Keanu Reeves has been promising that the long-awaited John Wick 4 will up the ante on the action significantly. Not just in terms of shootouts and martial arts – but also car chases. In Reeve’s own indubitable words – “it’s banana cakes.”
“John Wick: Chapter 4 has the most action of any of the [John Wick] films, which is saying a lot,” Reeves tells Total Film in the new issue of the magazine(opens in new tab), featuring John Wick on the cover. “And it’s more by a good margin. It’s a big show.” The actor adds; “John Wick: Chapter 4 was the hardest physical role I’ve ever had in my career so far. They really trained me up to be able to have what we call the toolbox.”
The John Wick franchise has been so successful, it’s launched at least two spin-offs so far – The Continental and Ballerina, starring the newly Oscar-nominated Ana de Armas.
A key skill that Reeves was required to perfect for Chapter 4 was his stunt driving, with the film set to reintroduce car-fu to the series in spectacular style. “We took the car-driving to the next level, which I really enjoy,” Reeves says. “There’s 180s, forward-into-reverse 180s, reverse into-forward 270s, drifting… So it was really fun to get a chance to learn those skills, and to play.” Sounds like they’ll be giving the Fast and the Furious movies a run for their money.
According to stunt coordinator and second unit director Scott Rogers, new addition Donnie Yen “brings ‘master level’ fighting abilities” to his films, meaning “he is not an actor that you have to train for each specific fight. He is a great actor who is also a trained fighter. His ability to enhance the choreography through his own creativity is world class. When you add that to the many years of John Wick training that Keanu Reeves has invested, you end up with something very special.”
The result is something to behold, according to Reeves. “John Wick: Chapter 4 is our opus,” he says. “Oh my god, it’s crazy, man! It’s banana cakes!”
If you’re as excited for John Wick 4 as we are, check out our guide to the best action movies.