Film: John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum

GENRE: Action

RATING: R for strong violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 11 minutes

STARRING: Keanu Reeves (The Matrix, Speed, Point Break)

Halle Berry (Die Another Day), Ian McShane (Deadwood)

DIRECTOR: Chad Stahelski (John Wick, John Wick: Chapter 2)

WRITERS: Derek Kolstad (John Wick), Marc Abrams (Bernie Mac Show),

Chris Collins (The Wire, Sons of Anarchy), Shay Hatten (newcomer)

PLOT: John Wick is on the run with a every assassin trying to kill him to get their $14 million reward.  

FULL DISCLOSURE: I expected a kick-ass conclusion to the franchise.  

STORY STUFF: Lots of fast paced action sequences mixed with slower exposition about the assassin organization rules. Some great action set pieces (like the library and the bizarre storage space with knives and chandeliers) but I’m wondering why it took four people to write this. Unfortunately, the fights start to get repetitive as the movie goes on.

ACTING STUFF: Reeves plays Wick with amazing precision as he kicks ass and shows the pain. Berry is a welcome addition and looks like she’s having a lot of fun. I also really liked Mark Dacascos (Hawaii 5-0) as Wick’s main nemesis who also happens to be a fan-boy. Asia Kate Dillon (Billions) is perfectly calm as The Adjudicator which plays nicely against the smarmy McShane. I was glad to see Lance Reddick (The Wire) get more screentime but wished Jason Mantzoukas (Brooklyn Nine-Nine) got more lines. Overall a fun cast.

ARTISTIC STUFF: It’s mind boggling to imagine just how much time must have gone into choreographing those fight sequences. They are pretty spectacular. I was also super impressed with the lighting; always a nice contrast of colours that make each space come alive. Beautiful cinematography at times.

VERDICT: Four and a half stars out of five

SEE IT IF: You’ve seen the first two and want more kicks and gunshots.

UPCOMING REVIEWS: Aladdin