Movie Review: John Wick: Chapter 2

The fall of 2014 spawned one of the most unlikely cinematic success stories in recent history in the form of John Wick. An action film about a retired hitman forced back into action after his former employer's son kills his dog that was directed by a former stuntman and starred the notoriously stoic Keanu Reeves in the title role didn't exactly ooze potential on paper, but it ended up being one of the most inventive, bloody and straight-up badass shoot-em-up movies ever made. Nearly two and a half years later, the sequel manages to deliver another round of poetic mass carnage that further solidifies John Wick's place in the gritty action movie hall-of-fame.

John Wick: Chapter 2 is what every sequel should strive to be. Director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad retained everything that was great about the original (crazy fight scenes with high body counts, effective straightforward storytelling, Keanu's emotionless yet eternally cool presence) while simultaneously building upon the previously-teased "secret society of assassins" mythology and adding a dash of humor to its deadly arsenal. These might not seem like earth-shattering additions, but the deeper look into the inner-workings of the hitman underworld that Wick operates in and the occasional bursts of comic relief (Laurence Fishburne's cameo as a homeless, bird-loving New York City crime lord is particularly great) amidst all of the bloodshed is enough to help this film distinguish itself from its predecessor.

The further development of the hitman community that serves as the backdrop of the story and a handful of good one-liners may add some depth to the proceedings, but it sure as hell isn't why you go see a movie like John Wick: Chapter 2 for. People come for the insane action sequences and in that regard, John Wick: Chapter 2 gives the audience its money's worth and then some. Stahelski once again delivers a wide-variety of fight scenes that are practically guaranteed to fill action junkies with an abundance of glee. Just about every action sequence (with the notable exception of a pretty significant setpiece in the middle of the film that takes place in a pitch-black underground tunnel system in Italy) is so well-shot and choreographed that you feel like you're a watching a ballet that happens to feature point-blank pistol headshots, frantic knifeplay and basically every style of hand-to-hand combat you could think of. It might sound ridiculous to the purist cinephiles of the world, but I believe that the John Wick franchise is the closest the film world has ever come to seeing an artful action movie. The dark beauty of its cinematography and the grace of its fight scenes gives this film a vivid, intoxicating atmosphere and that level of visceral artistry is the primary reason why this series is so great. 

John Wick: Chapter 2 is another cathartic blast of pure adrenaline that should satisfy the hell out of most action movie enthusiasts. Any skepticism I had about the filmmakers ability to pull off a sequel was erased within the first five minutes and everyone involved with this project deserves a ton of credit for offering up a film that manages to match the quality of the original without ever feeling like a cheap retread. If the creative powers behind this can continue to deliver a product that's as enthralling and well-executed as this,  I'll gladly sign up for an infinite amount of future John Wick sequels.
     
4/5 Stars