John Wick: Chapter 4 Film

John Wick: Chapter 4 (also known as John Wick 4 or JW4 and known in Japan as John Wick: Consequences) is a 2023 American neo-noir action thriller film directed and co-produced by Chad Stahelski and written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch. The sequel to John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and the fourth installment in the John Wick franchise, the film stars Keanu Reeves as the title character, alongside Donnie Yen, Bill Skarsgård, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins, Clancy Brown, and Ian McShane. In the film, John Wick sets out to get revenge on the High Table and those who left him for dead.

Development of the fourth John Wick film, formally announced by Lionsgate in May 2019, was confirmed before the release of its predecessor. It is the first film in the franchise that was not written by franchise creator Derek Kolstad, with Hatten hired in May 2020, followed by Finch in March 2021. Principal photography took place from June to October 2021, and filming locations included France, Germany, New York City, and Japan.

The original release date of May 21, 2021, was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. John Wick: Chapter 4 premiered at the Odeon Luxe Leicester Square in London on March 6, 2023, and was released in the United States on March 24. The film received acclaim from critics, with praise for its action sequences, cinematography, choreography, visual style, and performances, and has grossed $440.1 million worldwide, becoming so the highest-grossing film in the franchise, as well as the eighth-highest-grossing film of the year domestically in the United States.

A spin-off, Ballerina, is set for release on June 7, 2024, while a fifth film is in development.

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John Wick: Chapter 4 Film

STORY

In New York City, John Wick prepares to exact vengeance against the High Table while hiding underground with the Bowery King. He travels to Morocco and kills the Elder, the “one who sits above the Table”. In response, High Table member Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont summons New York Continental hotel manager Winston and his concierge Charon, where he explains that the High Table has given him unlimited resources to kill John and chastises Winston for previously failing to do so. As punishment, the Marquis strips Winston of his managerial duties, declares him “excommunicado”, destroys the New York Continental and executes Charon. The Marquis then enlists Caine – a blind, retired High Table assassin – to kill his old friend John, threatening to murder Caine’s daughter.

John takes refuge at the Osaka Continental, run by his friend Shimazu Koji. The Marquis’ second-in-command Chidi, backed by High Table assassins and Caine, arrives to investigate the hotel. Koji’s daughter Akira, the hotel’s concierge, evacuates the hotel just before the High Table “deconsecrates” it, igniting a melee. John fights through waves of armored assassins, leading to a showdown against Caine. A bounty hunter named Mr. Nobody interrupts their fight and allows John to escape after determining the current bounty for killing John to be insufficient. A wounded Koji repeatedly attacks Caine on John’s behalf, until Caine reluctantly kills Koji, but spares Akira.

John returns to New York and meets with a vengeful Winston at Charon’s gravesite. Winston suggests that John invoke an old High Table tradition to challenge the Marquis to a duel. Winning would free John of all obligations to the High Table, but he can only request a duel on behalf of a crime family. John travels to the Berlin headquarters of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate, with whom he had severed ties, to request readmission. His adoptive sister Katia stipulates that for readmission, John must kill Killa Harkan, a High Table member who murdered her father. Killa sets up an ambush at his nightclub, but with the aid of Caine and Mr. Nobody, John manages to kill him and regain his status. Winston relays John’s challenge to the Marquis, acting as John’s ‘second’ and requests that, should John win, his excommunicado to be revoked and the New York Continental be rebuilt, fully funded by the High Table; should John lose, however, Winston would also die as the challenger’s ‘second’.

In Paris, John and the Marquis decide on the duel’s parameters – dueling pistols at sunrise the following day at Sacré-Cœur – in a meeting moderated by the Harbinger, the Table’s emissary. The Marquis nominates a reluctant Caine to take his place, while the Harbinger warns that both John and Winston will be executed should either fail to appear on time. The Bowery King arrives in Paris to give John a pistol (9mm Pit Viper) and a new ballistic suit. The Marquis intends to prevent John from arriving at the duel in time by placing a $26 million bounty on him. John fights off hordes of assassins on his way to Sacré-Cœur, including Mr. Nobody, who negotiates a bounty increase to $40 million. During their confrontation, John prevents Chidi from killing Mr. Nobody’s dog, causing Mr. Nobody to abandon his pursuit of John.

After Caine and Mr. Nobody assist John in fighting off several assassins – including Chidi, whom Mr. Nobody kills – on the Rue Foyatier, they reach the summit just in time for the duel. John and Caine wound each other through two rounds of dueling, and the third round comes to a halt when Caine severely wounds John. Demanding the right to administer the coup de grâce, the Marquis eagerly swaps places with Caine. Winston chides the Marquis for his arrogance, revealing that John has not yet fired his third bullet. John then promptly executes the Marquis with a headshot, ending the duel. The Harbinger grants Caine and John their freedom from the High Table and Winston’s reinstatement of Hotel Manager of the New York Continental, which will be rebuilt with the High Table’s funds. John reflects upon his life and marriage before succumbing to his injuries. Sometime later, back in New York, Winston and the Bowery King bid farewell to John at his grave, located next to that of his wife Helen.

In a post-credits scene, Caine returns to Paris to reunite with his daughter but is approached by a vengeful, knife-wielding Akira.

CAST

• Keanu Reeves as John Wick, a professional hitman and assassin who has gained a legendary reputation for his set of skills and is now hunted by the High Table.
• Donnie Yen as Caine, a blind High Table assassin and an old friend of John Wick, who is forced out of retirement to kill John Wick to ensure the safety of his daughter.
• Bill Skarsgård as the Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont, the main antagonist and a powerful member of the High Table whose position is challenged by John Wick.
• Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King, a former underground crime boss who was left for dead by the High Table and is now sponsoring John Wick.
• Hiroyuki Sanada as Shimazu Koji, the manager of the Osaka Continental Hotel and an old friend of John Wick and Caine.
• Shamier Anderson as Mr. Nobody / The Tracker, a bounty hunter pursuing Wick.
• Lance Reddick as Charon, the concierge at the Continental Hotel in New York.
• Rina Sawayama as Shimazu Akira, Koji’s daughter and concierge of the Osaka Continental.
• Marko Zaror as Chidi, the second-in-command of the Marquis de Gramont and one of the antagonists.
• Scott Adkins as Killa Harkan, the head of the German Table.
• Clancy Brown as the Harbinger, a high-ranking operative of the High Table.
• Ian McShane as Winston Scott, the manager of the New York Continental Hotel and friend of John Wick.

PRODUCTION

Development

On May 20, 2019, Lionsgate announced John Wick: Chapter 4 via their opt-in “John Wick” text update service, writing, “You have served. You will be of service. John Wick: Chapter 4 is coming – May 21, 2021”. In early August 2020, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer stated during an earnings call, “We’re also busy preparing scripts for the next two installments of our John Wick action franchise, with John Wick 4 slated to hit theatres Memorial Day weekend 2022. We hope to shoot both John Wick 4 and 5 back to back when Keanu becomes available early next year.”

Before the third film’s release, director Chad Stahelski confirmed on a Reddit “AMA” thread that there had been discussion for another film, and that he would be involved with the project should the third film be successful. Despite this announcement back then, it was not confirmed if star Keanu Reeves would return for a new installment. However, he told GQ that he would carry on the role as long as the audience wanted it, saying, “As far as my legs can take me, as far as the audience wants to go.”

Stahelski later teased the fourth film in an interview with IndieWire by saying Wick would not end the fourth film with “a happy ending”, saying, “John may survive all this shit but at the end of it, there’s no happy ending. He’s got nowhere to go. Honestly, I challenge you right now, here’s a question for you: How do you fucking want me to end it? Do you think he’s going to ride off into the fucking sunset? He’s killed 300 fucking people and he’s just going to [walk away], everything’s okay? He’s just going to fall in love with a love interest? If you’re this fucking guy, if this guy exist[ed], how is this guy’s day going to end? He’s fucked for the rest of his life. It’s just a matter of time.” Additionally, Stahelski teased Winston’s fate in the fourth film, saying, “He meant to shoot him. Did he mean to kill him? That’s open for interpretation, you can take it one of two ways, and that’s kind of where we pick up some of the unanswered questions in John Wick 4.” The studio opted to move on from series creator Derek Kolstad and instead hired Shay Hatten to write the script in May 2020. In February, Stahelski brought Ricky Staub and Dan Walser on board to write the film after being impressed with their film Concrete Cowboy. In March 2021, screenwriting duties were passed onto Predators screenwriter Michael Finch.

RELEASE

March 24, 2023