Running for nearly three hours, the fourth installment of the “John Wick” franchise has finally hit theaters, again with Chad Stahelski directing.
Following the conclusion of “John Wick 3: Parabellum,” Keanu Reeves reprises his role as a former hit man to exact revenge on the criminal organization known as the “High Table,” facing off against new adversaries played by Bill Skarsgård as the Marquis of Gramont, Donnie Yen as Caine, Scott Adkins as Killa, and Shamier Anderson as The Tracker.
But it will also feature new allies such as Shimazu (Hiroyuki Sanada), Akira (Rina Sawayama) and Katia (Natalia Tena), along with returning characters played by Laurence Fishburne as The Bowery King, Ian McShane as Winston Scott and the late actor Lance. Reddick in his role as Charon, who has been part of the cast since the first film.
“Lance was a beautiful person, a special artist, a man of grace and dignity, and a great passion for his craft. And to have the opportunity to work with him for 10 years and four films is something very special to me,” Keanu said. Reeves to the digital outlet Deadline.
Filmed in Berlin, Paris, Osaka and New York, “John Wick 4” presented a great challenge for the 58-year-old actor. “The most difficult thing was recovering from so many action scenes and fight sequences, fights and having to keep doing it day after day, recovering, trying to achieve it, that was probably the most challenging part,” Reeves said in an interview with Infobae.
The “John Wick” franchise remains one of the most successful in the action genre. Only “John Wick 3: Parabellum”, released in 2019, grossed more than 328 million dollars at the box office, significantly surpassing the first two installments “John Wick” (86 million) and “John Wick 2” (171 million).
Who also returns, but as composer of the soundtrack, is Tyler Bates, known for his work in films like “Guardians of the Galaxy”, “Deadpool 2” and “300”, or in series like “The Punisher”.
Pending the confirmation of a fifth installment, Keanu Reeves will reprise his role as John Wick in “Ballerina”, a film derived from the franchise and will star Ana de Armas.