Warning: This article contains spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 4
In modern blockbuster culture, it is very rare to see a fourth entry in a franchise remain engaging and beloved. Sure enough, John Wick: Chapter 4 delivers on all the promise it's built up over a trilogy of excellent action films. The film's ending may come as a shock, but there's still a lot of life in this franchise.
One of the most impressive aspects of the John Wick phenomenon is its ability to build. A mid-budget revenge film starring an actor who was believed to be washed up earned such rapturous applause from its fanbase that it swiftly became one of the most influential entries in the genre. It's impressive, especially when Chapter 4 demonstrates everything they can pull off with that goodwill.
What happens at the end of John Wick: Chapter 4?
As the trailers helpfully spell out, JW4 is based largely around a single scene. The film opens with John Wick freshly recovered from his gunshot wound and 50-story drop at the end of the previous entry. He begins his quest for vengeance anew, traveling across the world to hunt down the mysterious Elder. Wick has been a massive thorn in the side of the High Table since he gunned down one of its twelve leaders at the end of the second film. As a result, the Table gives an absurd amount of power to the Marquis Vincent de Gramont, a dangerous monster rising through the ranks on the promise of killing John Wick. The Marquis sets to work making life miserable for anyone who has ever shown a moment of kindness to the Baba Yaga. To carry out his will, he drags in Wick's former associate Caine by threatening his young daughter.
After the Marquis destroys the Continental and kills Charon, Winston Scott comes up with a plan. Wick must challenge the Marquis to single combat, invoking an old rule of the High Table to risk it all on a single shot. To issue the challenge, John will have to mend his ticket with his adopted family, the Ruska Roma. John travels to Berlin, where he explains his situation. The Roma agree to support his challenge in exchange for yet another assassination. Wick pulls off the job, evading both Caine and a mysterious mercenary called Nobody along the way and earns his new standing. With his restored family behind him, Wick challenges the Marquis to a duel. If Wick wins, he'll be free and clear, his bounty will be expunged, and Winston's status will be restored. If the Marquis wins, Wick and Winston die. To make matters worse, the Marquis nominates Caine as his champion, forcing him to choose between killing his old friend and losing both his daughter and his life.
The duel is set for sundown, and if either party is late, their life is forfeit. As a result, the Marquis raises Wick's bounty and sends every assassin in Paris after him. This leads to three or four of the wildest action set pieces in cinematic history. John fights an army in the roundabout surrounding the Arc de Triomphe, lives out a Hotline Miami level in an abandoned church, and struggles up and down the 200 stairs to the Sacré-Cœur. He almost misses his appointment, but Caine and Nobody help him along the way. It's finally time for the duel. John and Caine take their pistols, stand at thirty paces, and fire. After two rounds, both men are wounded. At ten paces in the third round, Caine lands a mortal blow, leaving Wick prone. The Marquis prepares to deliver the coup de grâce until Winston informs him that John's weapon is still live. John shoots the Marquis in the head, ending the duel and securing his and Winston's freedom. Caine's daughter is free and Winston's position is restored. John lies down on the stairs and peacefully dies of his injuries. His last word is his wife's name, and he is buried alongside her in a grave simply marked "Loving Husband."
Will there be a John Wick 5?
Though a fifth entry in the franchise was greenlit back in 2020, the pandemic seems to have done a number on this franchise. Last May, director Chad Stahelski assured fans that a fifth film was still in production. Wick's death is a fitting end to his story, but it won't be the end of this franchise. Though the title character has passed on, he can still be a fixture of prequel projects like The Continental. The Ballerina spin-off starring Ana de Armas will also continue the story, with or without the Baba Yaga. The fourth entry also introduces a new character who is paid off in a post-credit scene that could be the setup for the fifth entry.
Before Winston introduces the idea of the duel, John is forced to hide out in Japan, at the Osaka Continental. That hotel plays the backdrop for the film's first full-fledged action sequence as Caine and a High Table army invade the newly deconsecrated establishment. This Continental is owned and operated by Koji, a mutual friend of John and Caine. During the mayhem, Caine and Koji engage in a sword fight that ends with Koji's demise. Koji's daughter Akira, a gifted assassin in her own right, allows Caine to escape and swears revenge. She assures John that if he doesn't bring Caine down, she will. Akira doesn't appear in the film after John leaves Japan, but she returns for the post-credit sequence. It's brief, but as Caine enjoys his daughter's violin performance, Akira appears, readying a blade. If there is going to be a fifth John Wick, focussing on a new talent like Rina Sawayama wouldn't go amiss.
John Wick is gone, but not forgotten. His story may be over, but fans will still see his earlier days and experience his world. John Wick: Chapter 4 is a fitting end to the story, but fans will still be seeing him for a long time.