Everyone’s favourite ‘Baba Yaga’ is back in the third instalment of the John Wick franchise, Chapter 3 Parabellum. After the events in Chapter 2 where John Wick broke a cardinal rule by killing D’Antonio on Continental grounds, John finds himself ‘excommunicado’ losing all underground privileges, band from all services and on the run with a $14 million bounty on his head. With all of New York after him, John must escape from New York as he seeks to remove the bounty.
If you have seen the other two films, you will know that things work a little differently in the underworld. Golden Tokens pay for anything and everything you desire, Rules are never to be broken and Blood Pacts or Tickets may be called in at any time without question. You will also know that John Wick takes no prisoners and isn’t afraid to kill anyone that gets in his way. With an entire city trying to take him out, John calls in a ticket from his past to get out of town.
Leaving his dog with Charon (Lance Reddick), the concierge of the New York Continental, John successfully flees to Morocco to seek out an old friend in Sofia (Halle Berry). With Sofia’s own two attack dogs in tow, John enlists her help as they seek out the one that sits above the table, The Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui), the only one that can remove the bounty.
John is not the only one in this chapter that is feeling the pinch. The High Table, a council of high-level crime lords that control the underground, send in The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) to hold everyone accountable for their role in assisting John Wick. Winston (Ian McShane) is being kicked out of the hotel business and the Bowery King (Lawrence Fishburne) is being removed from the throne. With the power of the High Table behind her, The Adjudicator enlists the services of the assassin, Zero (Mark Dacascos) to take out John.
It goes without saying, John Wick is not a film for those that are squeamish. Right out of the blocks this film is packed with action, blood and gore. The fight scenes are incredible and are often shot using longer single take sequences, giving the audience a true sense of realism. The chase sequences are just as amazing. The attack dogs during the main fight scene in Morocco were brilliant, however the whole sequence with Halle Berry seemed to be a bit of a waste of time and could almost be done without. Mark Dacascos’ character, Zero, was unnecessarily cheesy and comical. Whilst their fight sequences were brilliant, it didn’t feel like Zero was a character to be feared but more for comic relief.
Negatives aside, if you are after a film with non-stop action, violence, blood and gore, then John Wick 3 is most definitely the film for you. It is a fun film to watch and doesn’t really require much attentiveness to follow the plot. Keanu Reeves is of course brilliant and 100% within his element in this film, and with the way it ends – I sincerely hope there is a Chapter 4.
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is in theatres now.