Get this man a gun. What do you give a man who some would call the Baba Yaga and who has the ability to kill three men with just a pencil? Well, you give him a sequel and a reason to come out of retirement to make head-shots look easy, that’s what. So, was this second installment in the John Wick trilogy (yeah, that’s right… there’s already a third movie slated) worth the wait? Grab your Kel-Tec KSG shotgun, put on your 3 piece suit, and find out if this movie is worth your hard earned gold coins.
John Wick Chapter 2 continues the story of John Wick (Reeves) as he is once again forced back into the stylish underworld of mobs, hitmen, and bullets. In the first film, the audience was only allowed to dip their pinky toe in, where as in this one, the story just throws your ass into the pool and lets you fully immerse into this world of amazing action set pieces.
The big difference in Chapter 2 is that the film has more heart in it than the last one. As the story goes on, you really start feeling the pain of Wick as a man who desperately wanted out of this life and found himself backed into a corner with no option but to kill every single person that gets in the way of him completing his mission of justifiable revenge.
The selling point of the John Wick films is the top notch action. Not only did this one not disappoint, it set the bar even higher. Before the beginning credits roll, you are thrown into a car chase that was well shot and reminded you of why you came here to see the film. After that, there are plenty of times for the movie to let you take a breather so that you can soak it all in. There’s one scene in particular where Wick and Cassian (Common) have a silent shootout in a crowd that was a well timed bit of comedy that will stay with you as one of the best scenes in the film.
One of strongest things about this film is the hand to hand combat. A lot of current action film directors feel the need to do a crazy amount of cutaways to convey the intensity of the fighting choreography. Director Chad Stahelski, instead, uses positioning of the camera that lets the audience see and feel every punch, stab, throw, and recoil of every shot taken. There were plenty of amazing scenes of Reeves taking on waves of henchmen as the camera just followed the action with single takes that would leave any action fan with their jaw dropped.
The acting wasn’t exactly bad, but then again wasn’t the best. Some characters portrayed by Common and Claudia Gerini come off as either over the top or just too stilted, which at some points makes the scenes drag on. Surprisingly, though, Keanu Reeves has proven himself to be like fine wine: better with age. You really start feeling the hurt his character is going through and by the end, you just want to give Wick a big hug and tell him that it’s going to be okay.
By the end of the film, I was ready for part three, as the stakes had been raised to a certain level that’s exciting and leaves you eager for more. The first film made a franchise possible, and with the sequel, you know the people behind it know exactly what they are doing with the characters and this world. That being said, the third film will surely explore an interesting concept not regularly done in cinema. So yeah, go see this movie.