John Wick: Chapter 4
John Wick uncovers a path to defeating The High Table. But before he can earn his freedom, Wick must face off against a new enemy with powerful alliances across the globe and forces that turn old friends into foes.
Despite a considerable budget of $100.0M, John Wick: Chapter 4 became a solid performer, earning $440.2M worldwide—a 340% return.
38 wins & 51 nominations
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023) exhibits precise story structure, characteristic of Chad Stahelski's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 50 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 6.6, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes John Wick trains in the desert, scarred and determined, preparing for war against the High Table. His status quo is one of perpetual conflict - he cannot rest, cannot be free.. Notably, this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 21 minutes when The Marquis burns down the Osaka Continental and kills Shimazu, John's friend and ally. The old world of honor among assassins is being systematically destroyed. John can no longer hide or prepare - he must act.. At 12% through the film, this Disruption aligns precisely with traditional story structure. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 42 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This illustrates the protagonist's commitment to John kills Killa and reclaims his seat at the High Table through his family name. He formally challenges the Marquis to a duel at sunrise. This is his active choice - no more running, no more hiding. He commits to the path forward., moving from reaction to action.
At 86 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. Of particular interest, this crucial beat The Arc de Triomphe sequence culminates with John barely surviving the vehicular carnage. False victory - he's survived, but Mr. Nobody switches sides to help him for the right price. The stakes raise: the Marquis becomes more desperate and vicious., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 128 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, John is shot repeatedly and falls down the massive staircase, losing all his progress. His body is broken, his time nearly expired. This is the whiff of death - he may not physically survive even if he reaches the top. All seems lost., illustrates the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 136 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. John reaches the top of the steps just in time. He rings the bell. The duel is valid. New information: the Marquis must now face him under the old rules he claimed to respect. John synthesizes everything - his training, his will, his purpose., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
John Wick: Chapter 4's emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping John Wick: Chapter 4 against these established plot points, we can identify how Chad Stahelski utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish John Wick: Chapter 4 within the action genre.
Chad Stahelski's Structural Approach
Among the 4 Chad Stahelski films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 7.0, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. John Wick: Chapter 4 takes a more unconventional approach compared to the director's typical style. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Chad Stahelski filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional action films include The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, The Bad Guys and Lake Placid. For more Chad Stahelski analyses, see John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, John Wick: Chapter 2 and John Wick.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
John Wick trains in the desert, scarred and determined, preparing for war against the High Table. His status quo is one of perpetual conflict - he cannot rest, cannot be free.
Theme
The Elder's replacement tells John: "No one, not even you, can kill everyone." The theme is stated - can one man truly escape a system designed to be inescapable? Is freedom possible, and at what cost?
Worldbuilding
Introduction to the Marquis de Gramont, the new power enforcing High Table authority. He destroys the New York Continental and executes Winston. The ruthless hierarchy and rules of this assassin world are established, showing the impossible odds John faces.
Disruption
The Marquis burns down the Osaka Continental and kills Shimazu, John's friend and ally. The old world of honor among assassins is being systematically destroyed. John can no longer hide or prepare - he must act.
Resistance
Winston and the Bowery King guide John toward the only path to freedom: challenge the Marquis to single combat under the old rules. John debates whether this path is possible and travels to Berlin to regain his family status. Preparation and doubt.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
John kills Killa and reclaims his seat at the High Table through his family name. He formally challenges the Marquis to a duel at sunrise. This is his active choice - no more running, no more hiding. He commits to the path forward.
Mirror World
Caine, the blind assassin and John's old friend, is introduced fully. Forced to hunt John to protect his daughter, Caine represents the same trapped situation - a man controlled by the High Table, fighting for freedom through bondage.
Premise
The promise of the premise: spectacular action set pieces across Berlin and Paris. John navigates assassins, traffic, and the Marquis' forces. This is the John Wick the audience came for - tactical gunplay, creative kills, and impossible odds overcome through skill.
Midpoint
The Arc de Triomphe sequence culminates with John barely surviving the vehicular carnage. False victory - he's survived, but Mr. Nobody switches sides to help him for the right price. The stakes raise: the Marquis becomes more desperate and vicious.
Opposition
John faces the gauntlet to reach Sacré-Cœur before sunrise to make the duel valid. The 222 steps become a metaphor - every step forward is earned through pain. Caine and Mr. Nobody hunt him. The Marquis sends endless waves of assassins. Everything intensifies.
Collapse
John is shot repeatedly and falls down the massive staircase, losing all his progress. His body is broken, his time nearly expired. This is the whiff of death - he may not physically survive even if he reaches the top. All seems lost.
Crisis
John struggles back up the stairs in agony. Dark night of the soul - his body is failing, time is running out. He processes the cost of this path, the friends lost, the pain endured. Winston and the Bowery King can only watch.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
John reaches the top of the steps just in time. He rings the bell. The duel is valid. New information: the Marquis must now face him under the old rules he claimed to respect. John synthesizes everything - his training, his will, his purpose.
Synthesis
The duel at sunrise. The Marquis forces Caine to be his representative. John and Caine exchange fire in the formal ritual. Winston's role as arbiter. The final confrontation where John chooses to spare Caine and instead shoots the Marquis, winning freedom through the old rules.
Transformation
John sits on the steps at sunrise, finally free, speaking of his wife Helen. He has won his freedom and found peace. The closing image mirrors the opening - but where he began in conflict, he ends in rest. John Wick has transformed from weapon to man.