The 'Not-So-Critical' Critic:
on JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 -
PARABELLUM (2019, 130 minutes, R)
The Quick of It -
It amazes me how Keanu Reeves gets these projects that get
so much traction when critics bashed his earlier work. He continually proves them wrong at the box office,
even when he still plays that niche role he has created for himself.
To put this into a sports analogy, imagine a team that has a
player that excels in a particular skill.
If a quarterback is an outstanding passer, you keep him safe and
slinging the ball. If you have a point
guard who can pass and move the basketball against any team, you let them direct
traffic. The core idea is to put people
in situations so they can succeed. Mr. Reeves
has a tenacious spirit, putting his heart into a role. Even if you only see it on the screen in the
most subtlest of ways, it is there. I
cannot imagine the tremendous number of hours he accrued off-screen for this
role to make it feel seamless and real.
Well, there may have been a few early-bird blocks, but we can forgive
him when half the film is intense action sequences.
Keanu Reeves may have a stoic presence, not exhibiting
Hollywood flair or have weeping eyes that deem one Oscar worthy. But, he has enough acting chops to grab your attention
and let you never stray from his journey.
In this stage of his career, the John Wick series is far above the
action heroes of old, forging a new path into violence and creativity. There have been other films that have progressed
the filming-style of action movies, like the Bourne series, that is true. For John Wick, this collection of films has
contributed to a fading sub-genre.
Superhero films have overshadowed the yearly lineup for action, pushing
the secondary titles deeper into a low-level money grab for the scraps.
CHAPTER 3 continues where 2 left us. Wick is on the clock as his excommunication
by the High Table from the assassin’s guild becomes official. He must use all his chits to get help,
calling in all favors, to survive long enough to find a way out of the $14
million-dollar price tag on his head. What
comes next? Oh… we know. And that is the beauty of it.
Again, at the helm is director Chad Stahelski. What makes him so special with his limited catalog
of movies as a director? His catalog of
movies he worked on, being on the stunt and fight-choreography side. His command and attention to detail while
taking the time to prime the moments before visually inundating you with ferocity,
pulling you down to a calming place, and then suffering through each impact of
bullet and fist.
They incorporate a new team-up, Halle Berry as bad-ass Sofia. She gives something to the story but did
leave me a little jolted by the insertion.
(Yeah, had to incorporate that word.
Extra points.) Like many of the
introductions, I guess each is an immediate introduction without much
transition, but I felt a little cheated with her. Her story was deeper than most, probably too
deep for what time she was given.
While the returning cast is top-notch star power, we have
the opportunity to see the hidden world of international assassins expand. Add an Adjudicator for the High Table, Asia
Kate Dillon (of ‘Billions’ and “Orange is the New Black), who you think doesn’t
blink the whole time. She stares down
everyone, regardless of their killing natures.
Also, the sushi chef/ninja Zero, played by Mark Dacascos, from my
favorite French film BROTHERHOOD OF THE WOLF, acts so flippantly, you want to
see what he does next.
The end result is not just an action film but a clinic on
mood and setting. Light and the use of
cool colors is phenomenal. The staging
of sequences and incorporating animals into the melees is beyond anything you
will expect or wish for. Make the time
to see this on the large screen, worth every penny. There are more Wicks to come.
Grade: A
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