The most recent (and, as of this moment, potentially final) entry into the mainline John Wick film series. With The Continental recently released and Ballerina starring Ana de Armas on the way, it’s clear that this franchise has not lost steam. Still, with Director Chad Stahelski eager to see where the world could go, it’s all on Keanu Reeve’s shoulders whether or not the titular character continues along for the ride.
With John’s seeming betrayal at the hands of his ally/mentor/patron Winston Scott (Ian McShane) in the ending minutes of the preceding entry, John was rescued by the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). He has spent the past four months recovering and preparing to exact his vengeance against the High Table, with his first act being the execution of the new Elder (George Georgiou) who has replaced the previous Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui) after he gave John a chance at redemption which he took and then threw away. While this new Elder barely has a handful of minutes of screentime, he makes the most of it, expositing how his death will change nothing regarding John’s situation. John is less than moved.
The High Table views this as an extreme act of treason against their organization and grants similar powers, authority, and measures to an emissary to finally deal with the threat that John Wick has come to represent to them. To the High Table, it is no longer enough to dispose of Wick personally. They want John Wick’s allies to prove their fealty, or they will similarly be disposed of. This hurricane of danger takes physical form in Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård), who is a seeming amalgamation of the preceding three villains, yet with some decidedly vicious differences.
Viggo (Michael Nyqvist) was in charge of a relatively small criminal organization, Santino (Riccardo Scamarcio) was (briefly) a member of the High Table himself, and the Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) was an emissary of the High Table themselves, these are all aspects of the Marquis to some degree.
However, unlike Viggo, Santino, and the Adjudicator, the Marquis is unwilling to attempt negotiations or even reason with John Wick.
With carte blanche from the High Table and their assurances in his back pocket, he unleashes a hellfire across the various apparatuses that make up the criminal underworld, with callous cruelty and malice aforethought being his go-to methods. On top of the bounty issued against John Wick, he is of a mind to not even treat those who attempt to execute it for him as anything more than pawns that he can beat and batter on a whim. The number of people that John mows through in this film is higher than ever, solely because the Marquis has no qualms about sending men and women to their deaths for even the slightest possibility of crippling John in anticipation of a later engagement.
The Adjudicator, mind you, only continued their assault once it was determined that John and Winston would never surrender. Even then, they were willing to attempt negotiations after the final assault, when they were dispatched by John and Charon (Lance Reddick). At no point does it seem that the Marquis will let up on their assault teams or bounty hunters – all to keep John from dueling him and ending the threat once and for all.
The main plot follows John’s attempts to get to Sacré-Coeur for a duel he could secure against the Marquis, who would represent the High Table. If John wins, the High Table will forever leave him alone. If he loses, John and all of his allies will be dead. Is it any wonder that Winston backs John up? Without spoiling a painful, critical moment, Winston has other motivations for supporting John, much like the Bowery King. With the duel set for the next day, the Marquis uses every bit of power he was given to ensure that John never makes it – because by simply failing to show up, he will have forfeited, and the Marquis will have won.
As we delve deeper into the lore of this world, we are still left in the dark as to who comprises the High Table – those who are considered the ultimate authority over a vast international criminal enterprise. While it is said that the Elder sits above the table, we are not privy to how this relationship works either. The mystery that surrounds this organization is not laid bare for us – though we have been granted many tidbits. Several questions still come to mind.
Is the Elder one of the twelve council members elevated after a period of service? Or are they an outsider? A trusted go-between that all members could agree upon? I am not afraid to acknowledge that getting these answers might make the true mystique of this world fall apart. The more information one has, the more room there is for contradictions. However, I still wish that some basics of how their world works would be spelled out, such as which criminal organizations fill out the High Table’s council.
Each film introduces a slew of new supporting characters. Some of them have returned from one film to the next, but usually, they don’t make it out alive. Santino’s corpse, for example, shows up briefly in Parabellum. This film is no exception. While the Adjudicator does not return, we are treated to the return of Winston, Charon, and the Bowery King – who are all in John’s corner. While they can get John to where he needs to be initially, they are drawn into the chaos of this war between John and the Marquis, limiting their ability to help out as much as they have in previous films. Still, they do what they can when they can.
New allies include Katia (Natalia Tena), John’s adoptive sister and the head of the German Branch of the Ruska Roma. We are also introduced to the head of the Japanese Continental, Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada. Sanada, who was intended on being in the previous film before his recovery from surgery on his Achilles Tendon forced him to drop out, is amazing in the role, presented as an expert swordsman, a loyal friend and ally, and a loving and protective father. Rina Sawayama makes her film debut as Shimazu Akira, Koji’s daughter and the Continental’s concierge. Smart, witty, and graceful, she has spent her life preparing to take over her father’s position, and her loyalty between the High Table and her father is yanked between each other as she questions his decision to help John.
Shamier Anderson plays Mr. Nobody, also known as The Tracker, who is this film’s resident dog owner. He spends the entire film traipsing across the world after John Wick, always managing to be just a step behind him. Killa Harkan (Scott Adkins) is a minor antagonist, having recently murdered Katia’s father, thus putting her in the position she now holds. He is introduced as the head of the High Table’s German branch but not a council member.
He is also the first major crime boss who feels comfortable taking John Wick almost entirely without his minions, in a nice change of pace from those who send wave after wave of disposable minions to slow him down. Lastly, we have Chidi (Marko Zaror), the Marquis’ second-in-command and chief enforcer, similar to Ares from Chapter 2. When Chidi comes for Mr. Nobody’s dog, he cements himself as the worst of the villains since Iosef’s stupidity got Wick’s first dog killed – if one ignores Berrada, whom they didn’t actually kill.
The final new character is Caine (Donnie Yen), a blind swordsman and master assassin who is blackmailed into hunting John Wick down. He was once a friend and ally of John and, like John and Sofia, had somebody dear to him that he wanted to protect from the world he exists in. It is this connection that allows him to be manipulated, as the Marquis threatens his daughter’s life – a young woman who has no idea the danger she is in as she simply goes about her life. These threats and manipulations exist solely to further show that the Marquis is the worst of the worst.
The action scenes and fight choreography are as elaborate and elegant as always. With Japan and France acting as a backdrop for major film sections, we are treated to various fighting styles across Osaka and Paris.
It is clear that each fight scene was carefully crafted, with an attention to detail that always boggles the mind. Keanu Reeves and his co-stars give their all, and that is truly amazing.
From beautiful sword duels to exciting hand-to-hand and gun-to-gun exchanges up staircases and through crowded nightclubs, every fight leaves you on the edge of your seat.
The conflicts feel bigger, more dramatic, and incredibly intense as each fight brings us closer and closer to the climactic duel. It’s as if there is an unceasing ticking in the background of our minds.
Yet, there is a looming sense of dread throughout, as John accumulates more and more injuries – and no guarantee of a fifth film at the time of release. It finally begs the question, will John Wick finally get some peace?
John Wick will be entering its tenth year next year, and it will be celebrated with the (hopeful) release of its fifth feature-length film, Ballerina. Each film has aged like fine wine, and together, they build up like a musical performance, with no crescendo in sight. And isn’t that all we can hope for in a long-running franchise?
Lloydd Marshall Books 