A funny thing has happened in the 5 years since the first John Wick found an audience by being a curious action throwback with a singular sense of style and unique world - a landscape that had for a decade been dominated by the quick cuts and shaky shots following the success of the Bourne franchise sat up and took notice of the brain child of Chad Stahelski, David Leitch, and Derek Kolstad. Here was a lean, focused beast of long shots, wide angles and deliberate and clear edits, like the action films of the '90s with a modern twist.
Since then, the filmmakers have had a knock-on effect on the biggest action films of Hollywood (directing second unit on Captain America: Civil War and taking over Deadpool 2 and the big-budget spinoff of the Fast & Furious series) and the film that started it all became a franchise that still distinguishes itself from its action brethren.
And with John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, it's hard to imagine a higher peak.
After being forced to eliminate a member of the High Table (the shadowy cabal that oversees the world of the assassins) and then doing the unthinkable of killing his employer on the grounds of the Continental Hotel, John Wick has been excommunicated from his order with a $14 million contract on his head. The film begins with John already on the run with only an hour to prepare for every hitman in New York City. Keanu Reeves (cementing this as his signature role possibly even over Neo in the Matrix Trilogy) wholly sells the beaten, weary skin just barely keeping this man together through an impossible gauntlet, while still finding humor in small touches like an early running gag of John not being able to get a hold of a gun, a skirmish in a weapons museum shot like letting a group of kids loose in a candy story, and amusingly creative use of horses.
As a whole, Chapter 3 is easily the funniest of the franchise so far, and given the near-relentless assault of ne'er-do-wells on the title character, these comedic beats are more than welcome - as are the cavalcade of special guest stars. The series has seemingly operated on a principle of "Look, we only have so much money, so we can't get a ton of big-name stars in lead roles, but everyone gets a super memorable five minutes," and the minute folks like Anjelica Houston start showing up, you know you're in for a series of treats. For all the enemies he's made, John has some powerful allies as well. Laurence Fishburne returns as the Bowery King, as do both Lance Reddick and Ian McShane as Charon and Winston, concierge and owner of the Continental Hotel, respectively, ably traversing both familiar ground and some more active involvement during the explosive third act. However, easily his fiercest ally proves to be Halle Berry's Sofia, and a standout set piece in a film stuffed with brilliant action is centered on her and her Very Good Dogs going HAM on an entire base full of dudes.
The enemies arrayed against Wick are no less formidable. Asia Kate Dillon saunters into frame early on as the Adjudicator of the High Table (tasked with bringing justice to anyone who aided John) and they're so confidently commanding that they damn near walk away with the entire film without ever so much as picking up a weapon. Dillon's counterpart (who uses more than enough weapons for both of them) is Mark Dacascos as the ninja clan leader Zero, who takes what could have been a rather straightforward "final boss" role and plays it like a John Wick fanboy who stumbled into the movie and can't wait to show off for everyone. Together with Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman (The Raid & The Raid 2), they make for a finale that both changes up what you expect from a John Wick climax while also being one of the best extended action scenes in recent American cinema.
Parabellum gets a lot of mileage out of varying setting and turning into more of a double act/ensemble piece for long stretches, not just because everyone shows up to play, but also because - after 3 movies - there's only so many ways you can see Reeves shoot someone in the head, grapple a guy to the ground, shoot another guy in the head, and then shoot the third guy in the. . . look, a lot of people get shot in the head, and it's a minor miracle that Stahelski's direction keeps these 130 minutes of mayhem as fresh as he does. There's a confidence in the balance between expanding the world-building and assassin mythology while still focusing on meaty dramatic choices. There are just enough glimpses into John's past and psyche to keep his character engaging, and the escalating betrayals and consequences to allies really drives home the theme of "every time John starts picking up guns to solve his problems, it only creates more problems" that the films have been playing with since at least Chapter 2.
Parabellum ties up a lot of the threads begun in the first John Wick, but still leaves a few doors open for other stories down the road (I want a spinoff film with Sofia and her Very Good Dogs, please and thank you), but even if it never opens them, this stands as one of the most perfect triptychs in action film history. John Wick is definitely back, but even if this is the last time we see the Boogeyman, there are few better ways to go out.
As a whole, Chapter 3 is easily the funniest of the franchise so far, and given the near-relentless assault of ne'er-do-wells on the title character, these comedic beats are more than welcome - as are the cavalcade of special guest stars. The series has seemingly operated on a principle of "Look, we only have so much money, so we can't get a ton of big-name stars in lead roles, but everyone gets a super memorable five minutes," and the minute folks like Anjelica Houston start showing up, you know you're in for a series of treats. For all the enemies he's made, John has some powerful allies as well. Laurence Fishburne returns as the Bowery King, as do both Lance Reddick and Ian McShane as Charon and Winston, concierge and owner of the Continental Hotel, respectively, ably traversing both familiar ground and some more active involvement during the explosive third act. However, easily his fiercest ally proves to be Halle Berry's Sofia, and a standout set piece in a film stuffed with brilliant action is centered on her and her Very Good Dogs going HAM on an entire base full of dudes.
The enemies arrayed against Wick are no less formidable. Asia Kate Dillon saunters into frame early on as the Adjudicator of the High Table (tasked with bringing justice to anyone who aided John) and they're so confidently commanding that they damn near walk away with the entire film without ever so much as picking up a weapon. Dillon's counterpart (who uses more than enough weapons for both of them) is Mark Dacascos as the ninja clan leader Zero, who takes what could have been a rather straightforward "final boss" role and plays it like a John Wick fanboy who stumbled into the movie and can't wait to show off for everyone. Together with Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman (The Raid & The Raid 2), they make for a finale that both changes up what you expect from a John Wick climax while also being one of the best extended action scenes in recent American cinema.
Parabellum gets a lot of mileage out of varying setting and turning into more of a double act/ensemble piece for long stretches, not just because everyone shows up to play, but also because - after 3 movies - there's only so many ways you can see Reeves shoot someone in the head, grapple a guy to the ground, shoot another guy in the head, and then shoot the third guy in the. . . look, a lot of people get shot in the head, and it's a minor miracle that Stahelski's direction keeps these 130 minutes of mayhem as fresh as he does. There's a confidence in the balance between expanding the world-building and assassin mythology while still focusing on meaty dramatic choices. There are just enough glimpses into John's past and psyche to keep his character engaging, and the escalating betrayals and consequences to allies really drives home the theme of "every time John starts picking up guns to solve his problems, it only creates more problems" that the films have been playing with since at least Chapter 2.
Parabellum ties up a lot of the threads begun in the first John Wick, but still leaves a few doors open for other stories down the road (I want a spinoff film with Sofia and her Very Good Dogs, please and thank you), but even if it never opens them, this stands as one of the most perfect triptychs in action film history. John Wick is definitely back, but even if this is the last time we see the Boogeyman, there are few better ways to go out.
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