However, my favorite addition to this franchise is Common, who portrays a bodyguard that’s just as efficient as John Wick, if not better. And in a “Matrix” reunion, Laurence Fishburne churns out a larger-than-life performance as a gangster once left at Wick’s mercy. Peter Serafinowicz, familiar to American audiences as Edgar from “ Parks and Recreation ,” is hilarious as a Roman weapon supplier. Ruby Rose (“Orange is the New Black”) plays a mute assassin and exudes equal amounts of menace and sexuality. While several supporting actors make a welcome comeback - like Ian McShane (“Deadwood”) and Lance Reddick (“The Wire”) - the new characters make matters even more entertaining. Here, he continues to do what he’s always done best: stay cool and outsmart everyone around him. Fortunately, the movie never becomes overly expository like the “Matrix” sequels, where Keanu’s lack of acting range really showed. Not to mention we learn more about Wick’s past and the organization he used to work for. In turn, this film pushes the envelope of audience expectations, delivering endlessly inventive action without betraying the world it’s building upon.
It also introduces new rules to govern this expansion, forcing Stahelski and his stunt team to think outside the box in their new playground. “Chapter 2” works because it shows the franchise expanding its world. What about an ensemble of morally ambiguous assassins? Check. Sure, there’s no frills, boots or twangs, but does it have the revisionist trope of an antihero forced out of solitude? Check. This movie is bigger, better and crazier than the first “John Wick.” While the original was structured as a revenge film, this is much more of a western. With Chad Stahelski returning to direct, who was one of Reeves’ stunt doubles on the “Matrix” movies, “Chapter 2” may be remembered as one of the greatest action sequels ever made. From that point on, codes are broken, loyalties are tested and Wick has to push his own limits to make the hit and stay alive. But after refusing to kill again, a crime lord bombs his home and leaves Wick with no other choice than to assassinate the lord’s sister in Rome.
Picking up where its predecessor left off, “Chapter 2” begins as Wick attempts a life of retirement with his new dog. In addition to being a violent romp, it introduced a hyper-universe of hit men and gave Keanu Reeves another classic character that played to his physical strengths. Now I’m a huge fan of the first film, which is a wonderful ‘70s-style revenge thriller that drew heavily from Hong Kong actioners and old westerns.Ĭonsidering how blockbusters have taken the “Bourne” method of quick editing - often creating an unpleasant sewing machine effect - “John Wick” was a breath of fresh air for its simple (but effective) narrative and its fluid fight choreography. Playing in theaters nationwide is the second chapter of the “John Wick” series.
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