Keanu Reeves' extreme action in 'John Wick 4' released today

Actor Keanu Reeves' 'John Wick 4' returns after four years.

'John Wick 4' (directed by Chad Stahelski) will be released in Korea today (12th). The 'John Wick' series, which recorded a worldwide box office profit of $580 million, was released in North America on the 24th of last month, and recorded a profit of $73 million, the highest opening record in series history.Keanu Reeves personally performs more than 90% of the action in 'John Wick 4'

This time, 'John Wick 4' is a collaboration between the original teams who worked together on the previous series. It is said that everything from director Chad Stahelski to filming, art, stunts, etc. is made up of original production crew. In particular, Keanu Reeves performed more than 90% of the action in 'John Wick 4' without any stunts. Director Chad Stahelski said in an interview that Keanu Reeves' action scenes were "shown to the limit of what he could do," raising even more expectations. Keanu Reeves also commented, “‘John Wick 4’ raised the bar to a new level.”

'John Wick 4' attempted a challenge with a variety of action sequences using shocks, fighting, jiu-jitsu, nunchucks, swords, and bows. The shooting scene that takes place inside an apartment in Paris is made to look like it is continuously live through the overhead frame from a drone perspective, adding to the vividness. Above all, the car action of the Arc de Triomphe in the second half was shown by Keanu Reeves himself. The production team of 'John Wick 4' is raising expectations as it is said that nine months of preparation and training were needed for the Arc de Triomphe action scene.‘John Wick’ universe expands with ‘Ballerina’

Starting with 'John Wick', the John Wick Universe has shown an attractive worldview of assassins, and each series has earned more than four times the production cost. The world view of the assassins' safe zone 'Continental Hotel', the existence of the 'Supreme Council' formed by the heads of 12 criminal organizations, and the rules and excommunication among them is expected to expand and spread further with 'John Wick 4'. Following 'John Wick 4', the John Wick universe will be expanded through the spin-off film 'Ballerina'.

'Ballerina' tells the story of a ballerina who belongs to a Russian ballet troupe that trains assassins in 'John Wick 3: Parabellum' and sets out to avenge her family. Ana de Armas from the movie ‘Knives Out’ will play the main character. Keanu Reeves plays John Wick in the film, and Ian McShane appears as Winston.Longest running time in series history, diverse locations including France, Germany, and Jordan

The running time of ‘John Wick 4’ is 2 hours and 49 minutes. The running time of ‘John Wick’ Part 1 is 1 hour and 47 minutes, ‘John Wick: Reload’ is 2 hours and 2 minutes, and ‘John Wick 3: Parabellum’ is 2 hours and 11 minutes. 'John Wick 4' heralded the longest action series in the series' history, with a running time that was more than 38 minutes longer than its predecessor.

In addition, various locations such as France, Germany, Jordan, and Japan appear in the movie, providing even more entertainment. Famous landmarks from each region appear, allowing you to feel the uniqueness of each region in the film. In Paris, France, it was filmed at Trocadero Square, where the huge Eiffel Tower can be seen at a glance, and a car driving action scene was filmed at the Arc de Triomphe, which shines brightly in the dark of night. The Sacred Heart Church in Berlin, Germany also appears. Jordan's Wadi Rum desert and the exterior of Japan's Tokyo National Museum of Art are also featured.

Meanwhile, the point of interest is whether 'John Wick 4', which has domestic fans thanks to Keanu Reeves' action scenes, can change the landscape of domestic theaters, which are the world of Japanese animation.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr