Thursday, February 16, 2017

"SKumm's Thoughts" - JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2


"SKumm's Thoughts"
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 (2017, R, 122 minutes, 87ELEVEN)


If Keanu Reeves was hoping to provide the world with a character more memorable than “Neo” from THE MATRIX films, he might have just done so with the titular character in what could be one big, bad, bloody franchise of a universe.

His portrayal of Wick in the sequel is one rife with the violent side of the first, but we see more uncertainty and hesitation in his eyes this time. This makes him a bit more human, more relatable, but at the same time almost takes away from the “Boogeyman” reputation that precedes him. Originally, he was a badass with a heart, and in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2, he sometimes more closely resembles a badass deer caught in the headlights. But put a gun in his hands, and that confidence comes swarming in. You know he is going to win the day—you just don’t appreciate the seriousness of it as much as he does.


Writer Derek Kolstad and stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski are back and in control, meaning you get the same visual style as the first film, and bigger (see: longer) action scenes that try to up the ante on the violent world they initially created. It works—for the most part. The biggest thing holding the film back is that we delve much deeper into that world. The beauty of the original film was that it wasn’t complicated; it was basically the story of an assassin seeking revenge on the Russian mobsters that killed his dog, a final gift from his dead wife. This time around, there’s a bit more to it, and a whole lot more to explain about The Continental, the grand hotel that acts as a non-violent hostel for the gold-paying, killer guests. It isn’t so much the world-building that starts to slow things up, but rather the TMI effect; I know this is to help set up the sequel, but there are more things introduced in this film than in the original, which complicates matters and takes away from the subtleties of the first.


That does not make this a bad film. On the contrary, in keeping with the same writer/director/stars, we know what to expect going in, and the ensuing bloodbath(s) do not disappoint. In this sequel, Wick is called out on a marker he provided to an Italian mobster years ago. The mobster wants his sister dead, and Wick is the man for the job—he doesn’t want it, of course, but he gets sucked right back into the role of assassin easily enough. The set pieces are even more magnificent than the first, if not almost over-the-top. If any movie was going to ever be accused of having sets and scenery which over-acted, this would be it. From the warehouse car chase that opens the film, to the best use of a House of Mirrors in the finale, these are places you will remember.


The only other drawback is seeing Wick use the same moves over and over. I get it—he is using what works best. But seeing the exact same disarming move a dozen times in a row makes the action get a wee bit stale, regardless of how high he brings the body count to. As far as gunplay is concerned, I found myself grinning at the familiarity of his signature move: a shot to the body, followed by one to the head. Efficient, quick, and, judging by the rate of dead bad guys that keep piling up, more than effective.

While it may not be as smooth of an experience as the first, it is still worth the time to see it in theatres. Bulky storytelling or not, it’s John Freaking Wick, fer cryin’ out loud—pay your respects to the King of the Double Tap.

Grade: B


-- T.S.  Kummelman

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