‘It wasn’t just a puppy…’
It’s really hard when reviewing a John Wick film to just not write the same review all over again. Essentially, I loved John Wick: Chapter 3 (despite it containing the appalling subtitle Parabellum) for all the reasons I loved the first two movies. It harks back to the golden era of action movies when daft vengeance and forgettable plots reigned, and the blockbuster existed as a vehicle for their charismatic stars. It helps that, as with the first two entries, Chapter 3 is also wildly entertaining…
Wick (Keanu Reeves) has been rendered excommunicado by the international assassins guild the High Table, which means he is fair game for any would be killers on the streets of New York or Morocco or anywhere else for that matter. All our favourite characters from the first two movies return, so we have Ian McShane hamming it up all over the place, Laurence Fishburne talking in riddles and, of course, Keanu Reeves kicking ass and taking absolutely nobodies name. In fact, he barely speaks. And that’s how I want my action movie stars (see Schwarzenegger, Arnold). Elsewhere, Halle Berry, Anjelica Huston and even Jerome Flynn pop up – sporting various dodgy accents – before being caught up in the utter mayhem that Wick wreaks throughout the movie. And so to the main event…
The fight sequences in John Wick: Chapter 3 really are a joy to behold. A life affirming, beautifully choreographed thrill ride that evokes gasps as well as hearty, unbelieving laughter. To repeat, these movies are fun and in a world dominated by po faced superheroes and studio vetted Star Wars movies, John Wick really does feel like a breath of fresh air. Quentin Tarantino should be made to watch all these movies on a loop until he understands how to make violence an enjoyable cinematic experience and not something that ends in furious disengagement.
So, here we are. As with the first two movies, I LOVED John Wick: Chapter 3. I laughed. I gasped. I ate pizza. Now, let’s get John Wick: Chapter 4 out quicksharp.