Keanu Reeves returns as the ruthless hitman John Wick, after the popularity and cult following of the first film. The film reintroduced Keanu Reeves to the action genre and effectively revived his career, and he seems to be having a ball with the character.
Now, he gets a second chance to shine in this new chapter after fans expressed their desire in seeing more of John Wick. When a film gets a sequel, it’s almost always bad news. Thankfully, director Chad Stahelski has continued to impress with his skillful camera work, particularly in action scenes, to provide one of the finest action sequels available.
How to Stream or Download John Wick: Chapter 2
To stream or to download the film from a digital store of your choice, click on the Download button that is located below this review. Check out also our review of the third film in the series: John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
The Movie Review
John Wick – the cold and merciless assassin who craves seclusion – is compelled to travel Italy to pay an inevitable blood debt to the Italian mafia boss, Santino D’Antonio, this time with a new dog and his precious 1969 Mustang still missing.
However, the Boogeyman will soon be lured into a difficult assignment in the heart of Rome’s underground criminal society, as every assassin in the industry fantasizes about cornering the renowned Wick, who now has a huge bounty on his head. John Wick can forget about a quiet retirement as he is drenched in blood and relentlessly pursued, and no one can make it out alive.
Chad Stahelski, who co-directed the first John Wick, is on his own this time. Beside him is screenwriter Derek Kolstad who inevitably returns for this sequel as he created the franchise himself. The second chapter is more action-packed than the first, but they’ve also expanded on the assassin universe that we only got a peek of in the first.
The tone is consistent – intentionally goofy, corny, but with really gritty action moments, and it works. While narrative has significantly grown, it remains basic enough, with a typical power-hungry mafia boss as the enemy.
Despite the fact that it’s purely an action film, it also starts to pick up on humor. Sometimes it’s because of how strangely well-behaved and tidy these killers are, and other times it’s simply because the battle sequences are startlingly badass.
What I liked about this sequel is that although there’s little to no speech and long action sequences, John Wick remains enigmatic and engaging.
I didn’t need the characters’ backstory since the first chapter was already great without it, but the fact that they made an effort to is respectable.
The stunt choreography in this film is more fun, stylish, and brutally vicious than it was before. And just like the first film, majority of the action sequences are shot in wide angle views, as well as shot in one long take. Overall the cinematography and lighting of this movie is beautiful, and the cast did great in here.
There are a few things I didn’t like – the people on the train, for example, don’t seem to be bothered when a bleeding man with a badly concealed weapon runs past them. But at this point, do we expect anything to make sense in this film? Ruby Rose’s role as the silent bodyguard Ares is questionable, they tried to make her look more badass than she is when she only gets one quick so-so fight scene.
The Bottom Line
In conclusion, John Wick: Chapter 2 offers everything an action lover could want. Great fight scenes, loads of guns, car chases, and some great one-liners dripping with dark humor.
This sequel took everything that made the first film amazing and multiplies it by a thousand, it has an old school spirit but still keeps a modern twist. It’s a movie I’m sure fans of John Wick and the action genre will be rewatching again.
