Why the running time of ‘John Wick 4’ isn’t a red flag

Give me all the action in late March.

Every third movie these days is well over 3 hours. A story that could be told in 90 minutes gets stretched to outlandish portions these days at the old Hollywood factory. Ever since Kevin Feige and Marvel showed the world that successive releases over 2.5 hours could gross a bajillion dollars, other studio heads are more willing to produce epic (as in length) movies.

I’m not a big fan of this, signed the guy whose favorite 2021 movie was just 91 minutes: Michael Sarnoski’s “Pig.” Most long movies feel like long movies, a few episodes of a television show shoved into a tiny feature film time slot. The ass hurts, and the mind follows. It’s lazy, contains poor editing usually, and can drive certain moviegoers away.

Think of someone getting off work at 5pm, and wants to see a 7pm show. Can you convince them to spend 3 hours of their precious night inside a movie theater with a film that may end up stinking or annoying them a little bit? Good luck. You’re better off picking a fight with Liam Neeson.

But... every rule or standard has an exception. Enter “John Wick.” The Keanu Reeves-led series will release its fourth film on March 24, and there are early reports that the running time may be near 3 hours. You wanna know something? I have no problem with it.

The first two films were modestly paced, but you didn’t feel like an ounce of film was wasted. And as the world of Reeves’s avenging hitman widens across the globe, the list of obstacles to overcome has grown since the first movie back in 2014. Since there’s trust in director Chad Stahelski and his brilliant team of action choreography maniacs, I’m not worried about the extra 20-25 minutes of footage.

With a bigger world and stage comes more characters to include and retain, such as the new Wick opponent: the new and young leader of the High Table, the last committee a hitman wants to piss off, in Bill Skarsgard. If Wick can take him down in Part 4, maybe Part 5 can just be Reeves running errands and living the good life with his dog. Probably not, but a sharp-dressed man in a suit can dream.

Unlike the new “Ant-Man” film, there won’t be any extra world-building involved in this sequel. If there is, I can bet audiences won’t feel the added minutes. While there is an upcoming female led Wick movie planned, I doubt it plays a big role in this upcoming sequel.

Reeves will face off against Skarsgard and his henchmen, including Donnie Yen from “Rogue One.” Yen will end up wishing his character was one with the force. The trailer relishes in their conflict, including a more tender yet still threatening scene in a church where Wick lights a candle for his dead wife. Yen’s gunman asks why he does this, even though she can’t really hear him. At the end of the trailer, they are facing off against each other, using knives and guns, along with some much-needed Kevlar.

Here’s the thing. “John Wick: Chapter 4” isn’t 2 hours and 49 minutes for no reason. Through three films, they haven’t wasted much time in their unkillable hero journey, raising the stakes and expanding the Wick universe.

If there’s one spring film I can’t wait for, it’s this one. Give me all the time with Mr. Wick I can handle. That way, everyone enjoys their party.