I didn’t come to the John Wick franchise easily. The only reason I watched the first one was because someone dragged me to John Wick: Chapter 2 and I loved it so much I had to see everything else in the series. I fell in love with the world of John Wick, with the wonderful opulence of the Continental and all its weird little rules. John Wick Chapter 2 is far better than the original, but I have to say, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum blows them both out of the water. This franchise just keeps getting better and better.
Super-assassin John Wick is on the run after killing a member of the international assassin’s guild, and with a $14 million price tag on his head – he is the target of hit men and women everywhere.
I think what John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum has best is the action scenes I’ve ever seen. Even in competent action movies, all the fights can seem a bit… samey and predictable. Not so in this movie – everyone in John Wick 3 does violence in their own way. Plus they’re always fighting in a different location and the setting really makes a difference. Seeing a fight go sideways because the environment changes in a believable way is a hoot. Oh the animals. Apparently animals are quite hard to work with but wow, when they work, they really work. Not to give too much away, but horses are badass. And dogs are even more badass. You’ll have to watch the movie to find out more.
Of course my favorite parts of John Wick is the weird society they all belong to. The sets are all stunning and I’m a sucker for the antiquated aesthetic, with their paper ledgers and their chalkboards and their cigarettes. I also loved all the characters. There’s some heavy hitters, there, acting-wise – Laurence Fishburne, Ian McShane and Halle Berry. But every roll was well cast and acted. I loved Anjelica Huston and Asia Kate Dillon was worth the price of admission. I loved the way everyone had their code of honor and had different ways of viewing the world and making decisions.
I do have to wonder about the world of John Wick though. They must employ an enormous amount of people, from janitors and Human Resources, to PR to health care employees all the way up to the assassins themselves. And all of them would likely be much more expensive than their normal counterparts, especially with danger pay and considering they have to be replaced when someone like John Wick mows down a section of them. So where does all the money come from to pay them? How do they recruit? Is hired killing that big an industry? The Continental would have to be bigger than Burger King and yet more secretive than Monsanto. Okay I’m stopping, this is what I think about.
So is John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum worth watching? Hell yes. It’s so gorgeous and well put together. I feel I have to watch the other two movies and then see this one again, it’s that good. Don’t bring the kids though, the violence on this is impressive. In the show I went to, someone brought a baby, if you can believe it. Don’t be that guy.
Rating: [star rating=”4″]