Parents' Guide to

John Wick: Chapter 4

ByJeffrey Anderson,Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 17+

Extreme, over-the-top violence in Reeves' action epic.

Movie R 2023 169 minutes
John Wick: Chapter 4: Movie Poster: Close up of John Wick, wearing a suit and tie

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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age 14+

Based on 6 parent reviews

BlitzGuy20
BlitzGuy20 Adult
March 26, 2023
age 14+

This astounding, non-stop action joyride has constant violence

约翰芯:第四章(2023)之前,约翰•灯芯ex mercenary and assassin with the entire world on his back, and a multi-million dollar price tag. With the entire planet and secret underground agency trying to kill him, he tries everything he can to escape. The film has constant strong bloody violence with over-the-top beating, shooting, stabbing, executions, people exploding, bursting on fire and blood splattering and caking the walls left and right. This action violence is ABSOLUTELY to be expected. VIOLENCE: SEVERE The violence in this film is constant, and that is even an understatement. Hoards of men are killed in exceedingly brutal manners of shooting, stabbing and viscous beating. There are prolonged sequences lasting sometimes upwards of 20 minutes at a time of men being killed. When men are shot in the head, blood and brain spray out and splatter against walls, after they are often executed by being shot in the head on the floor. Countless throats are slit with blood detail, and people are slashed, stabbed, impaled and taken out in this manner. When people are beaten there is unrelenting, vicious punches to the face and body. Bones are snapped, and people shriek in pain. Multiple men are killed in brutal fashion with hatchets, which fly and smash into heads. There is an extended sequence where an incendiary shotgun is used to kill countless men, seen from a top-down angle. Fire erupts through their bodies and they blast into flames, rag-dolling on the ground in extreme realistic manners. An intense sequence shows cars slamming into and killing numerous men. They fly into the air and slam onto the concrete in ultra-realistic manners. Men are pushed down flights of stairs, slam into light posts and fall onto and are thrown into walls, surroundings and others. A pencil is used to dispatch a few men in one scene with bloody results. Blunt objects are used to beat the faces of men. A dog is shown brutally mauling men countless times, sometimes with bloody results and intense screaming. A particularly graphic and disturbing scenes shows a man having his hand stabbed and impaled with a knife. He is given the option to rip it out or pull his hand back and slice his hand open by doing so in order to get it out. He chooses to pull his hand back, causing his flesh to tear graphically on camera and blood to go everywhere when he rips his hand out. Overall, the violence is constant, strong, bloody and sometimes graphic. However, aside from a handful of scenes, the violence never really lingers onscreen and leaves your sight quite quickly. The violence is also shown in an action-related manner and is not disturbing but more entertaining and exhilarating to watch. LANGUAGE: MILD 7 uses of fuck, some uses of shit and asshole, and uses of ass. The language is very tame for an R rated film, especially due to the length of the film. Most of the language is missed, forgotten or not noticed due to the constant content and intense plot of the film. OVERALL: 14+ for pervasive strong violence

This title has:

Too much violence
3 people found this helpful.
Oscar S.
Oscar S. Adult
March 27, 2023
age 15+

Hyper violent entertaining film with lots of action and high body count

This is one of the most violent and with higher body count in the series. There is camaradery and the main character is just grinding through bodies and bodies. Plot is loose but in great places and backgrounds. My children 17 and 16 enjoyed it as well as I. Best in the series

This title has:

Too much violence
2 people found this helpful.
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

In JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is cut off from the Continental, and everyone who ever tried to help him is in trouble with a powerful member of the High Table who's known as the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård). The Marquis starts by shutting down the Continental Hotel in New York. Wick is lying low at a sister hotel in Osaka, Japan, thanks to his friend, hotel manager Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada). Unfortunately, the Marquis knows Wick is there and sends an army to dispatch him, including another of Wick's old friends, blind swordsman Caine (Donnie Yen). Wick escapes and vows revenge against the Marquis, but, according to the rules, Wick must challenge him to a duel. Unfortunately, even that much isn't going to be easy.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say(6):
Kids say(16):

演说的时间a hefty 169 minutes, the fourth Wick movie spreads its wings and goes full-blown epic. Every single shot is a dazzler, it has a surefooted pace, and the simple story is elevated to mythical status. The originalJohn Wickwas stripped to the bone, clean and classic at just 101 minutes, but by the timeJohn Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellumcame along, the franchise had become flabby -- and exhausting.

But if this franchise as a whole has been inspired by Sergio Leone, thenJohn Wick: Chapter 4is akin toThe Good, the Bad & the Ugly.The cinematography is consistently luxurious, calling to mind the indelible images of movies likeKill Bill,Skyfall, andBlade Runner 2049. And if that wasn't enough, director Chad Stahelski reaches high and pays homage toLawrence of Arabia,Taxi Driver, andThe Warriors, too. His pacing is supremely confident: He knows when to rest, when to pour on the clear, vivid action, and when to ramp it up another impossible notch. Ultimately,John Wick: Chapter 4still isn't really about much more than violence and revenge, but this time Wick and his various layers of ambiguous friends/enemies (including the amazing Yen and a very goodShamier Andersonas the Tracker) find themselves wriggling between the concept of ending violence and the worrisome notion that this may not be possible.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk aboutJohn Wick: Chapter 4'sviolence. How did it make you feel? Shocked? Thrilled? Do you think all of it is necessary to the story?What's the impact of media violence on kids?

  • Is John Wick a hero or a villain? How can you tell? Is it OK to sympathize with characters who do illegal or wrong things?

  • John is strongly motivated by revenge. Is that understandable? Is revenge ever an acceptable excuse for violence?

  • How important are rules in this story? Are rules made to be broken? What about rules in your home or school?

  • How does this sequel compare with the other entries?

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