John Wick 3 ups the ante in action, cementing itself among the trilogy elite. The role Keanu Reeves was born to play, this man will legitimately kill you with anything.
Super-assassin John Wick is on the run after killing a member of the international assassin’s guild, and with a 14 million price tag on his head – he’s the target of hit men and women everywhere.
Star Wars. Nolan’s Batman. The Godfather. Lord of Rings. These are just some of the defining trilogies of our time. Now enter John Wick. It’s honestly pretty damn crazy to look back at both these films and the star, Keanu Reeves and how far they have come. Keanu was always a fan favourite, notorious for being the worlds nicest man, and being a genuinely great action star. Then came along a little film titled John Wick, that changed the game forever. Fast paced action, great story telling and immersing us into this universe where every one from your mother to your dentist could be a high end assassin.
A book, knife, axe, belt, fists, guns, more guns, actually the most amount of guns. On land, in the dessert, on a horse, under water, seriously this man will kill you anywhere, anytime. 91 total kills, that’s how many lives John Wick takes in all sorts of ways. You might be saying, why is that number so low? Why doesn’t he kill more people than the sequel, well it’s simple really, Halle Berry steals a ton of those kills. Known as Sofia, Halle Berry and her two German Shepard’s are introduced into this incredible universe. When I first heard she was joining the John Wick world, I didn’t know how to react. She can be great, but I didn’t know if she would the right fit. Well, let me tell you, she kicks so much ass, joining Keanu in the biggest shootout of the film, where she’s taking no prisoners and appears to be a force to be reckon with. I won’t be shocked if she gets a spin off for herself. This universe is growing and I couldn’t be happier about it.
The movie opens up with John on the run after the events of Chapter 2, and it doesn’t take long for us to be introduced to Ernest played by the giant Boban Marjanovic. Watching Boban fight Keanu Reeves in the New York City library will be without doubt one of the best movie moments of 2019. If you don’t take the John Wick universe for what it is, you will have a hard time enjoying them. Yes, everyone is an assassin, yes there are gold coins and a hotel that permits you from any sorts of violence. What director Chad Stahelski has done though, is create a vast world, where you become immersed in it all. They build mythos and great backstories, and you learn to care for these characters especially John and his dogs. There are so many cool characters sprinkled throughout the world, from Winston (Ian McShane) the manager of The Continental, Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), Charon (Lance Reddick), who they actually let shoot some guns this time around and it was awesome.
Like every new installment they introduced us to new zany characters like the films villains The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillion) and Zéro (Mark Dacasos). Zero is on par with John Wick, and watching them kick the living shit out of each other was a real treat. Here’s the thing, Zero is like the worlds biggest John Wick fan, so complementing him for killing his protégés, and even for kicking his ass was such a unique and hilarious concept. The ending even reminded me of a video game, where John is climbing levels fighting sub-bosses until he got to the final and top platform where Zero was waiting. This movie doesn’t let you breathe, it’s a non-stop adrenaline rush, where the body count is sky-high. I still think it’s insane that Keanu Reeves is doing what he’s doing after everything he’s been through in Hollywood, cementing is legacy as one of the best action stars this world has ever seen.
Overall John Wick 3 is just a ton of fun, it builds on an already rich foundation, and you just want to keep watching Keanu Reeves kill people. The action is always so crisp and clean and so well executed, that it’s no surprise how many action films are stealing the John Wick method. Expect to see a lot more of these films, and if you haven’t checked out this series yet, do yourself a favour and check them out!
John Wick Chapter 3 = 91/100
