Chad Stahelski and then partner David Leitch came from the area of martial arts and stunts, and made their mark choreographing huge stunt sequences and directed second unit for many films before getting the shot at steering a franchise with John Wick.
Leitch went his own way and Stahelski remained welded to Keanu Reeves in one of most fascinating director-star relationships that concludes with John Wick 4, the final installment of a sleeper action-heavy hit that grew into blockbuster status as each film grew in ambition and box office grosses.
The most fantastical gun violence Hollywood has brought since The Matrix films has only been part of it, as are the close combat brawls, knife, sword fights and car crashes that left Wick bloodied but undaunted.
For their fourth and likely final time out, Stahelski and Reeves added iconic Asian action heroes Donnie Yen and Hiroyuki Sanada to ramp things up even further.
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