A few dozen John Wick fans recently saw an early screening of the latest franchise installment, and the movie did not disappoint.
John Wick: Chapter 4 was one of the many films that made waves at this year’s South by Southwest Film & TV Festival in Austin, TX. On Monday morning, its creators held a secret screening with Keanu Reeves in attendance, and the audience came out with the overwhelming opinion that the movie has “the greatest” John Wick “action sequences” to date.
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According to The Hollywood Reporter, which had a writer in the crowd, the film followed the same general themes of its predecessors with dark humor, thrilling turmoil, shocking gore, and astounding martial arts. Following an exciting Q&A with Reeves and director Chad Stahelski, people left the theater and went straight to social media to sing praises for the movie.
“JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4!!! Holy hell,” one person wrote on Twitter. “Peppers you with excellent set pieces early and then in the last hour hammers you on the head with some of the greatest action sequences I’ve ever seen. I love Keanu so so much.”
Movie critic Kevin L. Lee also noted that the installment was “an absolute banger,” and he added cheered for Reeves’ stuntwork. Lee went on to say that the final action sequence had the “whole crowd cheering like no other.”
Keanu Reeves Says ‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Was His ‘Hardest Physical Role’ Ever
According to a teaser that Lionsgate Films released on Feb. 21, those stunts show Keanu Reeves jumping from buildings, fighting through martial arts scenes, and maneuvering through choreographed shootouts.
The 58-year-old actor also shot an intense scene that put him behind the wheel during a chase around Paris’ Arc De Triomphe.
“John Wick: Chapter 4 was the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far,” Reeves told Total Film Magazine. “…We took the car-driving to the next level, which I really enjoy. There’s 180s, forward-into-reverse 180s, reverse into-forward 270s, drifting… So it was really fun to get a chance to learn those skills, and to play.”
The film is one of two John Wick sequels on the horizon. In it, the assassin heads to Europe and Asia to finally defeat The High Table, but he finds new adversaries on the way, and they stand in his way of finally gaining his freedom.
As of now, Chapter 5 is the last planned installment. However, there is a spinoff titled Ballerina that is currently in the works.
John Wick: Chapter 4 debuts in theaters worldwide on March 24, 2023.