Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS for John Wick: Chapter 4!Wick is shot multiple times by Caine and, although he survives the duel long enough to defeat the true villain, the final scene in the movie shows Winston and the Bowery King at his grave and mourning his death.
In an exclusive interview with John Wick: Chapter 4, Stahelski discussed the movie's surprising ending. He revealed that this is what "pretty much locked Keanu and [me] in." Stahelski explained how it boils down to John Wick's choice and the question of what he has to live for versus what Caine has to live for. Check out what Stahelski had to say about the ending of John Wick: Chapter 4 below.
Two friends duel for different reasons, by proxy or by first person. That's a dilemma. That's the most existential dilemma you can have. You have someone you care about, and it's a choice. It's either, "I have to die to let him live, or live and let him die." How do I feel about both? But then you add in the next thing, "I'm living for myself."
John has to make a choice. It's not about him and Caine, it's about Caine living for something more important than either of them. That's an interesting dilemma to figure out. That was not an easy thing on paper to go, "That makes sense." You can't just say, "I'm going to live or die for your reason." But I think you get that right in the scene, and that's the interesting thing to really put together.
It was that one little piece of the puzzle that pretty much locked Keanu and I in. You can't just go, "I'm going to kill off my lead. I'm going to not kill off my lead. I'm going to be subversive and make you think I killed off my lead." That's not the point. The point is choice. John made a choice to do something bigger than himself, or to save someone else that was not even in the movie. That's interesting to me.
Why The Ending Of John Wick: Chapter 4 Feels Inevitable
Although John Wick: Chapter 4 seems to be the end for the titular character, Stahelski's explanation gives John Wick agency in his choices until the very last moments of his life. John Wick's motivation began as a need to satiate his vengeance, but his reason to survive has always been to keep his wife's memory alive. While Caine's motivation is to keep his daughter safe and finally reunite with her, John Wick ultimately makes the decision to help his friend protect his daughter.
John Wick's story always seemed to be heading toward tragedy; he has been steeped in death, grief, and revenge from the very beginning. Throughout the four films, John Wick has put his friends in danger to pursue his goals, leading to their being injured or even killed in retaliation. He involved Shimazu, which pits them against one of their oldest friends, Caine. This ultimately leads to Shimazu dying by Caine's hand, leaving his own daughter behind. By choosing to sacrifice himself, John has finally chosen a cause greater than his own and protected the people that have been there for him from the start.
John Wick's quest was to stop the High Table in order to earn his freedom and help the people who helped him. The duel in John Wick: Chapter 4 allows him to help Caine protect his daughter, save Winston, and square himself with the High Table. His quest is complete, and this final act of sacrifice allows him a heroic end after living a life of bloodshed. John Wick made the choice that it was more important for his friend to live for his daughter, who is alive, than for him to live for the ghost of a memory.
