John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

6/10

Starring

Keanu Reeves

Directed by Chad Stanhelski

John Wick: Chapter 2 ends with our boogeyman on the run, setting the stage for the much-anticipated third chapter in the story of a retired assassin who just can’t seem to stay retired.

This second installment in the John Wick saga is packed with enough action choreography to make you wish some scenes lasted even longer. You’ll watch this movie knowing that when the DVD comes out, you’ll need to own it just to rewatch those epic moments.

The action scenes in this sequel are even better than the first. While the first movie’s action sequences were far from realistic, they were undeniably entertaining. This time, though, the action completely assassinates any sense of reality. We see John survive falls, car accidents, and take down countless men with bullets flying everywhere—all while acting like he’s on a leisurely jog through the park.

It’s clear from the way the movie ends that the third chapter will leave viewers’ jaws on the floor from start to finish.

Here, Keanu Reeves relives his Matrix days, where the impossible was just part of the fictional world he lived in. In this world of organized crime, he’s Neo, and for fun, the producers even brought in Morpheus from The Matrix. Laurence Fishburne joins the cast, and though his role is small in this movie, it looks promising for his character in the likely third chapter of John Wick.

The movie picks up days after the first. John goes after the brother of Viggo and the uncle of Iosef from the first movie to recover his car—the very car that kicked off the events of John Wick: Chapter 1.

After getting his car back and returning home, John is visited by an old friend, D’Antonio, who once helped him escape the criminal world. D’Antonio calls in a favor, asking John to return to the dark side based on a pact they made. John begs D’Antonio not to ask this of him, but D’Antonio refuses to back down and burns down John’s house, destroying all the mementos of his former life.

With no choice, John fulfills the task D’Antonio asked of him, as it’s part of the criminal underworld’s code. Reluctantly, John succeeds, but D’Antonio has no choice but to try to kill John to tie up loose ends—because the task he assigned can’t have any witnesses.

The attempt on John’s life fails, and now John is hunting down D’Antonio, who has placed a $7 million bounty on his head.

Everyone and their mother takes a shot at John, but he keeps going, determined to end D’Antonio no matter the cost.

This is an action-packed movie that’s absolutely worth seeing.