Produced by Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee
Screenplay by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten,
Chris Colllins, Marc Abrams
Story by Derek Kolstad
Based on Characters by Derek Kolstad
Directed by Chad Stahelski
Starring Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry,
Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos,
Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick,
Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane
Strap in. Sharpen your blades. And load your guns… lots of guns.
John Wick is back and about to do what he does best. Kill a lot, and I mean A LOT of bad guys.
The third installment of the John Wick franchise not only ups the ante on the violence but also proves that you can make a great action film series that three films later just keep getting better and better.
Keanu Reeves returns as John Wick, the Baba Yaga, a highly skilled assassin and someone you would do not want to piss off.
Picking up where the last film left off, Mr. Wick has a one hour grace period until he is deemed excommunicado by the High Table.
A bounty of 14 million is placed on his head, making him the most wanted man in the world he inhabits. He must shoot, slash, stab, kick and punch his way through dozens and dozens of men and women hell bent of collecting that money no matter what. John must call in a marker given to him from his allies at The Continental Hotel to get him out of NYC so he can negotiate with the High Table to reverse the open contract on his life.
Rejoining Keanu are Ian MacShane as Winston, manager of The Continental, Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King, and Lance Reddick as Charon, the Continental’s concierge. New to the franchise is Halle Berry as Sofia, who is just as badass as the two attack dogs she keeps. Former karate champion, Mark Dacascos plays Japanese sword master Zero, Wick’s one equal opponent and Asia Kate Dillion as The Adjudicator, brought in to settle the affairs of Wick and his cohorts. The cast is top notch and perfectly cast in three respective roles.
I was very worried originally when I heard they were making a sequel to the original John Wick. I had visions of The Matrix trilogy and how the second two films all but ruined what was so amazing about the first one. You can imagine my delight when John Wick: Part 2 was just as amazing as the first.
The filmmakers once again expand and build on the world and story of John Wick, giving us a little more of a taste of his past and what he is capable of. The rich world that director Chad Stahelski co-created in the first film keeps getting richer without ever “jumping the shark” and going against their own universal rules they set up.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is an insanely paced, unrelenting thrill ride. The perfectly choreographed fight scenes are as brutal as they are beautiful. Wick’s use of his environment in fighting his enemies would give Jackie Chan pause and the intensity of the action sequences are an adrenaline junkies wet dream.
I don’t want to give too much away about it because I want you to be just as shocked and blown away by this film as I was. The movie is relentlessly paced and barely feels half the length of its 2 hour and 10 minute running time. If you liked the first two John Wick films you are going to love this one. I for one will be going again and again to see it. To me, this is this years Mad Max: Fury Road, which brought me to the theater to see it 14 times.
No animals were harmed in the making of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
However MANY humans are definitely harmed by animals in this movie. It is pretty glorious.
