John Wick Reviews: Our Verdict on Every Film

Five films carry the John Wick name: the four main movies and the Ballerina spin-off, and they do not all suit the same viewer. If you want the viewing sequence, the john wick movies in order guide covers release and chronological order, and my own ranking lives on john wick movies ranked.

John Wick (2014), directed by Chad Stahelski, is the leanest film in the series at 101 minutes, and I would still hand it to a newcomer first. Keanu Reeves plays a retired hitman grieving his wife Helen, whose last gift to him was a puppy. When Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) breaks in, steals John's classic car and kills the dog, John learns that Iosef is the son of Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist), a crime boss he used to work for. Willem Dafoe plays Marcus, Ian McShane plays Winston, and Tyler Bates composed the score. It cost $20 million and took about $86 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. In my opinion the revenge story is simple on purpose, which is exactly why it lands. Verdict: the best starting point, and the one to rewatch when you want the story without the mythology. More on the film at john wick 2014.

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017), also directed by Chad Stahelski, turns a revenge story into a world, and I think it is the most uneven of the four main films. The production shot in Rome after New York, and the cast widens with Riccardo Scamarcio as Santino D'Antonio, Common as Cassian, Ruby Rose as Ares, Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King and Franco Nero as Julius. It cost $40 million and grossed about $174 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. Perhaps the fairest criticism is that it spends a good part of its 122 minutes setting up rules and rivals that later films pay off, but the Rome locations give it a look the others do not have. Verdict: for viewers who enjoyed the first film and want the underworld explained. See john wick 2 for the full film page.

John Wick: Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019), directed by Chad Stahelski, is the most relentless film in the series, and it opens with John excommunicado after killing a High Table member inside the Continental. He is hurt and on the run in Manhattan, so he gathers what he needs, then turns to the Director of the Ruska Roma (Anjelica Huston) for passage to Casablanca to find the Elder. Halle Berry joins as Sofia, Mark Dacascos plays Zero and Asia Kate Dillon plays the Adjudicator. It cost $75 million and grossed about $328 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. If you want the most action per minute, in my opinion this is the one, and Sofia (Halle Berry) is a large part of why. Verdict: for viewers who want the series at full speed. Details sit on the john wick 3 page.

Yes, and in my opinion John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023), directed by Chad Stahelski, is the best of the series even at 170 minutes. John takes the fight to the High Table, kills the Elder in Morocco and draws the attention of the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård), who forces Caine (Donnie Yen), a blind retired assassin and an old friend of John, to hunt him down by threatening Caine's daughter. The practical craft is the draw: cinematographer Dan Laustsen built an overhead shot in Germany and shot night for day sequences for Paris, and the production filmed at the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe. It cost $100 million and took about $447 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo. It could be argued that the running time tests patience, but I would not cut a set piece. Verdict: the film to watch if you only have one night, ideally after the first three. Find it at john wick 4.

Ballerina (2025), directed by Len Wiseman, is a spin-off set during Chapter 3, and in my opinion it works better as a companion to the main films than as a rival. Ana de Armas plays Eve, raised in the Ruska Roma after her father is killed by a cult, and her search leads to Prague, where she meets Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus), and then toward Hallstatt, Austria. Keanu Reeves appears as John Wick, and it was Lance Reddick's final appearance as Charon, according to TheWrap. On a $90 million budget it made about $140 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, the weakest return of the five relative to cost. Verdict: for fans who want more of the world, and best watched after Chapter 3. See ballerina john wick.

My order from best to weakest is Chapter 4, John Wick (2014), Chapter 3, Chapter 2 and then Ballerina, although the gaps between the first four are small. That being said, a viewer who prizes pure speed over scale could easily swap Chapter 3 into first place. The reasons for each position are on the john wick movies ranked page. When you are ready to watch, where to watch john wick lists the services for the US, UK and Australia.