John Wick: Chapter 4 - 4K Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

John Wick: Chapter 4



Movie:
4K Video:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
In a time when crowd pleasing blockbusters are in huge demand and low supply, it’s been absolutely a blast to watch films like John Wick 4, Super Mario Brothers, and Top Gun: Maverick absolutely blow the doors off cinemas over the last year and a half in a post Covid-19 world. The John Wick franchise is fascinating to watch, having evolved much like The Matrix or The Fast and the Furious franchise did, starting out as a simple self contained story, only to balloon up into a never ending series that got bigger and bigger as it went along.

I still maintain that 2014’s John Wick is a perfect action movie (note that I don’t say that it’s a perfect movie, but a perfect action movie). The gritty action movie carved out the bare essentials of what makes an action movie great. A relatable inciting incident, a man who will stop at nothing to exact revenge, and unbelievable action sequences. John Wick hinted at a world of intrigue and mystery, rife with glimpses of a secret underworld of assassins and their lackeys, and building up Keanu Reeves as one of the worst of them. Having given up his old life and drug back in to become Baba Yaga once more.

The second movie opened up the world a bit more, showing us the secrets behind the curtain. Quickly introducing us to the high table elites in the assassins world, and John’s bloodthirsty revenge having some deadly consequences for his well being. It wasn’t a perfect action movie, but it was bloody close. The third movie was where things went full Matrix Revolutions on us. Instead of being content to show us some of the mysterious world behind the curtain, John Wick 3: Parabellum went so far down the lore and mythos rabbit hole that it almost couldn’t get out. Instead of a deadly assassin doing “mostly” normalish (for Hollywood) assassin things, the narrative was driving into that of a giant conspiracy world where the elite assassin’s rule in a way that would rival Papal authority, with just as much pomp and tradition included. It wasn’t the greatest film, but it was a blast with all of the martial artists cameos and a great finale that hinted at something more. It was ridiculous, but still entertaining.

John Wick 4 comes right on the heels of the previous film. If you remember, John (Keanu Reeves) was shot by Winston (Ian McShane) and falling down to the land of the beggars (lorded over by Laurance Fishbourne), only to survive his fall. Now John is back to full strength and he’s REALLY off at the high table. However, the High Table knows of John’s survival and send the Marquis (Bill Skarsgard) to raze the Continental to the ground, hopefully flushing out John in the process. It works to an extent, but John has a bit of a plant (thanks to Winston of course). Heal old wounds with his high table Russian family from the previous film, and challenge the Marquis to a duel, thus ending his obligation to the Table once and for all.

But as easy as that sounds, the Marquis is not about to make it that easy. Sending John’s old friend Caine (Donnie Yen) after him along with a host of other baddies (including Marko Zarar who is wildly under utilized here in my humble opinion), making it a battle royale meets The Raid attempt to make it to the duel location on time, and alive.

John Wick Chapter 4 is directed by the same director as the third film, and thusly feels very much like its predecessor. Which alone is both good and bad. The action here is utterly non stop, with only short 5 minute breaks for the story to play out before John goes on another killing rampage, cutting through his adversaries like tissue paper. Gunplay is amped up to level 15 out of 10, even surpassing the previous film, pulling the run time into a whopping 2 hours and 49 minutes (including trailers).

However, there are some caveats to the series that has kept me from really REALLY enjoying the last 2 films as much as I would have wanted. That is the fact that much like the Fast and the Furious movies, the original themes and tonality has gone a full 180, turning what was once a gritty revenge flick into a full blown Marvel super hero film. John isn’t a tough guy taking beating and killing those who stand in his way, he’s full blow Superman, Batman and Thanos all wrapped into one being. The kind of cool “bullet proof vest” that was introduced in the second movie as a way to stop one or two rounds has just been gifted to everyone on the screen. Everyone has a bulletproof suit and deflects hundreds of bullets like they’re made out of a star wars deflector shield. John also is pretty much immune to falling off 40 foot buildings, taking dozens of bullets to his vest, and getting stabbed multiple times without barely slowing down. It’s goofy, and the franchise feels like it’s simply pushing the limits ala Fast X is doing right now (to be fair, Fast X is RAKING in the dough right now, so maybe that’s a good thing). Basically it’s this. John Wick was an amazing film, John Wick 2 was great, while 3 and 4 are both wildly different films that feels like we’re comparing the 1990s hardcore punk version of AFI to the their 2004+ emo/December Underground era. Same series, same band, but wildly different sounds and tones.




Rating:

Rated R for pervasive strong violence and some language




4K Video: Video:

Shot on a variety of Arri Alexa cameras and finished at a native 4K digital intermediate master, John Wick: Chapter 4 blasts onto 4K UHD with an absolutely amazing transfer. The Blu-ray is nothing short of a 1080p masterpiece, but this 4K transfer is head and shoulders better. Bathed in blues, ambers and some neon shades (especially during the fight with Scott Adkins character) the film is just gorgeous from every angle. Razor sharp details, sickeningly inky blacks that show everything from the darkest of scenes to the brightest, and fantastic detail levels all the way around. HDR/DV makes this just a wonderfully rich and tapestried disc, showcasing even richer colors and deeper blacks than the Blu-ray. Like usual, the image IS a tad darker than the non HDR Blu-ray disc, but it’s not wildly so here. Mostly just fine tuned and tames some of the highlights rather than looking like it’s way dimmer on purpose. I’m going to say it right here. This is the demo disc of the year so far, and not by any small margin.









Audio:

Whether you buy the Blu-ray or the 4K UHD disc, it’s going to enjoy the same stellar Dolby Atmos track (thank you Lionsgate), and it is most certainly a doozy. The John Wick films are known for amazing sound tracks, and this is certainly no different. Slamming you in the chest with deep waves of LFE straight from the start of the film, it doesn’t let go as it’s a near non stop onslaught of gunfire, punching, and revving engines as John makes his way to the duel spot. Gun shots are punishing in weight (I love the sound of that 2011 Pit Viper that John carries) and I noticed that the bass was very balanced here. That means it can be utterly punishing when needed, but not overly aggressive and taking over the track ala Godzilla. Dialog is crisp and clear (though Keanu mumbles a few of his lines, such as when he speaks to Akira on the train), and the surrounds/overheads are used nonstop with all sorts of ambient noises and directional shifts. Simply put, this is pure demo worthy tastiness.







Extras:

• Chad and Keanu: Through Wick and Thin: Chad Stahelski and Keanu Reeves have a partnership that stretches all the way back to the first Matrix In this retrospective piece, we trace their remarkable friendship and decades-long collaboration.
• Train Like a Killer: Weapons Master Robert "Rock" Galotti and Keanu Reeves reveal the rigorous training that Keanu had to endure to make John Wick: Chapter 4 a reality – from gunplay, to jiu jitsu, to some hard-hitting stunt work.
• Making A Killing: In John Wick, sets are not merely the backdrop for each scene – they are integral parts of the action, with Wick often using whatever is on hand to take the fight to his enemies. Here we explore the craft at play in designing the sets of John Wick: Chapter 4 and the ways set design and action choreography go hand in hand in this legendary series.
• The Psychology of a Killer: Chad Stahelski explores the psychology of John Wick, a character who, despite four films, is still a mystery in many ways. We unpack the complicated code of ethics that Wick lives by, and the ironic bonds he shares with the men trying to kill him.
• The Blind Leading the Fight: John Wick: Chapter 4 witnesses the arrival of Caine, a blind killer played by legendary actor and martial artist Donnie Yen. With a style not seen since The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi, Caine shows that a killer's greatest instincts come not from his eyes, but from his mind. Here we uncover Yen's journey on this film, exploring his prep for the role, his insight into the character, and his intense training regimen to portray this unlikely killer.
• Suit Up / Shoot Up: Costume Designer Paco Delgado uncovers the cooler-than-cool suits worn by the assassins of John Wick that feature bulletproof lining – just what every killer needs for a night out on the town. We also explore the more refined looks of the Marquis and the Old West-inspired garb of the Tracker.
• Packing a Punch: Pulling off a kill takes a village. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the way Team Wick incorporates special effects into the practical stunts and locations of the film.
• One Killer Shot: John Wick: Chapter 4 features one of the boldest single-take shots ever attempted in action filmmaking. Fight Choreographers Jeremy Marinas and Laurent Demianoff team up with Stunt Coordinator Scott Rogers to dive into the creative challenges that went into planning this one-shot sequence that sees John Wick take on Paris's deadliest killers.
• Killing at the Speed of Traffic: Take a look at a nonstop action sequence featuring John Wick's car-fu at the Arc de Triomphe! The driving force of this piece will be a look at the effects achieved at the iconic location, and sets the stakes of every assassin in Paris descending on Wick.
• A Shot in the Dark: The John Wick series takes audiences into a world that is both thematically and visually dark. For film crews, that meant enduring hundreds of night shoots, with crews switching to a virtually nocturnal mode of life for long stretches of production. Here we explore the tenacious work of cast and crew members who tough it out night after night in pursuit of Wick's dark, iconic aesthetic. Along the way, we explore some of the most iconic night scenes in the film, culminating with Wick's brutal staircase fight.
• In Honor of the Dead: In creating John Wick: Chapter 4, Chad Stahelski drew on references from some of the greatest films ever made. Uncover the cinematic homages depicted in the film, from David Lean to John Woo, to the samurai epics of post-war Japan.
• Theatrical Trailer 1
• Theatrical Trailer 2

Final Score: ​

John Wick: Chapter 4 is a superbly shot, stunningly visualistic, and highly kinetic action film that basically doesn’t let go for nearly 3 hours. I’m usually against 3 hour movies on principal of them getting boring, but this went by a lot faster than I expected. It may sounded like I was overly ragging on the direction the 3rd and 4th film too vs. the previous two, and to be fair you’re kinda right. I’m not overly wild about the direction of the franchise in comparison to how great the first film was, but I still enjoy the heck out of the series as a wild action ride that is filling in where Marvel and Disney are failing. The 4K UHD disc is nothing short of awe dropping demo worthy perfection, and is probably going to only be rivaled by Avatar: The Way of Water for being demo disc of the year. Worth it as a fun watch if you’re an action fan.


Technical Specifications:

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgard, Laurence Fishbourne, Marko Zaror, Hiroyuki Sanada
Directed by: Chad Stahelski
Written by: Shay Hatten, Michael Finch, Derek Kolstad
Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1 HEVC
Audio: English: Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Core), French, Spanish DD 5.1
Subtitles: English, English SDH, French, Spanish
Studio: Lionsgate
Rated: R
Runtime: 169 Minutes
Blu-ray Release Date: June 9th, 2023

Recommendation: Fun Watch

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I enjoyed the entire franchise so far. Will get this one.

 

[Epoxy1]

I never received a press release for this title for some reason, so I won't be reviewing it. I've enjoyed the other films and will eventually buy it, but I'm going to wait for a sale to happen before purchasing it. Thanks for the review Michael.

 

[Michael Scott]

I never received a press release for this title for some reason, so I won't be reviewing it. I've enjoyed the other films and will eventually buy it, but I'm going to wait for a sale to happen before purchasing it. Thanks for the review Michael.

same, I don't think ANY of the review outlets got it either as they didn't release a review until after street date. I know Ralph and several other majors didn't get a copy either. I simply reviewed it because I wanted to get the movie and figured might as well write the review when I'm in the mood lol

 

[Todd Anderson]

I watched this on Kscape in 4K HDR. Mike your assessment of audio and video is right on target. Pure reference in those departments.

I *liked* the film… probably just about as much as I liked the others. I wish the Wick franchise wasn’t so over the top violent. But I guess that’s part of the charm?

 

[MusicManLen]

My steelbook arrived from Wally's World (Walmart) damaged so I am waiting for my replacement and will have people come over to see it when it gets here next week. Glad to hear they won't be disappointed with the audio and video.

Thanks for a great review.

 

[Todd Anderson]

Mike - I thought the church scene was particularly good. The sound of the candles flickering were so organic… had this analog appeal that just dripped with cinematic qualities.

Wonderful stuff