John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Film and Plot Synopsis

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) uncovers a path to defeating the High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes. (Courtesy of Lionsgate)

‘John Wick: Chapter 4’ Movie Summary

The film begins with John Wick (Keanu Reeves) living underground with the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) as he recovers from his wounds received in the previous two films. Wick makes plans to exact vengeance against the High Table, a worldwide criminal organization that is seeking Wick’s execution. Wick travels to Morocco to revisit the Elder (George Gerogiou), the one person who “sits above the Table.” Wick kills the Elder as a message to the High Table.

In response, the Marquis Vincent Bisset de Gramont (Bill Skarsgård), a high-ranking High Table member, travels to New York and summons the manager of the New York Continental, Winston Scott (Ian McShane), for a meeting. Winston is accompanied by his loyal concierge, Charon (Lance Reddick), to the meeting. The Marquis informs them that he has been given unlimited resources to locate and kill Wick. The Marquis informs Winston of his displeasure that the hotel manager did not kill Wick before during the final sequence of the previous film. Consequently, the Marquis strips Winston of his managerial duties, declares him “excommunicado”, destroys the New York Continental, and kills Charon. Not long after, the Marquis extorts the services of Caine (Donnie Yen), a blind, retired High Table assassin. The Marquis threatens to execute Caine’s daughter unless the assassin agrees to kill his friend Wick.

Meanwhile, Wick takes temporary refuge at the Continental Hotel in Osaka which is run by Wick’s friend Shimazu Koji (Hiroyuki Sanada). Somehow, word gets out about Wick’s secret hideaway and the Marquis sends his chief lieutenant Chidi (Marko Zaror), Caine, and a team of assassins to investigate Koji and the hotel. Koji stands firm and Chidi unleashes his men against the hotel’s forces in an act of “deconsecration” of the hotel by the High Table. Koji’s daughter, Akira (Rina Sawayama), helps to evacuate the hotel despite being against her father’s actions of giving sanctuary to Wick.

Man has to look his best when it’s time to get married or buried. Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne)

Elsewhere in the building, Wick attempts to fight his way out of the hotel against armored assassins. Eventually, he runs into his friend Caine, and the two men begin to fight. The fight is interrupted by a bounty hunter Mr. Nobody (Shamier Anderson) which allows Wick to escape. Mr. Nobody seeks to collect the bounty on Wick himself but is waiting for it to rise to a suitable price. Caine proceeds to try to leave the hotel and runs into a wounded Koji. The hotel manager attacks Caine who is forced to kill Koji but Caine leaves Akira alive.

A short time later, Wick returns to New York and meets up with Winston at Charon’s grave. The former hotel manager seeks vengeance against the Marquis and suggests that Wick invoke an old tradition of challenging the Marquis to a duel. If Wick wins, he would be free of all obligations to the High Table. However, to even make the request, Wick must be a member of a crime family. Wick travels to Berlin to meet up with the leader of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate. Having cut ties with them previously, the organization’s leader and Wick’s adoptive sister, Katia (Natalia Tena), is not pleased to see him. Katia tasks Wick’s readmission on the requirement that Wick kill Killa Harkan (Scott Adkins), a High Table member who killed Katia’s father. Wick visits Harkan’s club where he also encounters Caine and Mr. Nobody. The four men fight, but ultimately, Wick kills Harkan.

A short time later, Winston communicates Wick’s challenge to the Marquis. Winston agrees to act as Wick’s “second” and requests that if Wick wins that the New York Continental be rebuilt, Winston be reinstated as manager, and the High Table will pay for it all. The Marquis agrees and declares that the duel will occur at sunrise the following morning at Sacré-Cœur in Paris. The two men agree on dueling pistols as weapons. The Marquis nominates Caine to take his place in the duel. The Harbinger (Clancy Brown), the High Table’s emissary and referee for the duel, warns Wick and Winston that they will be executed if they fail to show up at the duel. Not long after, the Bowery King arrives in Paris with a new ballistic suit and gun for Wick.

The Marquis attempts to stack the odds against Wick. He places a $26 million bounty on Wick which requires Wick to fight off dozens and dozens of assassins on the way to Sacré-Cœur. Mr. Nobody personally negotiates another elevation of the bounty with the Marquis to $40 million which finally reaches the level for Mr. Nobody to become involved. During his arduous trip through the city, Wick prevents Chidi from killing Mr. Nobody’s dog in one battle. To show his appreciation, Mr. Nobody switches sides and begins helping Wick to get to his location. Caine also helps his friend to reach his destination.

Once at Sacré-Cœur, Wick and Caine duel, with both men suffering serious injuries during each round. After the third round, Caine appears to severely wound Wick. The Marquis requests the right to administer the coup de grâce on Wick and switches places with Caine. Winston chides the Marquis for his arrogance as the hotel manager realizes that Wick never fired his bullet during the third round. Wick shoots the Marquis dead as he was now in play during the duel.
The Harbinger declares Wick the winner and grants Wick and Caine their freedom from any obligations to the High Table. He also reinstates Winston as the manager of the soon to be rebuilt New York Continental. Wick begins to walk away to his new life of freedom, but he collapses on a set of stairs a short distance away. Wick dies, and Winston takes his body back to New York. A short time later, Winston and the Bowery King say goodbye to their old friend as he is buried next his late wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan).

In a post-credit scene, Caine returns to Paris to see his daughter for the first time in years. He is stalked by Akira who seeks to avenge the death of her father by killing the blindman.