John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

When an action film makes a strong impression with its craft, there's pressure for that kind of quality to be maintained for any potential sequels. That can't be more true for the career path Keanu Reeves was undergoing during the 2000s era with the Matrix films. While the first one was groundbreaking, the sequels went on a hard decline from any chance of being great. Then 2014 arrived to give a much needed boost for him with a modest-budgeted movie, John Wick, that demonstrated that creating an interesting world and engaging well-made battles with a solid lead protagonist can become a refreshing for audiences tired of boring stock features with badly edited choreography. This launched the titular film series and has lead us to this third entry, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum. I have covered the second film when it released in 2017 and have been very excited for the opportunities presented here considering the effects of its predecessor. To prepare myself for one of my most anticipated movies of 2019, I recently rewatched the previous two entries as a refresher while observing the evolution it has taken thus far. I entered the auditorium ready to see what was in store for this and left it very satisfied by the experience, though I noticed issues that need to be fine tuned for the sequel.

What's it about? Taking place immediately its predecessor, the story follows our troubled assassin as he strives to get himself out of a dangerous situation regarding the big international bounty on him. This installment shows not only the consequences our protagonist faces from his past actions but those who previously aided him aren't safe either. There's more aspects of the world building that takes place here hinting at power plays for future plans. The narrative takes similar approach that the second film did but alters it into a different visual style to distinguish itself.

There are certainly issues that can rub audiences the wrong way with this plot (or at least with how it's handled). Due to how much of an action movie is packed in here, the progress with the story is shown is tiny chunks between the chunks of battles that occur. While it's making its move forward, it's not afraid to show how over-the-top it's becoming, which can end up either make or break for those experiencing this. One negative that does need to be called out is how the scenes of violence should be been trimmed down in terms of runtime so that the writing can have more room to breathe and expand more to feel coherent (notably near the end).

How violent are the fights? In regards to what this series specializes in, the higher budget this time around allows the filmmakers more opportunities to over exaggerate the fights while bringing in new ways to make each combat scenario feel unique. While the first 2 features have primarily been about the guns, they step it up with how each environment is utilized in bringing the thrills and upping the violence. They've certainly amped up the insanity brought on by each new assassin who comes across John Wick. With so much packed in, however, it's easy to see how repetitive some of the choreography might get (to the point where you can drink every time someone is thrown into something...wait don't do that...you would probably die from that game). One complaint in here is how much the final gauntlet drags on with its floors of challengers (removing the first one would have helped reach the conclusion better). Overall the level of craft and fun the actors/stunt doubles had creating this much spectacle deserves recognition for maintaining those standards (please add a category for the stunts Oscars!).

How's Keanu Reeves? In regards to the leading man himself, Keanu gives a great performance as our title hero traversing through high stakes in this insane world. The way he reacts to how limited his resources are works in a good combination with the behind the scenes training he's done for this role is impressive. It makes things even more exhausting that John's road to hopefully stay retired from the assassins life is going to take more than a few movies. It should also be noted that he does have a nice moment or two with his adorable dog, which is basically his last bit of happiness to hold onto for if he ever finds a way out of his predicament and hopefully into a peaceful life (he's a responsible dog owner).

What about everyone else? There are a handful of returning characters from the previous installments along with some new additions. A standout from the new batch is Sofia (Hally Berry) whose presence is more than welcome to the mix with the support she offers. While her screen time is limited, Hally gives a great performance for this supporting role that doesn't waste her talents and highlights how much she wants to step back into the limelight for the right reasons. As for the returning players, the spotlight shoutouts go to Winston (Ian McShane), the Bowery King (Lawrence Fishburne), and Charon (Lance Reddick) for the entertainment value they provide due to their respective charismatic acting. An honorable mention go to Zero (Mark Dacascos) for being not only being a solid threat but for the surprising humor he brought in a few scenes.

Overall Consensus: John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum provides an excellent craft of stunt work that's boosted by good thrills, a great visual style, and charismatic acting, despite having some wear in the story and action. ⭑⭑⭑⭑1/4🎟🍿Runtime: 2 hours 11 minutes R

Reasons to watch it: You like any of the aforementioned actors. You enjoy well-made action films. You don't mind over-the-top violence. You are a fan of this series.

Reasons to avoid it: You dislike any of the aforementioned actors. You hate well-made action films. You are sensitive over-the-top violence. You aren't a fan of this series.