Review: Keanu Reeves Is Back for More in Crazy-Fun 'John Wick

The FILM READER Review: Keanu Reeves Is Back For More In Crazy-Fun ‘John Wick: Chapter Two’ Entertainment John Wick: Chapter Two By A.H. Lee After the success of John Wick -- the first decent Keanu Reeves film considering he has been in films like the WTF-thriller Knock Knock -- Chad Stahelski takes over as the director of the latest entry John Wick: Chapter Two . Stahelski’s over the top violent film is everything you would want and expect from a John Wick film; in some ways, it is more. In this case, whether you are a fan of action flicks or not, this is the ideal action-packed adrenaline pumping movie: car chases, gun fights, jujitsu, and a cohesive plot. The FILM READER From the getco, John Wick: Chapter Two gets everything right, starting from its vibrant and excessive motorcycle vs car chase sequence. Its loud, but not noisy; intense but not overwhelming. For the most part, this is what makes the John Wick series better than the rest. It manages to have the same amount of action, if not more, than the average action film while still feeling watchable. Compare this to Michael Bay and his Transformer: The Last Knight, which was unspeakably bad that a review couldn’t even express it. John Wick: Chapter Two takes place what seems like a month or two after the original. John Wick now seems pleased with his life, buried his artillery of weapons, and finally declares retirement. Then something quite unfortunate happens to “Mr. Wick:” Santino D’Antonio, played by Riccardo Scamarcio -- who did not appear in the original -- arrives at John Wick’s house with a “marker,” ordering Wick to assassinate D’Antonio’s sister who is about to become the head of the Italian Camorra crime syndicate. At first, Wick declines, only for it to result in his house being blown up. Once he is convinced by Winston(Ian McShane), leader of The Continental, a society of assassins, to accept the marker and obey the rules, Wick is forced out of retirement one more time. Unlike the upsetting majority of a lot of sequels, John Wick: Chapter Two gives the audience a chance to catch up on the storyline and inform viewers who haven’t seen the original exactly what John Wick’s story is. As if this story couldn’t take us by surprise than it already does, Chapter Two introduces believe it or not, the brother of Viggo Tarasov, who was played by Michael Nyqvist in the original film. Tarasov’s brother explains how (in the first film) Wick killed hundreds of his men because his nephew made the utterly shameful mistake of killing John Wick’s dog and stealing his car. Oh, and he also has to mention the all to famous story of how Wick once killed three men in a bar with a pencil. The FILM READER Now back to the actual story. When Wick arrives in Rome, John Wick: Chapter Two starts to take shape and become one of the best action films of the year. Now, as he is starting from ground zero(except for his skills) after losing everything thanks to D’Antonio, we see a beautifully filmed montage of Wick arriving at secret gun shops and private tailors. Everything is filmed and expressed in such an exquisite way that the film feels like a delicacy. The colors and production design are vibrant, attractive, and treated more professionally than most other blockbusters. Not to mention that one scene in the museum full of mirrors; the location of each scene in John Wick: Chapter Two gets better and better as the story progresses. Whether it’s two men who tackle each other and break through a window that happens to be of one of the assassin hotels, or an underground cave full of light blue lights, Chapter Two conquers being the best looking blockbuster of the year. But people don’t go see films like John Wick: Chapter Two for the colors (although you should!). It’s the action sequences that attract attention, and I can assure you these are some of the best choreographed and filmed fight scenes since films like Scarface . There is a whole lot to take in while watching Chad Stahelski’s version of John Wick. The fight scenes are longer, and all though it usually works to help Chapter Two, sometimes it becomes just too much. Given the amount of blood and carnage there is in this series, there is no need for almost 10 minute action sequences. One of the worst things that an action film could have -- besides terrible action -- is a weak villain. We saw this happen with the entire Transporter series, many Marvel and DC films, the Divergent series, and more. Luckily, the Wick series always manages to have villains that are unique in every way, while still having their badass moments, such as Ruby Rose who gives a fascinating performance as ‘Ares,’ the only female and actually the best henchman to D’Antonio. The FILM READER While John Wick: Chapter Two has a runtime of 2 hours and 2 minutes, which can oftentimes be too long for an action film, never does the film feel heavy handed or unbearable. Yes, there are definitely some hard to watch moments, like when Wick shoves a pencil down an assassin’s ear, but it never affects the enjoyment that can be found in Chapter Two. Who knows, you may leave the theater feeling more energized than before seeing the film. With an ending that leaves the audience with questions and wanting more, it seems as though the John Wick series -- similar to the Star Wars series -- is not going anywhere; in many ways, that’s great news because John Wick: Chapter Two is one of the most entertaining films of 2017. ★★★★1/2 .

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