Review // John Wick: Chapter 2

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Keanu Reeves’ master assassin John Wick returns to the big screen in John Wick: Chapter 2. With just enough story to further the action, John Wick: Chapter 2 gives audiences more of what they want, pulse pounding action interspersed with funny one liners and shots of an adorable dog.

John Wick: Chapter 2 picks up hours after the first film, 2014’s John Wick. Now that he’s got his revenge on mob boss Viggo Tarasov, the assassin – known in some circles as “The Boogeyman” – has one more task before he can return to the retired life and retrieve the car that was stolen from him in the first film. The hilarious opening has Viggo’s brother Abram Tarasov (Peter Stormare) recounting the events that have led him to hurriedly attempting to move his ill-gotten gains (including said car) out of New York City before John Wick turns his sights on him. Easily one of the best exposition scenes I’ve seen in a sequel, it instantly sets the tongue-in-cheek tone of the film while also recapping the events of the first film.

With all the loose ends from the first film tied, John Wick returns home and begins bonding with his new dog, a rescued blue pit bull with no name. However, things don’t stay quiet for long. News of his return has travelled and soon John is forced to repay a debt that was put on the back-burner while he was “retired”. The second chapter gives audiences a more in depth history of a seemingly ancient council of assassins, their employers and those who facilitate contracts, exposing a much larger empire than we glimpsed in the first film. Though the nuances of the secret society seem almost mystical, they’re not all that intriguing, besides the fact that for whatever reason John Wick can’t leave the assassination game without the consent of all the players involved. He got it once, but they aren’t willing to give it again. So naturally, he sets his sights on Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) who double crossed him. As John fights it out with the head of an Italian crime family he enlists the help of unlikely allies, including Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King, the leader of a team of in-plain-sight spies, informants and killers.

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a treat for fans of the first. I was thrilled by the original film, and the sequel keeps the story going. I’m not a big fan of the secret society/conspiracy element but it led to some exhilarating fight scenes in exotic locales (Rome, catacombs, New York’s subway system). Director Chad Stahelski and writer Derek Kolstad return from the first film as do many of the stars, which helps the sequel immensely. The creative team clearly have a vision and game plan for the character and the series as a whole. A great alternative programming choice in the theatres this weekend, especially for those of us who prefer our pooches, fight sequences or Keanu to candy hearts and v-day cards.

Reviewed by Vithiya Murugadas.