John Wick: Chapter 4

John has had a bounty on his head for some time now. After killing someone on Continental grounds (a safe haven for criminals, of sorts), John has been considered “Excommunicado” by the members of The High Table (the most well known crime syndicate in the world) and has a bounty of over $14 million dollars.

In the last film, the manager of the hotel, Winston (Ian McShane), made a deal with one of the leaders of The High Table to kill John Wick in order to reestablish the Continental’s reputation. After all, Winston helped John get a head start when the bounty was placed and that is a big no-no in the criminal community, especially those who are part of The High Table.

Chapter 4 takes place soon after John was shot by Winston and fell off the roof of the Continental. John, however, survives (because, hey, it’s an action movie, and he’s probably Superman in disguise). John is out to find the Elders of The High Table to get the bounty taken off his head. “Even if this means I have to kill everyone and everything to do it,” John says.

But, there’s a new sheriff in town, or at least a new leader of The High Table, the Marquis Vincent De Gramont (Bill Skarsgård), and the Marquis is bent on destroying “the very idea of John Wick, not simply John Wick.”

Death comes for us all. For John Wick, death may just be around the corner…

Oftentimes, secular critics and I are going to disagree on our views of particular films. The films that often receive the most praise by secular critics are the ones that I usually tend to disagree with and vice versa. There are those moments, however, where the critics and I see eye to eye on a film.

“John Wick: Chapter 4” is not one of these instances. While it may have a 97% fresh rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it’s definitely not fresh in its moviemaking approach. The story itself doesn’t reveal or add anything new to the franchise. Some aspects, and side quests (and again this is just my opinion) felt out of place to John’s overarching mission: to remove the mark on him. It becomes very apparent, about 30 minutes into the film where the story is going to head (no spoilers I promise).

The film comes in at a whopping two hours and forty-nine minutes. In comparison, that is nine minutes short of “The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.” However, unlike The Lord of the Rings, within this two-hours and forty-nine minutes, there is, in culmination, a total of 20-25 minutes of peace in the film. The rest is just kill after kill after kill, in the most graphic of ways. From stabbings to shooting to beatings to knife fights, nothing is left off the table.

Performance-wise, Keanu Reeves is definitely at the top of his form. He says so much without speaking. You can see the emotional toll, suffering, and just exhaustion on his face. Laurence Fishburne is severely underused in this Chapter, making only a couple appearances in the film, which is truly disheartening as he is such an accomplished actor. The actor that impressed me the most, though, was Ian McShane. His role as the manager is very double-sided, and he brings this out so subtly, yet so enchanting in certain moments of the film. He tries to keep his composure, yet can’t help but feel something, whether it’s for his concierge Charon (sadly, the actor who played the concierge, Lance Riddick, passed away very recently) or his friendship with John. In general, the performances were well done.

Content of Concern

Violence: Extreme. There is so much violence in this film I’m not going to list every instance. In one scene a man is shot while on a horse. A man is shot and executed in another scene. We witness a hotel being demolished. People are shot and killed by arrows in an extended fight sequence (and by extended I mean a 25 minute fight sequence!). Multiple people are shot and killed in this sequence and some are stabbed to death. One person is stabbed multiple times slowly as he crawls up the stairs to get away (he is stabbed in the buttocks, the back and the shoulders). Someone is thrown through glass. People are seen being hit by nunchucks. A dog is seen attacking and killing people multiple times in the film (even biting a dead body). A character is sliced with a samurai sword and killed. A knife goes through someone’s hand and a man pulls his hand through to get the knife out. A priest shoots John with a shotgun. A guy has a noose around his neck, and it is tightened during an interrogation. A man falls from a roof (twice). People are axed to death… A man is beaten unconscious. A man falls from a height, hits his head on concrete and dies. We watch incendiary bullets being shot at people, and the people catching on fire. Someone is kicked down a huge flight of stairs, twice. Two characters are shot multiple times in a duel. Another character dies.

VULGARITY: F*ck (3), F*ck off (1), F*cking (3), M*ther-f*cking (1), Pr*ck (2), B*stard (1), B*tch (1), Nuts (testicles) (1), Sh*t (7), A** (2), and A**hole (3). Sample phrases include: “The motherf*cking king,” “This f*cking place,” “What the f*ck is this?” “Ferocious f*cking fangs,” “Motherf*cker,” “F*ck off,” “You arrogant a**hole”

PROFANITY: H*ll (1) Amen (said mockingly)

SEXUAL CONTENT: Some individuals are make noises and are seen dancing very inappropriately in a couple scenes.

NUDITY: Two paintings include naked people (one in which naked women are being killed). Women wear some very sexually provocative clothing in some scenes.

ALCOHOL: Characters are seen drinking in several scenes throughout the film.

DRUGS: Someone smokes.

OTHER: Someone’s life is gambled on during a game of poker. Characters are seen lying and scheming.

Morals

At one point in the movie, there is a line that John states to his friend at another hotel. His friend asks him something like, “Do you ever wish you could go back to the good life?” John responds, “You and I left the good life a long time ago.”

It brought to my mind that, as a Christian, no matter what mistakes we make, no matter how bad things get, we can always come back to Christ. His arms are always open to a humble, repentant mind and heart and ready to welcome us home.

A prime example is the story of the prodigal son that Jesus told. For those who are unfamiliar with this parable, the prodigal son had everything he could ask for, and he went out from his father’s house with his inheritance and wasted it all; he gambled, he drank, he partied, you name it. He came back to his father’s house, humbled, seeking forgiveness and hoping to be accepted as a servant.

Our Heavenly Father welcomes us back no matter how badly we mess up. He forgives and forgets.

“If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” —2 Chronicles 7:14

“Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that he may have compassion on him, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.” —Isaiah 55:7

Conclusion

Growing up, one of the things my Principal said was, “Feed them and they will come.” I think about this statement when it comes to films like “Scream VI” which I just reviewed last week and now “John Wick Chapter 4.” Audiences keep flocking to these films and supporting graphic, gratuitous violence. In turn, studios keep producing them and then people wonder why there are so many of these types of films out there. The cycle is endless.

Help break the cycle. Be one of the theater-goers that decides NOT to see “John Wick: Chapter 4.” It’s extremely violent, abhorrently profane, and not for any audience of any kind, especially Christians. Run very far away from this film.

• Violence: Extreme
• Vulgar/Crude language: Very Heavy
• Drugs/Alcohol: Moderate
• Nudity: Mild
• Sex: Mild
• Profane language: Mild
• Wokeism: Minor
• Occult: None

Learn about DISCERNMENT—wisdom in making personal entertainment decisions

Every time you buy a movie ticket or buy or rent a video you are in effect casting a vote telling Hollywood, “I’ll pay for that. That’s what I want.” Read our article

See list of Relevant Issues—questions-and-answers.

• Positive
• Critics