Estimated reading time: 13 minutes
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)
Director Chad Stahelski and actor Keanu Reeves return for John Wick: Chapter 4, which goes bigger in every way, from the action to the fight sequences.
John Wick (Reeves) finally finds a way to bring down the High Table and free himself from his obligations to the clandestine organization of international assassins. The only person standing in John’s way is the powerful Marquis (Bill Skarsgård) who has been granted total power by the High Table. The Marquis destroys the New York Continental Hotel, bringing down its manager Winston (Ian McShane), and sending his global force of killers to track down and kill John Wick.
The film takes John Wick around the world to Tokyo, Berlin, and Paris where his ultimate destiny awaits. In the meantime, John has the highly skilled blind assassin Caine (Donnie Yen) on his trail and a ‘tracker’ (Shamier Anderson) with a loyal attack dog looking to find him (and possibly kill him) for a bounty.
This fourth entry is arguably the best entry in the franchise. Chad Stahelski’s mise en scène for this film is big and bold. Large rooms, soaring ceilings, glittering lights and chandeliers. There is also the bold, and inventive action choreography. The set pieces over the course of this film’s nearly three-hour runtime keep it feeling fresh and interesting, whether is a shootout and fight under a traffic-cluttered Arc de Triomphe or a dazzling fight and shootout with incendiary rounds in Berlin. This this film rarely lets up, but when it does pause for some breathing time in the second act, it does not feel stagnant, it pushes the story and the now very vast world of John Wick forward. John Wick, on the strength of this fourth entry and the three films before it, may well be the greatest and most significant action-thriller franchise in modern times, surpassing the Bourne films and definitely challenging the long-running 007.
The Video
John Wick: Chapter 4 was shot with Arri Alexa LF and Arri Alexa Mini LF with Arri ALFA, Master Anamorphic, and Signature Prime lenses in ARRIRAW (4.5K). A 4K digital intermediate was used to source the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray release. The film is provided in a 2.39:1 HEVC 2160p (4K UHD) encodement on the 4K Ultra HD disc.
There is little to say about this release beyond: stunning! This transfer looks absolutely stunning, from the clean yet filmic quality of the image to the inky blacks, subtle shadows, extended details, crispness, and plethora of colors that pop from the screen. The Dolby Vision coding provides spectacular specular highlights in scenes such as where John Wick is firing off incendiary rounds, or in the many, many scenes where there are bright, colorful lights, or glistening water, like the waterfall fight sequence in the Berlin nightclub. This is top notch.
The Audio
The English Atmos mix for John Wick: Chapter 4 is just as awesome as the video transfer, opening up with John Wick’s punches resounding with deep, resonant bass that will rattle some floorboards. Things only pick up from there with a staggeringly dynamic and aggressive mix with a strong sense of height awareness, perfect balance between the front and surround channels, and robust low end. The high frequencies are also managed well, given the constant stream of gunfire. They do not get fatiguing in any way.
The Supplements
Lionsgate provides several featurettes that go behind-the-scenes on the film’s production, the history and legacy of John Wick, and the filming of some of the pivotal scenes. There are many interviews with Reeves, other members of the cast, and Stahelski.
- Blu-ray
- Digital Code for Apple & Vudu
- Chad and Keanu: Through Wick and Thin (1080p; 00:05:45)
- Train Like a Killer (1080p; 00:05:55)
- Making a Killing (1080p; 00:06:25)
- The Psychology of a Killer (1080p; 00:04:32)
- The Blind Leading the Blind (1080p; 00:09:18)
- Suit Up/Shoot Up (1080p; 00:05:41)
- Packing a Punch (1080p; 00:04:41)
- One Killer Shot (1080p; 00:03:09)
- Killing at the Speed of Traffic (1080p; 00:10:10)
- A Shot in the Dark (1080p; 00:05:43)
- In Honor of the Dead (1080p; 00:05:23)
- Theatrical Trailer 1 (1080p; 00:01:13)
- Theatrical Trailer 2 (1080p; 00:02:37)
- The Continental – First Look (1080p; 00:03:10)
The Final Assessment
Magnificent, thrilling, edge of the seat action on a reference 4K platter; John Wick: Chapter 4 delivers in every category for film fans, fans of the franchise, and home theater enthusiasts. Very highly recommended.
John Wick: Chapter 4 is out on 4K Ultra HD Combo, June 9, 2023, from Lionsgate.
- Rating Certificate: R (for pervasive strong violence and some language)
- Studios & Distributors: 87Eleven Entertainment | Lionsgate | Studio Babelsberg | Summit Entertainment | Thunder Road Pictures | Lionsgate Home Entertainment
- Director: Chad Stahelski
- Written By: Shay Hatten | Michael Finch | Derek Kolstad
- Run Time: 169 Mins.
- Street Date: 9 June 2023
- Aspect Ratio: 2.39:1
- Video Format: HEVC 2160p (4K UHD)
- HDR Format: Dolby Vision (HDR10 Compatible)
- HDR10 Metadata:
- MaxLL: 1000 nits
- MaxFALL: 629 nits
- Primary Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible)
- Secondary Audio: English Descriptive Audio | Spanish DD 5.1 | French DD 5.1
- Subtitles: English | English SDH | Spanish | French
Related
FAQs
Cinematographer Dan Laustsen captured John Wick: Chapter 4 digitally at 4.5K resolution using ARRI ALEXA LF and ALEXA Mini LF cameras with Master Anamorphic and Signature Prime lenses. Post-production work was completed as a 4K Digital Intermediate, framed at 2.39:1 for its theatrical release.
Is John Wick 4 native 4K? ›
Cinematographer Dan Laustsen captured John Wick: Chapter 4 digitally at 4.5K resolution using ARRI ALEXA LF and ALEXA Mini LF cameras with Master Anamorphic and Signature Prime lenses. Post-production work was completed as a 4K Digital Intermediate, framed at 2.39:1 for its theatrical release.
Is John Wick 4K good? ›
This is the best-looking John Wick film to date which is showcased by an amazing 4K image with Dolby Vision HDR. The Dolby Atmos audio mix also sounds wonderful and demo-worthy. The 77 minutes worth of bonus materials are excellent as well. This release is a Must-Own!
Is John Wick 5 confirmed? ›
John Wick 5 is in development, with Chad Stahelski working on the story. While a release date is yet to be confirmed, the cast is expected to include Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, and Laurence Fishburne. The plot remains a mystery, but fans can expect more adrenaline-fueled action from the legendary hitman.
Is John Wick 4 in Dolby Atmos? ›
John Wick: Chapter 4 comes to Blu-ray Disc from Lionsgate Home Entertainment featuring 1080p AVC encoded video and lossless Dolby Atmos/TrueHD 7.1 channel sound.
What is the difference between 4K and native 4K? ›
It's a matter of pixels
When referring to the UHD, the industry rounded up the horizontal pixel count to 4000 pixels and it became popularly known as 4K. However, (!), it is different from native 4K which denotes an even larger horizontal resolution of 4096 pixels!
Are 4K movies really 4K? ›
4K delivers precisely four times the pixels of 2K. 2K digital cinema provides an image container roughly 2000 pixels across (2048 x 1080 or 2.2 million pixels). 4K digital cinema doubles those dimensions to 4096 x 2160. This equals 8.8 million pixels, exactly four times the count of 2K projection.
Is John Wick 4 good or bad? ›
Fresh score. John Wick 4 is the ultimate action movie. Fresh score. The action is fluid and all-consuming and makes it easy to overlook some of the story's shortcomings (too many new threads, not so seamlessly woven in).
Is John Wick 4 realistic? ›
If you want to see a movie filled with realistic fight scenes, don't pick John Wick 4. While the entire series is grounded in some sense of reality – there aren't any triple-backflip-corkscrew-flying-kicks or catching bullets in midair – it's a far cry from the realism similar action films like James Bond aim for.
Is John Wick 4 the best one yet? ›
Overall, “John Wick: Chapter 4” should be regarded as one of the best action films in recent years, and will likely be considered the best “John Wick” film by audiences.
Fictional character biography. John was born Jardani Jovonovich in a Padhorje village somewhere in the Byelorussian SSR of the Soviet Union to a Ruska Roma family on September 2, 1964. He was orphaned at a young age before being taken in by an old friend of his father, Winston, who would eventually become John's mentor ...
Who is Keanu Reeves' daughter? ›
Who is Mr. Nobody in John Wick 4? ›
Mr. Nobody is a mysterious hitman in John Wick: Chapter 4, known for his killer dog, combat skills, and journal of sketches and prices on John Wick's head. Despite being hired to kill John Wick, Mr. Nobody ends up saving him more often and becomes an ally, providing comic relief and a potential spinoff opportunity.
Is Netflix true Dolby Atmos? ›
Netflix carries many movies and shows with Dolby Atmos — many of which are also in Dolby Vision®, which you can learn more about here — and its own Netflix Original productions are often in Dolby Atmos. This makes sense for a company committed to home entertainment.
Do all 4K players support Atmos? ›
Every player that can output the audio info via Bitstream is supporting Dolby Atmos.
Is John Wick 4 loud? ›
I saw John Wick 4 in a Xenon theatre last night and the sound/bass was absolutely ridiculous and unbearable. Every single gun shot and punch was bass boosted x10. The fight sequence with people dancing in the rain was just an extended mix of bass frequencies from the background music and gunshots/punches.
How graphic is John Wick 4? ›
Strong violence occurs in frequent and prolonged stylised fight scenes, however blood and injury detail is limited in comparison to previous John Wick movies. This is a pretty violent and somewhat gory film. Almost every single scene in the movie has some type of violence in it.
Did John Wick 4 use CGI? ›
Join Hugo and Ian for the latest VFX Notes podcast episode, covering the visual effects of John Wick Chapter 4. John Wick Chapter 4 is one of those films where the audience marvels at the impressive stunt and special effects work, then learns about the visual effects involved, and marvels at that too!
Are 4K digital codes in 4K? ›
The digital version depends on the service you get it from. Those likely will be in the same HEVC codec that is used for 4K Blu-ray, but will be a different encode with different parameters and almost certainly at a lower bitrate.
