# John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) Review: Action as Grand Opera > John Wick: Chapter 4 is Chad Stahelski's nearly three-hour globe-trotting action epic, stuffed with astonishing set pieces and a scene-stealing Donnie Yen. Canonical: https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/john-wick-chapter-4-2023-review/ Published: 2026-07-23 Last updated: 2026-09-24 Author: Kaiser Khan — Founder & Editor Language: English Review basis: direct-viewing Spoilers: none Rating: 4/5 ## Verdict Yes. It is one of the most spectacular action films of its era, ideal for genre fans, though its length and paper-thin plot will test casual viewers. ## Is John Wick: Chapter 4 worth watching? **Yes. John Wick: Chapter 4 is the biggest and most operatic entry in the series, and its best action sequences rank among the finest staged in modern Hollywood.** Chad Stahelski pushes the franchise's mix of balletic gunplay and mythic underworld ritual to its limit, and Donnie Yen gives the film a new emotional centre. The reservation is size: at 170 minutes, the story is far thinner than the running time, and even devoted fans may feel the fights start to blur. ## What is John Wick: Chapter 4 about? [John Wick: Chapter 4](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/john-wick-chapter-4-2023/) picks up with the legendary hitman ([Keanu Reeves](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/americas/canada/keanu-reeves/)) still on the run from the High Table, the council that rules the criminal underworld, and the price on his head keeps rising. Wick finds a possible route to freedom, but first he must face the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård), a new enemy with alliances across the globe, and forces that turn old friends into foes. Chief among them is Caine ([Donnie Yen](https://celluloidscore.com/stars/asia/hong-kong/donnie-yen/)), a blind assassin and an old acquaintance of Wick's who is pressured into hunting him. Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne and Lance Reddick return, and Hiroyuki Sanada, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins and Clancy Brown join a cast that moves from Osaka to Berlin, Paris and New York. Stahelski directs; the film is in English and runs 170 minutes. ## A symphony of set pieces The Wick films have always treated action as choreography first and plot second, and Chapter 4 takes that to its logical extreme. An extended sequence at the Osaka branch of the Continental hotel, all neon, glass and swords, is a showcase of clarity: every blow is legible, every space is used, and the camera gives the performers room to work. Later set pieces top it, including an overhead, dollhouse-style shootout through an abandoned apartment that plays like a lethal game level and a traffic-choked brawl around one of Paris's most famous landmarks. Dan Laustsen's cinematography turns the whole film into a feast of saturated colour and silhouettes, and the production design gives each city its own texture. Stahelski, a former stuntman, understands that the audience's pleasure comes from seeing real bodies do extraordinary things, and he rarely cuts away from them. ## Donnie Yen steals the film Reeves remains a compelling, almost mute figure of exhaustion and stoic grace, but the film's most memorable character is Yen's Caine. Blind, drily funny and fiercely loyal to his daughter, Caine is a mirror of Wick himself, a man trapped by the same rules, and Yen plays him with a mixture of weariness and wit that gives every scene he is in a charge. His fights, using sound and a cane-sword, are among the most inventive in the series. Skarsgård's preening Marquis is a satisfying villain, Sanada lends quiet gravity to his role as an old ally, and Lance Reddick's final appearances as Charon carry an extra poignancy after the actor's death shortly before the film's release. ## Where excess becomes exhaustion The film's ambition is also its weakness. The mythology of markers, oaths and councils has grown so elaborate that it borders on self-parody, and the dialogue scenes between fights can feel like ceremonial pauses rather than drama. More seriously, the sheer length means the action, however brilliant, loses some impact through repetition. A tighter cut would have made a great action film even greater. ## Who should watch John Wick: Chapter 4? It is essential for fans of the series and for anyone who loves martial arts and stunt-driven filmmaking. Newcomers should start with the first film, as the story assumes knowledge of Wick's world. Set aside nearly three hours. The violence is constant and intense, with shootings, stabbings and hand-to-hand combat, though it is stylised rather than gory. If you want more: - [John Wick](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/john-wick-2014/), the lean 2014 original that started it all and still has the strongest story. - [John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/john-wick-chapter-3-parabellum-2019/), which sets up this film's conflict directly. - [Kill Bill: Vol. 2](https://celluloidscore.com/reviews/kill-bill-vol-2-2004-review/), another stylised revenge saga that treats martial arts cinema with reverence. ## The verdict John Wick: Chapter 4 is a grand, exhausting, frequently breathtaking action epic, lifted by extraordinary set pieces and Donnie Yen's magnetic turn. It is too long and its mythology is overgrown, but as a showcase for what action cinema can achieve, it is a thrill. **Rating: 4/5** ## Related title - [John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)](https://celluloidscore.com/movies/john-wick-chapter-4-2023/) ## Editorial - [Editorial standards](https://celluloidscore.com/about/editorial-policy/) - [Report a correction](https://celluloidscore.com/about/corrections/)