Ever since the release of John Wick, a series of films revolving around the formerly retired assassin was being planned. Even before the John Wick: Chapter 2, plans were already being set in motion for a third installment. Luckily for the filmmakers, not only was the sequel critically acclaimed, but the film also made over $170 million worldwide. Given how the last film ended (minor spoilers ahead), they certainly have a lot on their plate. For this installment, original director Chad Stahelski returned along with original writer Derek Kolstad, plus new and returning cast members. According to star Keanu Reeves, the title is taken from a Latin phrase, “Si vis pacem, para bellum.” The phrase means, “If you want peace, prepare for war”, which is appropriate given what happens. So, without further delay, here’s my review of the highly anticipated sequel, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
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Rating
After the end of the last film, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is marked excommunicado and is on the run. Every hitman and assassin in New York City is after him and wanting to get that $14 million bounty. Going to the New York Public Library, Wick grabs a crucifix and marker, and seeks help from an old friend. Said friend is The Director (Anjelica Huston), who accepts his crucifix as a “ticket” to send him off to Casablanca. Meanwhile, for giving Wick an hour’s head start, an Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) is sent to confront Winston (Ian McShane). At the same time, she’s sent to confront the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), who gave Wick the gun. In Casablanca, Wick meets Sofia (Halle Berry), a former hitman that reluctantly helps Wick find someone who can help him. It’s a fight for survival as Wick seeks to confront the High Table.
Even though I had problems with John Wick: Chapter 2, I still enjoyed it and was excited for the follow-up. Given how the last film ended, it really got me excited to see how they’d follow up on it. Not only does this installment live up to that, but it exceeds all expectations I had and is phenomenal. As with before, the cast still does an excellent job, particularly Reeves, McShane, Fishburne, and Lance Reddick amongst others. Halle Berry, who previously didn’t do well in action roles, is awesome here, fighting alongside Reeves and dominating her scenes. Anjelica Huston does well in her limited screen time, and Mark Dacascos makes for a good opponent against Reeves. As with before, the fight scenes are incredibly well-choreographed, and there’s a nice variety to the action sequences. There’s gunfights, fistfights, knife fights, motorcycle chases, and even a chase involving a horse.
Honestly, there isn’t much that’s wrong here, but this movie does have a few flaws that slightly hinder its enjoyment. For one, Asia Kate Dillon, when compared to Michael Nyqvist and Riccardo Scamarcio,is weak as the villain. She’s pretty flat, and her over annunciation of words makes it seem like she’s trying to hard. It doesn’t help either when she shares scenes with Fishburne, McShane, and Huston, all of whom are giving their all. Also, while there’s much more world-building, some of it can be confusing and can be a bit overwhelming. Otherwise, this is still a fantastic action film with a great visual style and awesome action set pieces. Without going into spoilers, the last few minutes set up an epic war for the next installment. Overall, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is yet another awesome entry is an already awesome action franchise.
