John Wick: Chapter 4 is beautiful ballet of violence 

Former stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski helms this fourth installment of his John Wick franchise, about a retired assassin who was drawn out of retirement in the first film, leading to his reinvolvement with crime syndicate The High Table and a contract on his life. In this film, Wick discovers a way to defeat The High Table and earn his freedom, but not before killing an army of assassins before they kill him. (169 min.)

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• Photo Courtesy Of Lionsgate
• HE'S BACK AND DEADLIER THAN EVER Assassin John Wick (Keanu Reeves) may have found a way to free himself from The High Table, in John Wick: Chapter 4, screening in local theaters.

Glen John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has been on the run from The High Table since the very first film, and he's running still, this time from the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård), who's been given carte blanch to find and kill Wick. His solution is to blackmail Wick's old friend and fellow assassin, Caine (Donnie Yen), who's blind but positively deadly, into doing the dirty work ... or The High Table will kill Caine's estranged daughter. It's an ugly world these people inhabit, but at least they have some rules, which is exactly what Wick's going to have to exploit if he wants a chance to get out again. This fourth installment in the bullet-strewn franchise has done what each successive sequel has: upped the ante. According to the interwebs, Wick kills 140 bad guys in this go-around, almost doubling the first installment's 77. Lest you think this is just sustained ugly violence, let me tell you how utterly gorgeous this film is. The cinematography by Dan Lausten is remarkably beautiful, and you add in the amazing locations and you've got a visual stunner. Great story, great characters, and absolutely bonkers action. Putting a former stuntman behind the camera turns out to be a stroke of bloody brilliance.

Anna Can I insert an "all the beauty and the bloodshed" joke here? Is this the appropriate time? No? OK then. Moving on. I'm not a big fan of just watching a whole lot of people get killed, but even I must admit these John Wick films get it right. There's a lot of money that went into making this pretty, and a well-placed chunk of that cash was in wardrobe. Reeves looks sleek as ever, but Skarsgård's costume closet was like the richest cake you've ever had topped with 24-carat gold leaf. There were several times during the film that I just shook my head in wonder and said, "There is $20,000 in fabric on that man's body right now." Seriously, the Marquis is on point. He also has the devilish curled lip smile that all too quickly reminded me of his far too frightening Pennywise, and a rolling French accent that makes it seem like he has too much tongue in his mouth. Of course, the enemy is not the most fun to watch here; it's Wick, or Reeves, rather. He's stoic and so funny in his deadpan way. If you're going to watch 140 dudes go down, a John Wick flick is the way to do it.

Glen Old favorites such as Winston (Ian McShane), Charon (Lance Reddick), and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) show up, but there are some terrific new characters such as Harbinger (Clancy Brown), who represents The High Table during the final showdown, and a new assassin called Tracker (Shamier Anderson), who's got a deadly Belgian malinois sidekick. Somehow, the franchise manages to keep things fresh—we care about world weary Wick, and we want him to find much deserved peace. Is the film excessive? Yes! That's the point. The stunts are incredible. You'll absolutely get what you pay for.

Anna My favorite part is probably in the last act, when every bad guy in Paris is called to find Wick for an epically large bounty, and we're treated to a high velocity tour of Paris. The 222 steps to the Sacre Coeur are a maddeningly long journey. Trust me, if you love a dude to root for, John Wick: Chapter 4 is the salve you need to soothe your soul. Δ

Senior Staff Writer Glen Starkey and freelancer Anna Starkey write Split Screen. Glen compiles listings. Comment at [email protected].