John Wick: Chapter 4 had a killer opening weekend, bringing in franchise-best box office receipts and critical reception.
For many, it was just about the perfect action movie, a culmination of nearly 10 years of top-notch work from director Chad Stahelski and Canadian star Keanu Reeves. However, the power duo haven’t yet committed to a fifth movie, so we may have to wait a while — or even forever — for more of our favourite hitman.
For now, though, there are always other action movies (to try) to fill that void. Here are a bunch:
Atomic Blonde
Helmed by original John Wick co-director David Leitch, Atomic Blonde follows an MI6 agent (Charlize Theron) who hunts down a priceless dossier amid the fall of the Berlin Wall.
Stream Atomic Blonde on Netflix.
The Bourne series
Based on Robert Ludlum’s popular novels, the acclaimed Bourne action-thriller series stars Matt Damon as the eponymous CIA assassin.
All five movies — the four starring Damon (Identity, Supremacy, Ultimatum and Jason Bourne) and Jeremy Renner-led Legacy — are streaming on Amazon Prime Video, Crave and Netflix.
Bullet Train
Another post-Wick Leitch movie, Bullet Train sees a hitman named Ladybug (Brad Pitt) fight to survive other assassins on a Japanese train.
Stream Bullet Train on Amazon Prime Video.
The Equalizer and The Equalizer 2
After Training Day, Antoine Fuqua and star Denzel Washington reunite for this series a former U.S. Marine turned DIA intelligence officer who begrudgingly gets back into action.
The Equalizer can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video, while the sequel — which stars fan-favourite Pedro Pascal as the villain — is available on Netflix.
Extraction
Chris Hemsworth teams up with Marvel stuntman-turned-director Sam Hargrave in this action-thriller about a black ops mercenary tasked with rescuing a crime lord’s son in India.
Stream Extraction on Netflix. Note that a sequel, simply titled Extraction 2, is set to premiere on June 16th, 2023.
Ip Man series
One of the biggest players in John Wick: Chapter 4, Caine, is played by legendary Hong Kong action star, Donnie Yen.
Of his many roles, Yen is best known for Ip Man, a series of martial arts films based on the Wing Chun master of the same name.
The first three Ip Man movies can be streamed on Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, while Ip Man 4: The Finale is available on the latter service.
The Matrix series
Arguably Reeves’ most iconic role pre-Wick saw him kung fu his way through the digital world to save humanity from an AI. Fun fact: Chad Stahelski was a stunt double for Reeves in the series, which no doubt helped paved the way for their killer collaborative efforts years later with John Wick.
Unfortunately, only 2021’s The Matrix Resurrections — which saw Reeves reunite with fellow Canadian Carrie-Anne Moss — is on a subscription streaming service: Crave. The original trilogy — The Matrix, The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions — is only available to rent or purchase on platforms like iTunes and Google Play, starting at $4.99 CAD.
Nobody
From Derek Kolstad, creator of the John Wick series, comes Nobody, which sees Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk play a former assassin who seeks revenge against the people who broke into his home. It’s worth noting that the movie was filmed in Winnipeg.
Stream Nobody on Crave.
The Raid duology
No list like this would be complete with Gareth Evans’ two The Raid movies, widely regarded to be some of the best modern action movies alongside the John Wick series.
The Indonesian movies star Iko Uwais as a special forces member deep in the Jakarta underworld.
The Raid can be streamed on Prime Video and Crave (Starz required for both), while The Raid 2 is available on Prime Video (base membership) and Crave (Starz required).
Taken series
The series that helped kick off Liam Neeson’s current long-running stint of action movies follows the international exploits of a retired CIA operative.
Stream all three Taken movies on Disney+.
What are your favourite action movies? Let us know in the comments.
If you want to revisit the first three John Wick movies, here’s how to stream those in Canada.
Image credit: PT Merantau Films
