John Wick: Chapter 4 2023

As the curtain rises on this gritty tale of vengeance and betrayal, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) finds himself in the midst of a dark and foreboding New York City. The once-legendary hitman has taken refuge with the enigmatic Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), where he’s been honing his skills by pummeling a punching bag to the point of bloody exhaustion. But despite the physical toll, John remains resolute in his determination to settle scores with the High Table.

With a sense of purpose, John sets out on a perilous journey to Morocco, where he tracks down and eliminates a group of hired guns working for the cunning Elder (George Georgiou). This act of retribution is merely the prelude to a far more sinister confrontation, as John demands satisfaction by claiming the Elder’s treasured ring. However, he’s met with deceit and ultimately forced to execute his quarry before departing.

Meanwhile, back in New York, Winston (Ian McShane) and Charon (Lance Reddick) are summoned by the ominous Harbinger (Clancy Brown) to an audience with the Marquis De Gramont (Bill Skarsgard), a ruthless emissary of the High Table. The news of the Elder’s untimely demise serves only to fan the flames of their ire, as they berate Winston for his failure to eliminate John Wick. In a shocking display of power and retribution, the Marquis condemns the New York Continental, reducing it to rubble. Charon is left to pay the ultimate price for Winston’s shortcomings, his life slipping away as his friend vows that he should have been the one to fall.

In the City of Light, a mysterious blind assassin named Caine (Donnie Yen) stands watch in a tranquil Parisian park, where his talented daughter Mia (Aimee Kwan) is serenading the crowd with her enchanting violin playing. But when the Marquis appears and demands that Caine resume his deadly work for the High Table, the veteran assassin is torn between his desire to retire and protect his loved ones from harm.

As John Wick navigates the treacherous landscape of loyalty and betrayal, he finds himself drawn to the Osaka Continental, where old acquaintances await. Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada), a trusted friend and manager of the hotel, offers John sanctuary in secret, despite the concerns of his daughter Akira (Rina Sawayama), who remains skeptical of her father’s true intentions.

However, The Marquis’s ruthless right-hand man Chidi (Marko Zaror) is not far behind, arriving with a deadly entourage intent on drawing John out of hiding. Koji’s loyal men emerge from the shadows to confront this new threat, trading arrows and silence in the dead of night. As the stakes escalate and the tension builds, John Wick readies himself for a final showdown with his enemies, ready to unleash his signature brand of fury upon those who dare to cross him.

As Koji’s guards valiantly repel the majority of the High Table hitmen, Caine arrives on the scene, unleashing a whirlwind of violence that sees him meticulously set up traps to pinpoint his targets’ movements before dispatching them with ruthless efficiency. Meanwhile, Akira joins the fray, carrying out a gruesome execution of Chidi’s men, but her own fight takes a devastating turn as she becomes ensnared in a hail of bullets and falls wounded. John springs into action, extricating himself from the chaos to help Koji and Akira escape, while simultaneously taking down several foes with his trusty pair of nunchucks. As he fights on, Caine’s presence is felt once more, their former friendship now tempered by a reluctant willingness to take each other down - all for the sake of Mia, it seems. John and Caine engage in a brief but intense skirmish before our protagonist manages to slip away. Amidst the mayhem, an enigmatic tracker known only as “Mr. Nobody” (Shamier Anderson) appears on the scene, his German shepherd by his side. With a calculating eye, he dispatches several of the assassins hell-bent on John’s demise, revealing his own motives - a contract worth $20 million, to be exact. Though driven by self-interest, Mr. Nobody has chosen to aid John for now, citing the paltry sum as insufficient incentive.

As Koji and Akira make their hasty exit, they inadvertently cross paths with Caine, an old acquaintance whose arrival sparks a complex web of emotions. Koji, however, remains resolute in his refusal to permit Caine from pursuing John, leading to a thrilling sword duel that sees the two former friends clash in a display of martial prowess. In a stunning turn of events, Koji appears poised to emerge victorious, only to press on, driven by a fierce determination that ultimately proves fatal. As Akira cradles her father’s lifeless body and gazes upon his fallen form, she seethes with rage and betrayal. Her eyes burning with an unquenchable fury, she confronts John at the train station, her accusations and demands hanging heavy in the air: “Kill Caine, or I will.”

As Winston’s clandestine meeting with Bowery King unfolds, the weight of their shared connection to John Wick becomes increasingly perilous. Meanwhile, The Harbinger attempts to reason with The Marquis at the Osaka Continental, urging him to reconsider the senseless bloodshed in his relentless pursuit of John. However, The Marquis remains resolute, convinced that annihilating John Wick is essential not only to eliminate the notorious hitman but also to dispel the notion of an untouchable and unkillable legend.

In a subsequent visit from Mr. Nobody, The Marquis presents him with a $23 million contract to take down John Wick. But instead of accepting the offer, Mr. Nobody is met with a gruesome test: impalement by a knife, forcing him to choose between releasing the blade or sacrificing his hand in order to reveal his true ambitions. As Mr. Nobody plucks out his severed fingers, The Marquis agrees to honor their agreement.

In the midst of this turmoil, John Wick pays a solemn visit to Charon’s tomb, offering his condolences for Winston’s loss. Winston, consumed by vengeance against The Marquis, implores John to challenge him in a duel, despite rumors that such High Table duels were mere myth. With his family being the only potential allies who can support him, John is left with no choice but to seek them out.

John embarks on a perilous journey to the Ruska Roma in Berlin, where he is met by a shotgun blast from the priest before being bound and strung up with a noose around his neck. It is here that John encounters his adoptive sister Katia (Natalia Tena), who seethes with anger towards John for his killing of The Elder, an act that led to her father Pyotr’s execution at The Marquis’ hands. As John offers to redeem himself by helping Katia, she tasks him with tracking down Killa (Scott Atkins), a High Table operative responsible for her father’s demise.

As John ventures into Killa’s nightclub, a den of deception and violence, he finds himself surrounded by Caine and Mr. Nobody (whose enigmatic presence seems to precede them like an aura). The trio settles in for a card game with the notorious Killa, whose reputation for ruthlessness is well-deserved. However, what ensues is a masterclass in manipulation as Killa employs his cunning to cheat the three assassins out of their winnings. The tension escalates as Killa’s goons launch a brutal attack on Caine and Nobody, while John seizes the opportunity to confront the club owner in a one-on-one showdown.

As John expertly dispatches Killa’s henchmen with deadly precision, he finally faces off against the cunning club owner himself. The two engage in a brutal struggle, with Killa using his physical prowess to try and overpower John. But our protagonist is not one to back down from a fight, and after a series of intense exchanges, he ultimately emerges victorious, claiming Killa’s gold tooth as proof of his triumph.

In the aftermath of this violent confrontation, John presents the tooth to Katia, who reacts with a mixture of admiration and approval. This tangible evidence serves as the catalyst for John’s initiation into the family crest, marking him as a full-fledged member of the clan. With his new status comes the solemn responsibility of participating in a high-stakes duel, one that will determine not only his own fate but also the lives of those around him.

Meanwhile, Winston pays a visit to The Marquis, brandishing an official challenge document from John and demanding that he uphold the traditions of The High Table. Despite The Marquis’s initial reluctance, Winston reminds him of the grave consequences should he fail to comply, emphasizing that his Continental will remain condemned unless John emerges victorious. As an added incentive, Winston offers to reinstate his management and uncondemn his Continental if John succeeds in their duel.

In a somber tone, The Marquis warns Winston that as his “second,” he too will share the same fate should John fall in battle. This sobering reality serves as a poignant reminder of the high stakes involved in this ancient ritual of dueling.

As John prepares for his fateful encounter with The Marquis, he takes a moment to pay respects to Helen (Bridget Moynahan), whose memory continues to haunt him like an unquiet spirit. Caine’s sudden appearance offers a rare moment of camaraderie and shared understanding between the two former enemies. This fleeting connection serves as a poignant reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always room for compassion and human connection.

In the days leading up to the duel, John meets with Winston and Bowery King, who presents him with a cutting-edge firearm and bulletproof attire, symbolizing his determination to emerge victorious. As the clock ticks down to the appointed hour, John’s resolve hardens, fueled by a burning desire for revenge and a sense of duty to those he has sworn to protect.

As The Marquis’ vision of devastation unfolds before The Harbinger, he is starkly reminded of the catastrophic consequences that would befall The High Table were John to meet his untimely demise at John’s hands. To forestall this calamity, The Marquis dispatches Chidi and his cohorts on a manhunt, tasking them with intercepting John before he reaches the iconic Sacre-Couer. Meanwhile, a radio DJ broadcasts a cryptic message to a legion of listening assassins, broadcasting an open invitation for any willing participant to claim the bounty on John’s head before the dawn breaks.

As John navigates the treacherous landscape en route to his destination, a multitude of deadly adversaries converge upon him. He finds himself embroiled in a maelstrom of gunfire and chaos, dodging bullets while simultaneously exploiting the lawlessness of the streets around the Arc de Triomphe - where hapless hitmen meet their untimely demise at John’s hands or succumb to vehicular carnage.

Behind the scenes, The High Table remains vigilant, tracking John’s every move as more assassins are mobilized to take him down. John’s journey culminates in a warehouse confrontation with an army of thugs, where he unleashes a barrage of explosive rounds to devastating effect. Notably, Nobody seizes the opportunity to eliminate some of these adversaries while simultaneously negotiating a lucrative contract with The Marquis - one that promises a staggering $40 million payout for the taking down of John.

As John finally reaches the hallowed steps leading up to the Sacre-Couer, he faces off against an unending tide of assassins, dispatching them one by one before Chidi makes his presence known. With a ruthless efficiency, Caine intervenes on John’s behalf, assisting in the rout of Chidi’s minions. In the midst of this bedlam, Nobody arrives to exact retribution upon Chidi for the despicable act of tossing his canine companion into traffic - an act that, fortunately, leaves the dog unscathed.

In the end, it is John who lends a hand in bringing down Chidi, only for the latter’s own demise to be hastened by a well-placed bullet and a humiliating dousing from his erstwhile companion.

As the first rays of sunlight peek over the horizon, John Wick (actor name) and Caine engage in a classic showdown, their pistols blazing as they exchange blows. The air is thick with tension as each opponent lands two direct hits before the third round, when Caine’s precision proves too great, and John falls to his gut-wounded state. Yet, instead of firing back, John Wick remains still, allowing Caine to take aim once more. But it’s too late; the Marquis orders John to be finished off, and Winston intervenes, calling out the Marquis for his arrogance, pointing out that John didn’t fire in return. The Marquis’s belated realization is his downfall, as John Wick exacts his revenge with a devastating blow, silencing him forever. In the aftermath, the Harbinger declares John and Caine free from their obligations to The High Table, and John Wick meets his end as a liberated man.

As the dust settles, Winston and Bowery King pay their respects by burying John next to Helen, honoring his request for a tombstone bearing the simple epitaph “loving husband”. In a poignant moment, Winston muses about John’s eternal fate, responding with characteristic ambiguity when asked if he’s in Heaven or Hell. As they depart, Bowery King tends to John’s loyal dog, a testament to the enduring bond between man and beast.

The credits roll, but the story doesn’t end there. Caine sets out to reconnect with Mia, unaware of the vengeful Akira closing in on him, intent on exacting her revenge. As the screen fades to black, the film dedicates its final moment to the memory of Lance Reddick.