John Wick 4: You need to remember this before you watch the new movie!

• The world of John Wick is fascinating, but it also gets more confusing with every new film.
• If you haven’t seen “John Wick 3” recently, you might have trouble understanding “John Wick: Chapter 4” in the cinema.
• You can find a useful review of the highlights of the John Wick story so far at Netzwelt.

The first “John Wick” film convinced with thrilling action and some interesting ideas that took us into the world of assassins. With each further sequel, the John Wick cosmos was expanded and now previous knowledge is urgently required in order to really be able to understand “John Wick: Chapter 4”.

If you haven’t seen the three previous Wick parts for a long time, but don’t want to miss the latest film in the cinema, the following summary, which reminds you of the most important events from all three films, should be useful!

The Continental

When assassins are looking for a little rest and relaxation, they check into the Continental. The hotel for a very special clientele relies on a simple rule: business matters must not be clarified here.

Of course, rules like that are meant to be broken. In the first film, for example, John Wick is supposed to be murdered by Perkins in the Continental, and the assassin Harry dies in the process. As punishment for breaking the rules, Perkins was executed by Continental owner Winston.

In the finale of “John Wick: Chapter 2,” John Wick himself killed Santino D’Antonio in the Continental, becoming the hunted in the third film. At the end of the film, John returned to the Continental, where Winston killed John – or at least pretended to. As a result, Winston fulfilled his duty and John was able to get away again.

The High Chamber

The High Chamber is an international group of crime bosses. The Russian Mafia, the Cosa Nostra, the Yakuza, they all have one of a total of 12 seats in the High Chamber. She controls the criminal world and has therefore been able to send assassins to John Wick from anywhere in the world.

The Santino D’Antonio who was murdered by John was a member of the High Chamber, which is why a $14 million bounty was placed on John’s head. Also in “John Wick: Chapter 4” the focus is on the fight between John Wick and the High Chamber, for which John joins forces with the Bowery King.

The resistance

The Bowery King has built its own independent information network with the “Soup Kitchen”. The city’s homeless are his eyes and ears, through them he always knows what’s happening in his city. In doing so, the Bowery King works with the High Chamber without actually belonging to it.

In the 2nd John Wick film, the Bowery equips King John with the weapon he later uses to kill Santino D’Antonio. This causes problems in the third film, as the judge representing the High Chamber demands that the Bowery King leave his position within a week for giving John a gun.

The logic that his position actually has nothing to do with the High Chamber and that he presented the weapon to John before he had fallen out of favor falls on deaf ears. The Bowery King refuses to respond to the judge’s demands.

The next day, assassins kill most of the people in the “soup kitchen”. The Bowery King surrenders and swears allegiance to the High Chamber, after which he is severely wounded with a sword and left behind.

At the end of “John Wick: Chapter 3”, John, also injured, is taken to the Bowery King. He suggests that John declare war on the High Chamber. This creates a resistance against the High Chamber and John can count on the useful support of the Bowery King in “John Wick: Chapter 4”.