John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) Review

"I'll kill them.  I'll kill them all."
-John Wick



After getting a new dog and tracking down his car, hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) tries to return to his quiet retirement, but crime lord, Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scarmarcio) calls in a favor that John owes him.  Now John must kill a member of the criminal underworld's High Table, an act that will create enemies with deep pockets and armies of assassins.


What Works:

The film opens with a sort of mini-film, where we see John wrapping lose ends from the first film and getting his car back.  It's a great way to reintroduce us to the character and see what John is up to.  Plus Peter Stomare is fantastic as Viggo's brother.

As in the original film, the action in this film is incredible.  Keanu Reeves is truly a marvel in terms of fight choreography.  We get plenty of long takes and really impressive techniques.  This film doesn't cut away from the action, but lets us bask in its glory.

The relationship between John and Cassian (Common) is one of my favorite aspects of the film.  They both have the utmost professional respect for one another and completely understand why the other one does what they do, but that doesn't stop them from brutally fighting.  But when they end up inside the Continental, they both quit fighting and grab a drink.  It's great.

Once John returns to New York, we get a wonderful sequence of him trying to simply get through the city, but being constantly attacked by assassins.  It's an absolute blast to watch.  The best part is the silent shootout he has with Cassian.  I love that nobody notices the bullets whizzing by and it's my favorite part of the film.

Finally, the final confrontation between John and Santino is extremely satisfying.  Santino is so smug as he sits in the Continental.  He believes he is 100% safe and so do we, but John quickly puts an end to that.  It's unexpected, shocking, and sets up an epic ending where John realizes the entire city is going to be hunting him very quickly.  That's how you end a movie!


What Sucks:

The first half of the movie a little too slow.  Most of the scenes in Rome are fine, but they aren't quite as good as the New York stuff.  The shootouts at the party and in the tunnels are the least interesting sequences of the film and John's scene with Gianna (Claudia Gerini) isn't as powerful as it could have been because we just met her.


Verdict:

John Wick: Chapter 2 is on the same level of quality as the first film, though I slightly prefer the original.  The action is phenomenal, the performances are great, and the 3rd act is extremely satisfying with a wonderful cliffhanger ending.  The Rome stuff could have been a bit better, but it's a mostly minor complaint.  Without a doubt, this movie has got it going on.

 9/10: Great 



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