John Wick: Chapter 4 | 2023 | R | – 1.9.5

Why is “John Wick: Chapter 4” rated R? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “pervasive strong violence and some language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes a kiss in a flashback, many scenes of many people fighting and using weapons with many people dying with a lot of blood shown, several one-on-one fights with punching and throwing and stabbing and shooting, a few attacks by a dog, and at least 7 F-words and other strong language. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.

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John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is determined to win his freedom from the High Table, and he finds himself with an increasing bounty on his head and assassins from around the world after him. Also with Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane, George Georgiou, Lance Reddick, Clancy Brown, Marko Zaror, Bill Skarsgård, Donnie Yen, Aimée Kwan, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson and Rina Sawayama. Directed by Chad Stahelski. [Running Time: 2:49]

John Wick: Chapter 4 SEX/NUDITY 1

 – A flashback shows a man and a woman kissing tenderly.
► Men and women dance in a dance club scene and the women wear outfits that reveal cleavage, backs and abdomens and a few men are shown with partial bare chests and abdomens. A woman wears a low-cut vest that reveals cleavage and her bare shoulders. We see large paintings on walls that depict scenes of war and torture and we see some people nude (bare backs, buttocks and legs, as wells as bare breasts, chests and abdomens are visible).

John Wick: Chapter 4 VIOLENCE/GORE 9

 – A man shoots another man in the head, blood sprays and the man falls dead. A man shoots another man in the head and we see blood spray and the bloody hole in his forehead as he falls dead. A man shoots another man in the chest, he stumbles and falls on his back and we see blood on his chest and pooling on the floor under him as he dies.
► Two men with swords fight: they slash at each other and one is stabbed through the back (we see blood on his abdomen and he gasps), they continue to fight and one man is stabbed in the abdomen (we see blood) and he dies. A man fights with a man and straddles him on the ground punching him repeatedly in the head and face (we see blood on his face), leaving him motionless; the man revives and they continue to fight and one man is thrown over a balcony and crashes to the ground below where the other man punches him twice more in the mouth and removes one of his teeth.
► One man fights with many other people using guns, knives, nunchucks, swords, punches throws and kicks: he shoots, slashes them with knives (we see blood), he fights several men that are much larger than he is and he is thrown by them a couple of times, he beats them repeatedly with nunchucks and then shoots them when they are motionless on the floor (we see bloody wounds). A man shoots at another man that hides and arms himself with a sword and a gun; the two men fight and shoot at each other, one man lies silently on the floor aiming his gun at the other man (he is blind) and when he makes a sound the man swings a sword toward him and another man shoots at both of them. A man slashes another man across the neck with a playing card (blood pours from the wound), other men in the room shoot at him and he fights them, a dog attacks one man and the first man runs away while being shot at and the man runs through a crowded club where people are dancing to loud music. A man fights with many people that use axes and we see them being thrown and swung; the man uses an ax to stab several people and slash others, he throws axes that strike people in the head and body and pins one to a post.
► A man fights with many people armed with high-powered weapons: he uses one of their guns and when he shoots people with it, they burst into flames (one man in flames runs from room to room screaming before he is shot again and killed); he shoots through walls at other people and they are thrown in flames, two men fight and fall through a hole in the floor and one holds the other in a chokehold, but stops to shoot a man that threatens to shoot a dog, and then runs and jumps through a window crashing onto a car below. A man tries to climb 222 steps with many armed people standing in his way and trying to kill him: he shoots them as he passes and we see blood spurt as the bodies fall and tumble down the stairs, there are smears of blood on stone ramps alongside the steps, people are thrown down the stairs and into light poles a couple of times, people fight with knives, guns, more punches, kicks and throws, and a man fights with another man and he is thrown down many stairs; a man reaches for a gun and a dog attacks him, another man shoots him in the head and the dog urinates on the dead man’s face.
► Many people arm themselves with high-powered weapons and ammunition and search for a man, they surround him with cars and open fire on him, he is struck by a car, thrown onto the hood of one car, thrown into the side of a van when the car crashes into it, and he gets into a car and drives around several other cars shooting at them; other people are slammed by cars, one is thrown into a light pole, others are thrown into the air and land hard on the road, and many more men and cars join the fight, and his car is struck and tipped on its side and is shot at when he climbs out (seemingly unharmed) and is struck by another car as he evades men shooting at him; he and another man continue to fight with punches, kicks and throws as cars speed around them. Two men fight with many punches and throws, one man is dragged up a flight of stairs by the necktie and he is kicked over a waterfall feature landing hard on the ground below (he revives seemingly unharmed).
► Many men arm themselves with arrows, swords and throwing stars and many fights ensue after the power is cut and we see gunfire exchanged, people struck by bullets and arrows (blood splatter is seen), and many people fight hand-to-hand with punches, kicks and throws leaving many bodies on the floor (presumably dead). A blind man is approached by several gunmen and he fights each when an alarm rings when they are within range. A woman using a knife fights many men stabbing and flipping and punching them (we see bloody wounds and hear crunching), and she is slammed against a pillar and to the floor a few times; she climbs on the back of one man and stabs him repeatedly as he tries to crawl away up a flight of stairs. A man speeds on a motorcycle and is trapped on an overpass by several armed men in cars, he runs into an abandoned building, armed men follow him and shoot, he fights and shoots at them, and a dog growls from the shadows and attacks a gunman (we hear him scream). A man fights with other men, uses knives and swords, and stabs one man in the hand with a pencil when all else fails and then stabs a man in the head with a sword.
► A dog attacks people in a few scenes: the dog is ordered to bite people in the groin and we see tearing and pulling (no flesh is shown), it attacks people’s arms when they are holding guns, and a dog is shown tugging and pulling at a person’s abdomen (we don’t see flesh but fabric is shredded and bloody). A dog runs along the roofs of cars and attacks a man, the man throws the dog against a car and it bounces off the hood, snarls and barks at the man (we see blood in its mouth).
► Two men load handguns and prepare for a duel: they each take 30 paces and shoot (they are each struck and we see blood on their shirts), they shoot two more times and we see more bloody wounds, one man collapses to the ground and a man is shot in the head. Three men on horses are chased by another man that shoots at them; each man is struck and falls from his horse with blood spraying in the air. A woman is shot in the side and she winces in pain. A man enters a church and places three guns that he is carrying in a basket held by a woman at the door; he speaks to a priest on the altar and the priest pulls a shotgun and shoots him throwing the man through the air and to the floor (we do not see a wound) and we then see the man with a noose around his neck and he is lifted off a chair by the rope as a woman talks to him; he is cut loose and falls hard on the floor where he is struck in the face twice by a man with a gun.
► Two men shake hands, one slams the other man’s hand on a stump and stabs a dagger through it; the injured man pulls his hand free of the blade and we see it being cut and covered with blood. A man and a woman brand their arms on a red-hot vessel (we see the reddened flesh) and they pour liquor over the wounds.
► A man is told that he must kill another man or his daughter will be in danger. A man says, “I’m going to kill them all.” A man talks about “eternal pain,” and tells a man to “abandon all hope.” A woman says, “Everything he touches dies.” A man complains to another man saying, “You shot him off a roof.” A man is told that a hotel has been condemned and they must evacuate within an hour; we later see the building blow up from a distance.
► A man punches a post wrapped with rope repeatedly and we see blood staining the rope. Two men are shown with one finger missing from one hand. A man lights a flame in a barrel and a line of fire shoots out along the floor.
► We see large paintings on walls that depict scenes of war and torture with bodies stacked in piles and people in combat.

John Wick: Chapter 4 LANGUAGE 5

 – About 7 F-words and its derivatives, 2 scatological terms, 10 anatomical terms, 5 mild obscenities, name-calling (anxious, concerned, homeless folk, coward, turncoat, pathetic, Mr. Nobody, arrogant, ferocious, bastard, cheating, Cossacks, dirty people, killer), exclamations (such is life), 3 religious exclamation (e.g. Amen, I command your souls to God, ashes to ashes). | profanity glossary |

John Wick: Chapter 4 SUBSTANCE USE

 – A man sitting in a heavily shadowed area seems to be snorting something (it is not clear if he is snorting a drug), and a man coughs and uses an inhaler a few times. People drink alcohol in a hotel, two men drink together, a man and a woman drink shots of liquor after branding their arms, people drink wine from goblets at a ceremony, a man drinks beer from a bottle and pours some in a dish for a dog, and men are shown with drinks around a restaurant kitchen table and a few of them smoke cigarettes.

John Wick: Chapter 4 DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Death of loved ones, freedom, revenge, peace, failure, atrocities, rules, karma, opportunities, Baba Jaga, common enemies, friendship, second chances, martyrdom, ego, Hercules, ambition vs. worth.

John Wick: Chapter 4 MESSAGE

 – Fighting for freedom is a bloody endeavor.