In 2014 a new action film franchise began that took theaters
by storm. JOHN WICK featured Keanu Reeves in the title role as a hit man who
comes out of retirement when a Russian mob boss’s son kills his dog, a pet left
to him by his recently deceased wife, and steals his car. In the world of
movies this is an absolute no no. We learned about the world of hitmen in this
film, their codes of honor and the secret locations around the world that are
safe haven against any and all retribution. John arrives at The Continental and
while there he is supposed to be safe. But all good plans as they say. In the
end he extracted his revenge.
The second film taking place 4 days after the first finds Santino,
a crime lord, who turns in his marker held by Wick. Once more he comes out of
retirement but this time around he’s being played. By the end of the film he’s
crossed the line killing the mob boss inside the Continental. This sets in
motion a bounty placed on Wick’s head at the end of the film for any and all
willing to try and collect.
Which brings us to JOHN WICK 3: PARABELLUM just released
this week. If you haven’t seen the first two films don’t take my descriptions
of them to get you up to date. Buy them both. For movie fans it’s a worthwhile
investment. As with the last time around this movie picks up minutes after the
ending of the last film. Wick is on the run and doing his best to remain alive
as the hired killers from around the world are tracking him down to collect the
$14 million bounty on his head. Wick turns to a woman who raised him known as
the Director (Angelica Huston) to provide him aid which she does.
The secret organization that rules over all of these killers
is called the High Table. The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) of the High Table
arrives at the New York Continental and chastises the owner, Winston (Ian
McShane) for allowing Santino to be killed on the premises. She gives him and
the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) 7 days to get their affairs in order and
give up their offices. She then hires a Japanese assassin known as Zero (Mark
Dacascos) to take care of Wick.
In the meantime Wick has made his way to Casablanca where he
seeks the aid of Sofia (Halle Berry), an old friend and the manager of the
Casablanca Continental. Another marker is called in and she agrees to help him.
After much carnage and more dead bodies than one can easily count, the pair
head off to the desert to find the Elder, the highest ranking member of the
High Table. To earn back his freedom Wick must agree to kill Winston, a man who
helped him many times in the past, and to continue being a killer for hire the
rest of his life.
There are several things you need to know about this
franchise before going in. It is incredibly violent, the body counts are
astronomical and they are tremendously fun. I know, that seems odd when you
consider the number of people killed in these films. But they are pure escapism
with enough story to hold your interest and enough action to have your palms
sweating while watching.
More amazing than anything else is that each films just ups
the ante and never lets go. Each movie moves at a full throttle pace and
doesn’t stop. When you begin to catch your breath in one scene the next begins
and you’re wondering just what will happen to those you already know will be
little more than victims of Wick’s revenge. Watching the films is like riding
on a roller coaster that seems to always be cresting the top and dropping you
down with little recovery time.
While this type of film is usually found only in low budget
flicks that feature actors of lesser stature the Wick films feature actors that
are still at the top of their game and work circles around the subject matter.
In particular Reeves has taken a character we should dislike because of his
previous occupation as a hired gun but we sympathize with him and his
predicament due to the circumstances. He is the quintessential anti-hero of the
decade and the boogey man one hopes to never meet. Fishburne is excellent here
as well and it is great to see him alongside Reeves in both the second film as
well as this one. The two made history with their starring in THE MATRIX films
and do so again here. And McShane is so much fun to watch here adding just a
touch of humor to the mix.
Don’t think of this film as reality. It isn’t, far from it.
But it is one non-stop assault on the senses that will have you stunned at
moments and reaching for the remote to back up and watch certain segments over
again due to the speed at which they take place. Short of movies being made in
China and Korea you will find few action films that move at this pace in both
story and fight sequences. One spoiler alert. The film leaves it open for
another Wick film. As for myself I can hardly wait until it arrives.
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