IN THEATRES: John Wick 3 - Parabellum

After being excommunicated for breaking the rules in Chapter 2, John Wick goes on the run from the High Table, the organisation responsible for running and enforcing the rules in his world. Determined to break free, he goes on a quest to get them off his back forever.

Will he succeed? Does a bear crap in the woods?

John Wick is one of the best unapologetic action flicks of the last few years. Pared to the bone, with style to spare, it is made with such economy and intelligence that it managed to resuscitate Keanu Reeves' career AND shoot/punch/stab its way into a marketplace crowded with bigger-budgeted superhero movies and action pictures featuring more fantastical elements (like Transformers). The success of its sequels is hopefully a sign that the action movies of 30 years ago (at least their descendants) still have a place on the big screen.

If I had one criticism of Chapter 2, it was how repetitive it was - Wick goes from set piece to set piece, killing anybody foolish enough to stand in his way. The lack of stakes was only made worse by the fact that he was wearing a bullet-proof suit.

In a universe already built on the supernatural skills of its protagonist, there was a whiff of formula to the previous film that had me questioning whether a third instalment would be worthwhile. Partially this is down to taste - I always lean toward the John McClane-style underdogs over the Seagal-style super cops - but it also is dramatically limiting.

Opening shortly after the end of Chapter 2, Parabellum starts in a way that feels like an escalation and a recalibration from its predecessor. While it continues Chapter II's large-scale battles and hyper-real set designs, the filmmakers devote a lot of time shifting focus from Wick's preferred killing method - one of the joys of the first act is watching Wick's attempts to get firearms foiled at every turn.

Instead, we watch him use everything from a big book to knives to a horse's hindquarters to pummel his opponents. It has the effect of making his character both more vulnerable and shows off his ability to overcome obstacles. It's like taking the gadgets away from James Bond - watching an action hero forced to improvise and use their wits is far more rewarding than watching 200 interchangeable headshots.

It is a testament to how strong this stretch of the movie is that a mid-movie shootout in Casablanca falls a little flat.

An underrated performer, Keanu Reeves remains the centre of the film. He adds grace and pathos to a character that frankly would not work without him. He is also a great straight man to the cartoonish levels of peril he goes through - the knife-throwing melee in the weapons museum is genuinely hilarious, as are his reactions to Zero's (Mark Dacascos) earnest fan worship.

Halle Berry is on good form as Wick's ex-flame Sofia, although she is in less of the movie than I expected, and part of what I would consider the least consequential set piece in the movie. She basically sets fire to her entire life to help Wick and then... drives away. 

I am guessing she will be back in the next movie. Hope so - Berry's understated performance works really well opposite Reeves, and I am really intrigued to see them paired up again.

In a casting coup, Mark Dacascos plays the key antagonist here - a seemingly cold-blooded assassin on Wick's level tasked with bringing him to ground. A great physical performer, Dacascos feels the perfect opponent for Reeves, and the writers (mainstay Derek Kolstad has been joined by Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams) give his character a potentially great meta-textual trait - he is a fan of John Wick, and more than defeating him Zero wants to be acknowledged as his equal.

This is a great character game, but with so much going on it gets lost in the shuffle. Zero ends up being merely one of several opponents, and his final battle with Wick - while well-choreographed and shot (it also features the most interesting set of the film) - lacks a sense of stakes.

 While these movies are great, Zero's character did raise one issue I have with the franchise as a whole - it does not seem like Wick has had a truly great antagonist - someone who is as supernaturally skilled as he is, but without even the sliver of empathy that Wick has.

In the end, this is more a matter of preference than a deficit in this movie. The story moves well, most of the set pieces are packed with inventive bits of business and the whole enterprise is boosted a great sense of deadpan humour. Plus it features a ranting Jason Mantzoukas emerging from a pile of garbage.

Check it out.

If you are new to this blog, I also co-host a podcast on James Bond called The James Bond Cocktail Hour. Every episode, we do a review of one of the books and one of the movies, picked at random. 

In the latest episode we discuss the portrayal of women in the Bond franchise. Subscribe on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts!