Packed full of more stylish violence, in a much longer running time, coming in at 2hrs50mins, it never stopped being enjoyable. The scene in which the camera shows a birds eye view of the combat below was a highlight, and shows the action choreographers continuing to innovate even after three previous instalments. In this particular series, all of which I rate fairly similarly, I felt it was Parabellum that offered a marked increase in how immersive the fights were, particularly long-take close combat (my mind drifts to the knife throwing early on in 3), and Chapter 4 continues this. Clever use of foreground and background staging on a wide shot draws the eye to some sort of action at all times, making it much more engaging compared to using a claustrophobic or fast cutting sequence of fighting as some action films still do. Amusing parts such as John being thrown down all the sacre-cœur steps keeps the action tongue-in-cheek and fun. The ending was reminiscent of Gladiator; a hero's death of killing the villain, and subsequently dying to be with family, with even the golden sunrise evoking the 2000 film. Overall, great viewing experience.

If I didn't like doing long-form reviews as much, a couple of one liners for the film would be: "my favourite part was when he said 'yeah'" and "can't wait for John Pork 5: Answer The Call"