells stories of brotherhood among John, Caine, Shimazu, and any other characters who might share the same interest in the past. To sum up, while John Wick Chapter 4 had its unanswered questions, it was still a visually stunning and enjoyable action packed film. Regardless of what the future holds, John Wick Chapter 4 was a thrilling conclusion to the character that kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.
