John Wick: Chapter 2 is directed by
Chad Stahelski (John Wick) and stars
Keanu Reeves (The Matrix), Riccardo
Scamarcio (Burnt), and Ian McShane (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides).
This time around, John Wick is once again brought out of retirement in order to
fulfill a blood oath for a fellow assassin, which leads to more fights,
explosions, and creative kills in the same vein as the first one.
The first John Wick movie came out of
nowhere and I first watched it on the recommendation of a friend. It’s one of
those movies that immediately after viewing you have to go out and tell somone
to watch. But with such a basic premise executed near perfectly, I was a little
nervous when I heard that a second one was announced.
Far and away the best part of John Wick: Chapter 2 is the action
sequences. It pulls no punches with great choreography and realistic gun fights
(now dubbed gun fu). While watching the action take place in the movie, it was hard
not to be smiling from ear-to-ear at the sheer insanity taking place on screen.
And I’ll stay away from spoilers, but a certain kill takes place that got
everyone in the theater to move to the edge of their seat for the rest of the
film.
Keanu Reeves once again proves why he
is one of the best action movie stars of all time by being able to pull of some
amazing stunts, while also bringing a vulnerability to the role. This is once
again Keanu’s movie as he carries the majority of it on his shoulders. Ian
McShane brings gravitas to his role as the head of the Continental and Common (Selma) is also great playing a rival
assassin to Wick.
My problem with the movie lies with
the story. While the first was incredibly simple, this one has to spend some
time justifying its existence, which leads to a slow first act. And while the
world building is again enjoyable as it was the first time around, the movie
definitely drags at certain points. And while it sets up a third film that I
will indeed be looking forward to, the scene itself did not make much sense.
But maybe I shouldn’t be looking for realism in the world of John Wick.
John Wick: Chapter 2 brings back the
crazy action and magnetic lead from the first, but also gets slightly bogged
down with its storytelling. But once the action kicks into gear, it is a
non-stop thrill ride for about 45 minutes.
When should you watch it?
Wait a Week
Wait a Week
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