John Wick Chapter 4

 

John Wick Chapter 4

John is back. This film is campish and cartoonish. If you are a fan of the John Wick franchise or appreciate this genre, this is your film. Besides the mayhem there are other appealing aspects. The venues are an important part of the movie taking place in New York City, Paris, Osaka and Berlin. The staging and productions are luxurious from Versailles to a throbbing Berlin disco. The plot is about revenge and cashing in on Wick’s bounty. Before seeing this movie, you may want to take a fresher on chapters 1, 2 and 3, especially if you are over 70.

John Wick is somber like his black suit. His speech is sparse and communicates better with his fists and guns. For Keanu Reeves the John Wick character is a second skin and he wears it well. Even though John Wick is an assassin his character is likable. Presumably the villains he kills are worse than him.

The rogue gallery is back. Ian McShane is Winston Scott the manager of the Continental Hotel. Lance Reddick the hotel concierge, and Laurance Fishburne, the Bowery King reprise their roles. There are new characters. Donnie Yen is a blind assassin with unique skills. He uses motion detectors to dispatch his enemies. Bill Skarsgard is the main villain as the Marquis a powerful member of the High Table; his wardrobe redefines the term dandy. Dogs are an integral part of the Wick films and the dog here has a mean bite and a low target.

The stunts are a big part of the Wick movies. The car crashes around the Arc de Triomphe do not bode well for French drivers. Wick bounces off cars with little damage reminiscent of Wiley Coyote. Tumbling down the hundred plus stairs of Sacre-Coeur is almost comical. The gun fights are too numerous to count. John is a master of the head shot because everyone is wearing Kevlar armor or suits. DuPont should pay a fee for product placement.  

If you are into it the film is fun.

Babylon

 

Babylon (Amazon Prime)

Babylon is a movie of ascent, descent and excesses.  The period is the tipping point for silent movies with the onset of the talkies. Handsome silent screen stars now had to talk and some with Jersey accents.  The silent film industry was at its apex, awashed in money, sex, and drugs, descending into debauchery. Some scenes were excessive and in bad taste. The more colorful sex scenes could have been implied and rather than depicted in technicolor. These drawbacks are the fault of the writer and director who in this case is the same person, Damien Chazelle.

The cast is impressive. Brad Pitt is Jack Conrad a matinée idol in descent. Pitt’s best performance depicts Conrad’s decline. He is a metaphor for the silent screen. Margot Robbie plays Nellie LaRoy who is absolutely manic. She is at her best when she is depressed and paranoid. Some scenes are over the top and instead of being impactful they are cringe worthy. Unlike Jack Conrad she rose from the bottom to the top of stardom, but her descent was the same as his but quicker.

Diego Calva, who plays Manny Torres, gave the best performance. He goes from being a truck driver to being a film executive and down again. He plays the role with passion and without histrionics. He loves Nellie but she is toxic and he suffers.

This is not a religious movie, but there was a resurrection. Eric Roberts, the estranged brother of Julia Roberts, was cast as Nellie’s father. His appearance was brief, but the snake fight scene was hilarious. Jean Smart plays the gossip columnist Elinor St. John. She tried to groom Nellie’s appearance and diction but utterly failed. Tobey Maguire is a brutal sadistic gang boss. It is wonderful to see someone play against type. Even with hideous make up and evil intent, he is still your friendly Spiderman.

This movie cost $80m to make and took in $63m, the price of a bad script and poor directing. Watch it at your own peril.