John Wick: Chapter 2

Action films have got to be one of the oldest genres Hollywood has to offer, so much so, that there have been many repeats of action film plots through the years, if not decades. With this info in tow, it has been increasingly difficult for writers to come up with anything that would be considered fresh and original, until "John Wick" popped up in 2014. It quickly became a cult favorite, and since its popularity, another has been produced appropriately titled "John Wick: Chapter 2".

 

Legendary hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is once again forced out of retirement, this time by a former colleague Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) who wants him to repay a debt by killing an Italian crime lord, his sister Gianna D'Antonio (Claudia Gerini). But when the attempted assassination goes awry, Wick finds himself hunted by an international cabal of killers, and his only hope for survival might be a shadowy figure known as The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). The one thing that D'Antonio constantly forgets is that Wick is not an easy target, and definitely bites off more than he can chew. In fact, Wick is called 'The Boogeyman" by those in the field.

 

Others to round out the cast are Ian McShane as Winston, Ruby Rose as Ares, Common as Cassian, Lance Reddick as Charon, Tobias Segal as Earl and John Leguizamo as Aurelio.

 

This was effectively directed by Chad Stahelski ("John Wick" '14). Coming from a stunt coordinating background, this filmmaker knows a lot about what constitutes a powerful action film and he definitely proved that with "John Wick". This is only his second feature film, and "Highlander" has been announced, but with this talent in this genre, maybe, just maybe he'll put a new spark into a genre that is struggling at best. It was slickly and cleverly written by Derek Kolstad ("The Package" '13, "John Wick" '14) plus shorts. With the exception of a couple of small places in storyline around the middle of the film, this was every bit as polished and slickly written as its predecessor. Not to spoil it for you, but as you're reaching the end, this definitely screams sequel and understandably so. There is so much material a writer can create with this intense and gritty character that the sky's the limit. As long as Reeves, who's great as Wick, is willing to do another film and Kolstad is willing to write another script, this franchise ill be able to continue without the problem of getting stale.

 

The premise of this film coupled with a good script and a plausible cast is what truly makes this franchise. In this day and age where this type of film is as common as the next one, it's nice to see a film within this genre that's fresh, exciting, all with a cast that works.

 

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                           Rated: R                            122min.