Reviewed by Sarah List
John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum has emerged as one of the most anticipated film releases of the year.
Originally blazing onto the screen in a hail of bullets in 2014, Keanu Reeve’s John Wick emerged as the anti-hero for the modern era and captured the hearts of action fans in the process. Although it’s entirely possible to go straight to the present release, if you haven’t seen films one and two yet it’s worth the investment as episode three looks to reveal more about the origins of Wick that go some way to explaining why he’s in such a world of trouble in the present movie. Characterised by poetically choreographed fight scenes that would make John Woo proud, this beautifully shot series of films really capture the human contrast of beauty and violence.
John Wick is the assassin’s assassin in a dark underworld of shady characters who must adhere to a strict set of guidelines set by The High Table, in pursuit of their profession. He escaped the killing life, but a series of unfortunate events and old debts have led him back and have now trapped him. Parabellum opens with the clock ticking down to the enactment of his excommunication from the assassin underworld, whereupon a $14 million price is placed on his head. So the race to find The Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui), the only person who can reverse the contact on his life begins. Wick makes use of favours owed to him by The Director (Anjelica Huston) and Sofia (Halle Berry) to make passage to The Elder, but as can only be expected from a John Wick film, this is no easy (or blood free) process.
If you’re unfamiliar with series, Wick’s skills are both deadly and vicious – this is an extremely violent movie, but the violence is necessary and is never contrived. It’s rated MA 15+, but it had most of the audience wincing audibly throughout the fight scenes. Whereas most films feel repetitive as fight after fight occurs, the use of varied weaponry, fighting styles, venues, and a genuinely kooky ultra-adversary named Zero (Mark Dacascos, hilariously fanboying in the presence of Wick) keeps the pace and interest level high.
With his roots in The Matrix and Constantine, Reeves fits this role like no other could, delivering a believably conflicted man who must kill to survive, but longs for a life of peaceful existence. Huston and Berry’s roles are small but begin to throw speckles of light onto the history that has made Wick the deadly force that he is today. In particular, Berry’s character Sophia understands the loss that Wick has suffered, and the lengths that people must go to in order to protect those that they love.
John Wick 3: Parabellum is must see for any fan of the action genre.
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