'John Wick: Chapter 4' reviews hail creative, satisfying, globe-trotting 'spaghetti western' kill-fest

The action flick John Wick: Chapter 4 is very close to three hours long, but if you don't mind seeing Keanu Reeves do his thing (and by "thing," we mean killing loads of bad guys in creative fashion), then it shouldn't be much of an issue.

With the film having screened at the SXSW Film Festival Monday evening (the rest of us plebeians will have to wait until March 24 for the movie's wide theatrical bow), critics are now allowed to publish their unbridled thoughts on the fourth installment in the assassin vs. assassin franchise.

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Pretty much everyone is in agreement: Reeves and returning director Chad Stahelski once again deliver the action-adventure goods, whilst upping the insanity to levels hitherto unseen by longtime Wick audiences. John's mission to rid himself of the feared Round Table takes him all over the world, but don't expect the exotic locales to be mere window dressing. The filmmakers take full advantage of their global backdrop, staging innovative set pieces against actual landmarks.

Head below to see what critics are saying...

"Chapter 4 feels like the first John Wick movie that wants to be a Clint Eastwood spaghetti Western. It’s like Sergio Leone crossed with John Woo as seen in Times Square ... With Wick spinning into action (and, at one point, rolling down the entire flight), it becomes an exhilarating stairway to hell, one that winds up delivering John Wick to the gratifying karmic destination he has spent this series earning." -Owen Gleiberman, Variety

"Unlike so many films set in exotic locales that deliver a few establishing shots of local landmarks before filming in nondescript spots somewhere in Canada, John Wick: Chapter Four uses its many locations in Paris and Berlin to fantastic effect. A particular hoot are the scenes involving the dandyishly dressed Marquis, who only seems to conduct his business in such venues as the Paris Opera House and the Louvre, both of which he seems to have at his personal disposal." -Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter

"Wick’s world war is bursting at the seams with creative, thrillingly staged action choreography and cinematography, perfectly pitched performances from an outstanding and unforgettable cast of allies and villains heralded by a merciless Bill Skarsgård, all without losing its grip on the sensitivity that keeps John’s struggle for absolution at the heart of every bullet fired and every edged weapon swung. Slide Chapter 4 a gold coin across the table and see what happens when John Wick lands a perfect shot." -Tom Jorgensen, IGN

"If you were agog at what Wick can do with a pencil (JW2),and a book (JW3), wait until you see what he can do with a playing card, never mind a set of nunchucks. Fight sequences, action set pieces, neon: every aspect for Chapter 4 is dialled up to 11111 (deep-cut reference alert!). And if there’s one area in which returning director Chad Stahelski’s film actually over-delivers, it’s the characters. The bad guys of previous instalments pale in comparison to Donnie Yen’s sharp-suited blind assassin Caine - a fun, charming, super-cool badass we root for almost as much as Wick." -Kim Taylor-Foster, Total Film

"Once 4's scores are settled and untold collateral damage duly done, the future of the franchise is left in serious doubt, give or take the implications of a teasing post-credits scene — even as a spin-off headlined by Ana de Armas has reportedly already wrapped. Like James Bond, John Wick may eventually transcend the idea of just one man. But it wouldn't be quite the same without him." -Leah Greenblatt, Entertainment Weekly

"If you’re going to watch this, the action’s what you want, and as far as that goes, you just can’t knock it. It is incredibly tactile — it hurts. You can see that Reeves really is doing a huge amount of it himself, and it counts. You feel it. He’s treated like a rag doll in this one, towards the end bringing to mind Buster Keaton — the extremity is funny, intentionally so. He gets knocked down, but he gets up again. And again, and again, and again. Pray for his bones." -Alex Godfrey, Empire

"The twist in Chapter 4 is that John Wick goes full James Bond, globe-trotting and shooting his way through glamorous cities, with action that is even more spectacularly staged. Running at 2 hours and 49 minutes, it is bigger than the previous films in every way ­— not better or worse, just more." -Caryn James, BBC

"The most faithful faction of the Wick fandom will undoubtedly be pleased to see their belief that you can’t have too much of a good thing put into practice. Those who appreciated the original for its brutal, sinewy agility have another thing coming: a lumbering, stultifying gargantua of a film willing to kill everything except its darlings." -Charles Bramesco, The Guardian

John Wick: Chapter 4 hits the big screen Friday, March 24.

Refresh yourself on all the puppy snuggles and gunplay with the first three John Wick movies — now streaming on Peacock. And keep an eye out for The Continental, an upcoming prequel series about a young Winston coming to Peacock.