John Wick: Chapter 2

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common, Claudia Gerini, Laurence Fishburne, John Leguizamo, Thomas Sadoski, Bridget Moynahan, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare
Directed by: Chad Stahelski
Rating: R
Genre: Action, Thriller
2017

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Trying to escape the assassin life proves nearly impossible for John Wick (Keanu Reeves), as he's forced into a job and then betrayed, causing him to seek revenge.

Review:

Tim: John Wick surprised a lot of people (me included) by being a well crafted, entertaining action movie. It was a pleasurable return to form for Keanu Reeves. Color me pleasantly surprised once again, because John Wick: Chapter 2 is every bit as good as the original. It's rare to see an action sequence like this that lives up to its predecessor. This film continues the story of John Wick while expanding the world around him, delivers more top notch action sequences, plenty of headshots, and just plain entertains. This is a really good movie.

Like the previous film, this one succeeds because it executes exceptionally well. It helped to have Chad Stahelski back in the director's chair. This movie doesn't try to do too much or get too cute- it simply tells a straightforward revenge story. It pits the likable John Wick against unlikable villains. That seems so simple, yet far too many films bungle that execution. The movie is believable, it's grounded in reality (another thing we see too infrequently these days). The action sequences are so good. It's mostly Wick firing off headshots at the bad guys, but it's a beautiful thing to behold. He is incredibly efficient as an assassin and there's something wonderful about watching a guy like Wick slice through bad guys like a hot knife through butter. I found myself laughing at the sheer lunacy of his killing efficiency. It's so, so fun to watch on screen.

John Wick is such a great role for Reeves. It allows him to leverage his strengths while avoiding his weaknesses. If we're being honest, Reeves isn't a very good actor. When he's called upon to do too much, he ends up looking silly and his acting amateurish. Every single time. But, when he's given the right character and allowed to play to his strengths (which are narrow, but exist), he's actually quite good. He needs to play stoic, reserved characters like this. When he's being used properly, though, Reeves is incredible to watch. The supporting cast was good- Ian McShane is always excellent. I absolutely loved the casting of Laurence Fishburne here- I was in nerd heaven, seeing Morpheus and Neo reunited on screen. It was incredible seeing these two actors once again playing off each other. While I wish their scenes were a little more meaningful, it was still an incredible opportunity to see them together again. John Leguizamo and Lance Reddick are once again not used nearly well enough. I did love the small performance of Peter Stormare. Ruby Rose continues to prove she's a truly terrible actress. Common was better than I expected. The cast as a whole is strong for an action film like this.

I loved that we got more insight into the whole underground assassin world. It's just such fascinating stuff- the Continental, the Markers, the rules that govern the assassins. It's never in-your-face, but it's incredible mythology that far too pure action movies have. That's one of the coolest differentiators in this film.

I also have to mention that I loved the ending. It's incredible and it left me panting for the inevitable third film in this franchise. John Wick: Chapter 2 picks up right where the first film left off and delivers another violent, fun affair. This is all of a sudden a franchise you have to keep your eye on and I cannot wait to see where Wick goes next.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7.5



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: The Matrix trilogy, John Wick