It’s unclear whether we’ll be getting a fifth John Wick installment, so we’d better savor all the bloody battles, bullet barrages, and biting one-liners the franchise gives us in the upcoming John Wick: Chapter 4. A newly released trailer sees Keanu Reeves’ fan-favorite hitman on the lam from the assassins of the High Table, picking up right where the third movie left off in 2019.
The first trailer dropped on November 10, and it had a deep sense of closure, teasing a climactic confrontation between the titular hero and Bill Skarsgård’s Marquis de Gramont. That initial trailer set the stakes that are further emphasized here: a one-on-one battle between Wick and Marquis will decide whether he can truly wash his hands of all this bloodshed and move on, as WIck has been trying to do since the first film.
Our second look at Chapter 4 is less concerned with closing chapters and more with opening fire. Soundtracked by a clever take on Nas’ “Got Ur Self A Gun,” the many moments we glimpse include Wick using a flamethrower, shooting opponents in the midst of heavy Paris traffic, and even getting help from his beloved pooch. (We also get to see pop star Rina Sawayama’s character Akira Shimazu winning a brutal knife fight, and shots of franchise mainstays Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, and Ian McShane.)
But the non-Wick character we get a most exciting look at is Donnie Yen’s Caine, a blind assassin who is quite handy with a sword. Caine appears in a perfectly tailored suit, and dispatches a number of would-be assailants with sword tricks so quick they need to be watched at half-speed. Yen’s character also narrates a short section of the trailer, saying, “The only way John Wick will ever have freedom and peace is in death.” (Director Chad Stahelski hyped up a fight between Yen’s character and legendary Japanese action star Hiroyuki Sanada in an interview with Collider.)
The fourth entry in Wick world will be the longest in franchise history, clocking in at an Avatar-ian two hours and 49 minutes. It will also feature some blockbuster globetrotting, reportedly including scenes shot in Jordan, Germany, Japan, France and the United States. While it’s unclear if we’ll be getting a fifth John Wick, a film titled Ballerina set in the same universe starring Ana de Armas is in production, and will feature at least a handful of scenes with Reeves.
In a Wired cover story, Reeves stressed that he wanted Chapter 4 to be released in theaters, despite a series of COVID-19 related delays. “I think the power of cinema—part of it is its novelty, but also its scale. You see a close-up of a wonderful performance with emotions and storytelling that touch you,” he said. Whether it’s horror or action or comedy, you’re seeing a face that’s, you know, 20 feet tall.” If this new trailer is any indication the fourth John Wick is a movie best experienced in the largest, loudest screening room possible. Chapter 4 comes out on March 24.
Grant Rindner
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