John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

photo courtesy of rollingstone.com

SPOILER-FREE REVIEW

     Circle the wagons, lock your doors, and put on your game face, because John Wick’s in town and he’s still pretty unhappy. Keanu Reeves returns for the title role in what is now the third John Wick movie (dramatically titled John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum), which finds John blacklisted from the assassin underground. With a $14 million bounty on his head and practically every assassin in the world on his trail, John sets out on a mission to get back in the High Table’s good graces.

     If you’ve seen one of the previous John Wick movies, you know what to expect in Chapter 3 and you’ll already know if it’s your thing or not. If you haven’t seen one of the other movies, the main thing you ought to know is that John Wick is action-dense and extremely, pervasively, and often brutally violent. You don’t go to see a John Wick movie for the character development, you go to see Reeves (and in this case, also Halle Berry) tear through groups of enemies in shocking and innovative ways.

photo courtesy of mashable.com

     Plenty of movies have tons of action, but what continues to set John Wick apart from the crowd is the quality of the action as much as the quantity. The sequences here are still extremely well-choreographed, even when they’re hardcore, over the top, or gory. The action is fast, it’s ruthless, and at its best, it finds ways to surprise the audience.

     And there’s an edge of humor to many of John Wick’s action moments. Sometimes the audience laughs because a certain takedown or finishing move is incredibly brutal, but often it’s because the movie very knowingly veers into sheer absurdity. In a few places, it’s nearly slapstick, and Parabellum has enough presence of mind to give the audience an acknowledging wink.

photo courtesy of kcci.com

     Though the John Wick series continues to be light on character development or big backstories in Parabellum, the series’ other main draw—the atmosphere and aesthetic of the assassin underground world—is as strong as ever. The underground, built around a string of assassin hotels that share the name “The Continental,” carries with it all kinds of interesting rules, conventions, and characters. When the movie takes a break from action, it’s usually to explore some new corner of that world.

     As much fun as John Wick is, I must admit I found myself having slightly less fun this time. Many of the scenes—generally toward the beginning—are still creative, and Parabellum knows how to keep upping the ante to maintain audience enthusiasm. But even so, there’s only so many ways to shoot someone in the face, and by the third act of this third installment, the tension and interest are a bit harder to maintain, especially for fans who’ve seen all three. Parabellum might do enough to keep itself afloat, but I find myself wondering how many more sequels (and there will almost certainly be a John Wick 4) this premise can sustain.  

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is rated R for pervasive strong violence, and some language.

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