Super-assassin John Wick is on the run after killing a member of the international assassin’s guild, and with a $14 million price tag on his head – he is the target of hit men and women everywhere.
As a millennial, I barely missed the last brew of action flicks featuring American icons like Bruce Willis, Sly Stallone, Wesley Snipes. In fact, I remember martial arts legends Jet Li and Jackie Chan as only faded stuntmen from old classics. Imagine my joy to discover a new character, just as badass, updated from its old ’80s era machomen for my generation to latch on to. Enter John Wick. The Baba Yaga. The murderous assassin with a murky past. Whereas before he shot, stabbed, kicked, and clawed his way through evil goons, this time everyone’s trying to stab, shoot, and otherwise murder the Keanu Reeves character. What John Wick delivered on in its first two installments it not only continues but also adds to in significant proportion. If bodies were anything to go by, I’d say there’s *clears throat* three times as many. Get it?
On the run from his pending assassination contract submitted by a mysterious Illuminati of underworld assassins, John Wick must fight his way clear. The manhunt begins at the top of the film and relentlessly chases him. This time he throws knives, wields automatic shotguns, and utterly destroys his enemies. Along the way, he’ll enlist the help of former ally Sophia (Halle Berry). Meanwhile, Ian McShane, shady “hotel owner” but really assassin manager, manipulates events to survive both John Wick and the pressure of the high council. It’s all very high falutin and it’s at least a decent backbone to build this flying fist flick on top of.
At this point we all know what John Wick is about: incredible practical stunt work and explosive effects work to create epic gunfights. Something I truly appreciate about the expansive choreography is not only its constant one-upmanship but also its distinct sense of pacing. Other movies do this, but John Wick does it beautifully. A fight happens, Keanu Reeves does something impressive, and then there’s a pause to crack a joke or acknowledge the absurdity of it all. I died laughing quickly after panicking at the hole Keanu shoots, exploding someone’s skull. This flick upped the ante by adding stunts with horses, attack dogs, ridiculously sized shotguns, and a knife fight I’ll never forget. These fights benefit by that sense of timing so finely tuned that audiences never notice how difficult it truly is to pull off. I think if John Wick were any less intense it might not garner the respect it does.
Keanu performs perfunctorily. Halle Berry wrings every ounce of drama from the one scene close to any kind of back story. Ian McShane practically oozes through every shot and Asia Kate Dillon foils that with her unwavering solemnity. Acting’s not something we technically look for in a movie like this. Instead, I view it more as an athletic accomplishment. If Keanu did even half the stunts in this movie that’s enough to exhaust anyone.
This movie sticks its landing in the edit and in the production design. As each subsequent John Wick film grows in budget, so does its production design in proportion to its predecessor. Lush Turkish rug hallways, neon glowing glass hallways, Russian grand opera theaters. It’s bourgeois and luxurious and textured. John Wick’s always held a neon-tinged color palette and it continues to deliver. It’s one of the few franchises I can say is aesthetically coherent from beginning to end.
Don’t try to count the bodies in this one. Just enjoy the impressive stunts and gut-punching sound effects. I couldn’t stop laughing as blood spilled endlessly. It’s a raucous ride. Wanton slaughter. Joyous chaos. Gleeful violence. Give this one a whirl. Come find your 21st-century action hero. Some had John Woo or Jackie Chan. We get John Wick, and I, for one, am glad.
In theaters Friday, May 17th
