"They call him Baba Yaga"
"The Boogeyman?"
"He's not exactly the Boogeyman. He's the guy you get to review a movie about a guy they call the Boogeyman"
John Wick 2 was awesome, with an ending to die for, and one thing I love about the third one is how little time it wastes getting into its plot, so I'm not gonna waste any time setting this up. John Wick is still excommunicado after 2's ending, with half of New York trying to kill him. The frantic pace of Wick 3 is definitely something to be admired. No slow burns or gradual buildups here, and everyone's favourite dog loving angel of death is on the rampage in the first twenty minutes. A (deadly) trip to the library, a knife-stravaganza at the museum and a horse vs. motorbikes chase are literally all in the first act. Because that's just the kind of series John Wick is. And I wouldn't have it any other way. The film moves at a breakneck speed, but that's actually not a bad thing. The plot is still sense as ever, with this installment thickening the ever increasing mythology in a way that's logical and effective.
The new additions are definitely welcome, feeling like logical expansions of the Wonderful World of Wick ™. Anjelica Huston is awesome as John's mysterious mother-figure, one who's theatre gives us just enough of an insight into John's past without feeling like an exposition dump. And just like everything else, the lore introduced in these scenes feels genuinely organic and necessary. Halle Berry wows too as an old acquaintance of John's, and their raid of the Casablanca headquarters of a member of the High Table is undoubtedly a standout moment (also more dogs!). But without a doubt the best new introduction is Asia Kate Dillon, playing an adjudicator of the High Table who spells trouble for both the Continental and the Bowery King. Dillon is awesome here, and I cannot wait to see how they impact the series going forward, especially because the Adjudicator can pose a threat to the characters in a way that goes beyond the action. Weaponised administration is actually more awesome than it sounds
The series stalwarts are at their reliable best, too. Lawrence Fishbourne is having so much fun as the Bowery King, and it's so damn infectious. You thought he was hamming it up before? You have no idea my friend. His performance is indicative of what I love about these movies and their modern cult tone that works because it acknowledges its influences (more on that later). Ian McShane is again wonderful as Winston, John's closest ally, who this time gets a lot more to do, which turns out be pretty awesome. Speaking of getting more to do, Lance Reddick is awesome as Charon, who finally gets a chance to step out from behind the front desk of the continental to.... well, you'll see. And then of course there's the man himself, and well, it goes without saying that Keanu Reeves is pretty awesome, and if his career has been a touch up and down for the last.... all of it, then he's never let us down in these movies, and that continues here. Stoic as ever, with a steely nerve that's thrillingly punctuated by moments of dry humour and genuine pathos. As always, this movie finds the humanity in this superhuman killer, and, as a result, gains an extra dimension that I'd argue a fair few of its contemporaries don't have
As I said, the action here is gnarly, somehow always finding a way to escalate. I would argue that the climax is actually the weakest part of the film, though, an overlong brawl with some (admittedly quite likeable) assassins that completely stalls the plot in this section of the film. No spoilers, but the climax goes from being a really interesting sequence at the Continental that melds the rules of this world with crazy action, to one fight in the same setting that goes on way longer than it needs to. If this sounds like an odd complaint, it only bothered me because it feels like it drags compared to the scenes that came before it. Yeah, the action's awesome as always, and it looks GORGEOUS, but honestly, it gets a little tired after a while, proving that you can have too much of a good thing. It's really my only issue here, which I guess makes sense in a series where the storytelling always felt congruent with the action, and so when it's just fighting, it just kind of jars. At least it did for me, anyway.
But even that is saved by what has always been my favourite part of these movies, the style. As ever, the film wears it's influences on its sleeve, and it's thrillingly cine-literate. For me, it feels like a fusion of John Woo, Sergio Leone, Sam Peckinpah, Akira Kurosawa and Walter Hill, with a little bit of Keanu magic sprinkled in, and the result is something that fits in nicely with the traditions of action cinema, while still joyously feeling like its own thing, and that is, for me anyway, the right way to utilise your influences. The cinematography is also beautiful as ever, with so many shots here that I could just admire for hours. Every action scene looks great, being both beautiful and kinetic, proving that John Wick can thrill like few others. Overall, it's one of the strongest blockbusters of the year so far, with an ending that racks up some serious WTF points, setting up the fourth nicely. Minor issues aside, this was another solid installment to the John Wick story. This is how you follow up.
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