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John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum

A review by Brooks Rich

If anyone reading this hasn't seen the first two John Wick movies, go watch those immediately. They are the best action films of the past five years. They are ballets of violence and the third installment is no different. Also small spoilers for John Wick 2. Keanu Reeves returns as John Wick, now excommunicated and being hunted by every assassin in New York who is after the fourteen million dollar bounty on his head. John's only hope is to find the head of the Table, the overseers of all assassin's and ask for leniency. Also he might have to kill a couple of people along the way. Reeves carries this film and once again makes John Wick a likable but very dangerous character. I love how he is kind of a mix between the unstoppable action hero and the everyman. He is legendary among the ranks of the assassins but Reeves brings a vulnerability to him. John Wick can be hurt.

This film is gorgeous. It is the best shot film of 2019 so far and I don't think anything else will touch it. Credit to director Chad Stahelski, his only credits are the John Wick movies, and cinematographer Dan Lausten, who shot John Wick 2 and 3 and films like The Shape of Water, Crimson Peak, and Mimic, all Guillermo del Toro films.

Not only is this film gorgeous but the fight scenes are flawless. Like I said before this is a ballet of violence. There are even scenes of ballet in this films. The choreography is perfect and it makes it stand out from other action films. Also have to give credit to editor Evan Schiff as action scenes live and die on their editing. There's nothing worse than modern action films editing the hell out of their action scenes to the point you can't tell what's going on. But when you have guys like Keanu Reeves, who can actually fight, the fights can seem real. Go watch any of the Expendables films and then watch John Wick or John Wick 2 to see what I mean. Also this film has so far the best scene of 2019 and maybe the best action scene in a long time. It features John Wick and two dogs. Holy shit.

John Wick 3 isn't just an action film, it also has a rich story. Like the previous films, John Wick 3 expands the mythology of Wickworld, the universe of John Wick. We discover more about the mysterious organization that oversees everything and sees what happens when those in charge step out of line. This is a nearly flawless film. My only minor gripe is the final fight scene goes on a few minutes too long. But besides that John Wick 3 is absolutely one of the best films of 2019 so far. If you are an action fan there is no excuse to not see this.

Rating: 4.5/5


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