Early June Movie Reviews (John Wick: Chapter 4, Sisu, Blackberry)

Well, folks, it’s that time again. Three motion pictures that I had looked forward to watching made their way from a place I seldom go (the movie theater), to a place I often go (the couch). Overall, I’d rate the movies as “disappointing,” “a little disappointing,” and “better than expected.” Let’s now take the time to delve a little deeper into each of the films and, of course, assign some numerical ratings.

John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023)

Lionsgate, 169 minutes

I’ve always been a fan of action movies. When I was a young lad (many moons ago), it was probably my favorite film genre, and though my tastes have broadened over the years, I still enjoy a good action flick from time to time. Seeing as John Wick: Chapter 4 received rave reviews from critics and the public alike, it was definitely something I was excited to check out. Unfortunately, for me, it didn’t quite live up to the hype.

The John Wick series has always been a franchise whose strongest attribute is its fantastic martial arts and action sequences. As a positive, that’s no different here. If you were to watch basically any ten minute action scene at random from this fourth installment by itself, you’d certainly be impressed with the fighting on the screen. Sadly though, these types of scenes are pretty much the whole movie, and when we’re shown action like this continuously for nearly three hours, well, it actually gets pretty boring. I found myself getting tired fast of these same types of action scenes where any of our main characters easily dispatches countless faceless goons.

John Wick: Chapter 4 also tries harder to be “cool” (“cool” by 14-year old boy standards) than any film in recent memory. Main and side characters get one or two basic traits that are supposed to make them a badass (a la a blind expert assassin who has a cane and is named Caine), but there’s nothing to any of them really. To say that the plot is basic and cliché and could’ve been formulated in seconds by ChatGPT would be an insult to ChatGPT.

Action movies can still be super exciting and fun without deep characters or a complex plot. Take, for example, a film like 2012’s Dredd, which is action-packed with a fairly simple story yet still manages to be an A+ experience. That’s not the case here. While John Wick: Chapter 4 isn’t awful, it’s way too long and boring. And boring is the worst thing you can be when you’re an action film.

Grade: 5/10

Sisu (2022)

Lionsgate, 91 minutes

Sisu is a gory grindhouse action movie that will most likely satisfy fans of these types of films. In a lot of ways, Sisu is what John Wick: Chapter 4 is trying to be – just a nonstop, action-packed ride for moviegoers who want to sit back and watch a kickass protagonist take down some bad guys. Of course, the filmmakers here were definitely going for a more gritty and gory movie, but as far as the “have some violent fun” feel, both movies have the same goal and Sisu accomplishes it better.

Sisu is definitely never boring, and it’s not a bad way to spend an hour and a half. Storywise, we follow a solitary gold prospector with a dark past in the final days of World War II. After he discovers gold, our hero encounters a group of Nazis, who learn what he’s found and pursue him. It’s basic, but effective, and I don’t think too many people are watching this one for the plot.

Still, while I do like grindhouse-type movies from time to time, I was hoping Sisu would somehow bring something more to the table. I think it does accomplish what the filmmakers set out to do with their movie, but it doesn’t go above what you’d expect in any way. Having a protagonist that’s a loner who doesn’t speak is sort of cool for a little while, but I think it works better when he or she is interacting with someone that makes them show some sort of emotion other than just killing Nazis nonstop.

Brawl in Cell Block 99, that I saw last year and that I did enjoy a lot, is an example of a grindhouse movie that does bring something more to the table, partially due to an outstanding performance from Vince Vaughn. I still think Sisu is worth watching, but for me, it barely met expectations. 

Grade: 6.5/10

Blackberry (2023)

IFC Films, 119 minutes

Blackberry, as one would imagine, tells the story of the blackberry, the world’s first smartphone. (I suppose one could also imagine it’s a movie about the fruit.) Moviegoers learn how the efforts of two co-CEOs, a tech genius named Mike Lazaridis, and a cutthroat business-savvy man named Jim Balsillie led the company that created the phone to astronomical growth in the early 2000s.

Blackberry is a well-crafted true story, and it reminded me of another “learn how the business grew” true story I watched last month, Air. However, unlike Air, which centers around what ends up being a major success story about the Nike basketball shoe division, here we’re getting a “rise and fall”-type story. Blackberry also takes place over multiple years, as opposed to focusing on a single incident. I think that when true stories can really focus on a single major event and hone in their attention on that, as opposed to showing multiple different happenings years apart, it leads to an overall stronger story.

Despite this overall belief, I still largely enjoyed Blackberry. This is definitely a quality drama, and there’s enough comedy in the script to keep what are some pretty stressful circumstances for our characters feeling light to viewers. Overall, it’s is a solid film, and an interesting look at what happened to the company that made the smartphone that none of us now own.

Grade: 7.5/10