For Keanu Reeves, the fourth installment of the John Wick saga has been the most demanding of the franchise. Directed by Chad Stahelski, it doubles down on this killer turned anti-hero. After three successful installments, the fourth episode opens a new era. Legendary hitman Baba Yaga prepares to wreak havoc among his enemies with his fighting prowess and deadly abilities. ‘John Wick 4’ is the longest in the franchise and is distinguished by its sophisticated, bloody and brutal action scenes: large sequences with hails of bullets and hand-to-hand combat. Something that takes the saga to a new dimension.
“When I was first offered the role, I said, ‘Let’s go for it.’ There’s really amazing action in ‘John Wick’ and it’s been a lot of fun picking it up and telling the story of him,” says the actor. “There are new characters and we open up their world to create other possible narratives with car crashes, shootings… In terms of action, it’s the hardest I’ve done in my career and that makes it a good movie. It includes perfectly choreographed action scenes and car chases of outstanding technical quality, scenes that will be a hallmark of the saga,” says Reeves.
It all started with a dog and it got so complicated that it’s hard to relate the flood of deaths that John Wick has generated in his eternal revenge. Each installment has grown in resources, violence and success. While the fourth is being released, the fifth is already on the way. “It has the most action in the series, which is saying a lot and opens up the possibility of new story arcs,” he insists.
He affirms that shooting it has not been easy and admits that it is “the most difficult feature film I have ever made.” “I admit that the action scenes are more and more difficult for me, but what I don’t get physically I make up for with other skills,” he confesses.
wooden balls
In a group video interview, listen to each question calmly and answer in detail while avoiding spoilers. When discussing the challenges of the shoot, she pauses thoughtfully. “Of all the challenges, the most difficult were the scenes where I fight with wooden balls and chains. I had to learn new skills that cost me a lot », she explains.
“We are at the best time to make action, horror and superhero movies starring scenes with terrifying moments,” Reeves adds with the aplomb of someone who has been doing this all his life. «I must say that I enjoy pushing my limits and this character is not easy to define. I feel like I’m living a second youth playing this retired elite assassin forced back into action,” he notes.
After several successive delays, the last of almost a year, the premiere of ‘John Wick 4’ became an obsession for its fans. The announcement of several ‘spin-offs’ and the possibility of the story growing, makes the saga a rarity in the action genre. “Much more when you try to build a concrete world with its own rules and limits,” admits Reeves, acknowledging that in this episode there will be a more interesting point to understand the story.
«We will see the organization ‘The High Table’ using all its resources. So there are a lot of people chasing John Wick. But really it’s just the usual mechanics, a challenge taken on with particular rigor by the team behind the camera,” he says. The narrative will become a “frantic adventure to pursue and hunt the well-known hitman within his universe.” The story follows the journey of the character in an attempt to escape from the criminal organization. In addition to facing the legions of criminals who travel the world in search of him. “I persevered to incorporate new elements. So what I lacked in skill, I made up for in seriousness. I played this character with great enthusiasm trying to reach the level of John Wick, which is very high, “concludes the actor.
