Keanu Reeves shoots and scores in explosively entertaining threequel.
When we last saw Keanu Reeves as John Wick, he goes on the run with his beloved dog, thus becoming the latest $14 million bounty target, and now, New York City’s best assassins want a piece of him. That being said, we’re given a bold and well-choreographed fight sequence that begins in a library and ends with Wick escaping on a Black Stallion.
His only reasons to live are because of his dog and deceased wife. These and nothing more.
At this point, his only alternative is to escape to Casablanca, where he reunites with his furious friend Sofia (Halle Berry), who also has dogs of her own. “Here’s looking at her, kid.”
That’s the set-up to “John Wick: Chapter 3-Parabellum,” the third film of the popular franchise, which uses its bullets wisely, and gives the characters such an organized tendency. They have rules to follow, people to avoid, and reasons to live. That’s obviously pertaining to the good guys.
The returning cast includes Ian McShane as Winston, the manager of the Continental Hotel, and Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King. Both of them are given a week to “get their affairs in order” by the High Table’s best adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillion from “Orange is the New Black”) for aiding and abetting Wick. She won’t tolerate rule-breaking and that’s why she has her best assassin (Mark Dacascos) enforcing that.
Like the first two flicks, the fight choreography is so electric, at the level of “The Raid” or “Kill Bill” that you’re utterly amazed at how they’re completed. Stuntmen, special effects, and two fierce dogs all convince us that the title character is killing his enemies with bullets and knives. And unlike the “Hellboy” reboot, they’re watchable, and wisely conceived.
Besides that, there’s something about the “John Wick” trilogy that makes it so charming. It has energy, patience, colorful lighting, and style-all guided by director Chad Stahelski.
And he guides Reeves the same way the Wachowskis led him in “The Matrix.” He is beyond perfect as John Wick in every way possible-his dialogue, his fights, his emotions, his intelligence, and his black suit. And Berry, McShane, Fishburne, Dillion, and Dacascos all deliver some fine supporting work.
I may not understand every concept of Derek Kolstad’s screenplay, but he still writes the characters and action with dignity, wit, and consequences. There are blockbuster sequels (“Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom,” “Independence Day: Resurgence,” etc.), which fall flat in my aspects, because of their typical cliches and same old tricks. But “John Wick: Chapter 3” is nothing like them, because it has everything a popcorn eater needs.
So grab some snacks and check this out.
⭐️⭐️⭐️1/2
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