*Now showing in cinemas worldwide.
I certainly did not expect much from the first John Wick when the first trailer popped out back in 2014, so it was a pleasant surprise to see a lean and ultra-mean action thriller with heavy neo-noir elements. It stayed within the contrasts of its genre, unlike so many other action films which attempts to cross over into other markets (not genres, there’s a difference) but falls flat anyways (Ghostbusters 2016 and Expendables 3, I’m looking at you two). So it was with a certain worry that I anticipated the second chapter of Wick’s outing, courtesy of returning star Keanu Reeves and director Chad Stahelski (Reeves’ personal stuntman and friend since Point Break).
I’m excited to proclaim that, after a second viewing, not only is John Wick: Chapter 2 a better film than the first, but it is also smarter, funnier, more intelligent, deadlier and richer in plot and character (surprise!) Reeves and Stahelski have genuine love and respect for the action genre, and I suspect they, too, are somewhat annoyed by the PG-13 scourge set upon by action movies with persistent shaky-cam, or CGI/Superhero pervasiveness while the old school R-rated action fluff are either relegated to full blown self-parody (Expendables) or shoddily-made Direct-To-Video trash. The duo was wise to deliver their own, much needed breed of action fluff with the first entry in 2014, but they have now returned to build upon the intriguing criminal underworld universe set up there.
The film picks up quite directly after the events of the first film -with a riveting muscle-car/sports-bike chase that transforms into a fight sequence and demolition derby involving taxis via Grand Theft Auto: Vice City – as Wick (Reeves) effortlessly retrieves his stolen car from Russian mobster Abram Tarasov (Peter Stormare), the brother and uncle of the first film’s villains. Once Wick returns home, though, he is inadvertently forced into an assassination plot by Italian crime lord Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), to whom Wick regretfully owes a blood oath towards. Before one can say “When in Rome…”, Wick arrives at the Italian capital and carries out the hit, but is predictably double-crossed and has a hefty US$7 million bounty placed upon his head, which pits him off against D’Antonio’s mute right-hand woman Ares (Ruby Rose) and fellow assassin Cassian (Common) among hundreds of other assassins aiming for the prize – and also tests his relationships among Continental (the shadowy organization in which Wick belongs to) members, specifically that of owner and confidante Winston (Ian McShane).
Whereas the first film works as an efficiently straight-forward action thriller, this newer entry is where the real story begins as it peeks into the shadows of this intriguing fictional universe. There’s so much going in the background that it enriches the film’s clear-cut setting and firmly establishes a proper cinematic world, wisely taking a page from the Marvel book, and improving on it with a slam-bang ending which makes me yearn for a third part more so than Avengers: Infinity War (come on, everyone knows it’s not a spoiler). A sequence in Rome where Wick obtains his weapons highlights this world, as the aptly-named Sommelier (Peter Serafinowicz) proudly describes each entry in the armory as if they were the finest of wines or prime-cut jewelry – ‘the finest cutlery’ rolls off his tongue as he presents a case of killing blades. The firearms during this sequence also gets fetishized by Laustsen’s camera as works of fine craftsmen…but never diminishes the fact that they are indeed merchants of death. This comic undertone is also one of the film’s biggest strengths – every bout of humor both plays against AND towards Wick’s demonic myth: towards the end one starts to wonder just how absurdly deep this underworld rabbit hole goes down – exemplified by a wonderfully over-the-top cameo by Morpheus himself, Laurence Fishburne, who plays one of Wick’s survivors-turned-comrade. And a fantastically elaborate climactic sequence set in a modern-art museum humourously has remixed classical music as the backdrop for Wick’s merciless wrath.
It’s a sort of manic glee, watching this tranquil one-man genocide unleash hell on a horde of arrogant assassins, akin to watching a quintuple combo of a Charles Bronson one-man vigilante film, the brutality of the Raid films, the elegance of an early Jackie Chan yarn, the efficiency of a Bourne entry, and the body count of a John Woo actioner. Reeves moves with the grace of a ballet dancer and bruises as deep as a serrated knife, courtesy of some brutally fine action-directing by Stahelski. All of this is edited in smooth, buttery crispness – without the violent quick-cuts prevalent in today’s popcorn cinematic offerings – to ensure the audience savors each and every moment of Wick’s kills; and shot in wonderfully panoramic, non-shaky widescreen by DP Dan Laustsen in shades of Melvillesque neo-noirish purple and brown hues that it essentially leaps out of its pulpy graphic-novel stylistics and straight into post-modern film territory.
Watching this sequel, it never occurred to me how good of an actor Keanu Reeves is. Do not mistake my words for praising him – like many local old folks or action junkies (like myself, I unashamedly admit) wanting a real kicker of an action film – as an actor solely because his body count well exceeds over 100 this time around; rather, pay attention to his body language while watching this film. Unlike a lot of action stars who rely on aging one-liners or overtly-choreographed fight scenes, Reeves does so much by saying so little and relying mostly on his minimalist physicality and quiet intensity, which perfectly fits his character’s mold. He has firmly established himself with the ranks of action greats with this entry, but then again he already has three sensational practice runs in the genre (Point Break, Speed, The Matrix).
John Wick is an assassin of extreme precision and brute accuracy; he is not one to waste time and energy and dwell on what his enemies, male and female, think or what to say when the chips are down. His fight sequences are designed to kill first using the most precise strikes possible, from a combination of various martial arts. He shoots, stabs and break necks (sometimes all three simultaneously), ensures his target is dead, and moves on effortlessly with his next kill, like a rampaging yet focused beast with a singular goal. Nothing is more deadly than that.
[★★★★½] out of [★★★★★]
CoxStar RAW 