John Wick: Chapter 2 - Movie Review

5 starsEvery single time Keanu Reeves is written off or dismissed, he comes bouncing back with a powerfully charged character.  Hell, he even got booed for his performance in Knock Knock.  I think I was one of the eight critics who gave him credit for knowing the tone of the horror flick.  This time, though, Reeves is the target of almost every bounty hunter out there and, guess what, he survives with style and grace and answers each and every assassin’s bullet with a boot to the head.  How’s that for protecting one’s image? 

John Wick is the latest character in his catalog of anti-heroes.  No one expected shit from the first film and it delivered more sustained spectacle than the last Bond.  It also left audiences and critics hungry for more carnage.  A quick three years later and the “more” we all craved is now leaving us with a hunger pang that that I’m not even sure a third John Wick film could satisfy.  Come back, John!  John, come back!!!

When the formula works as well as it does here, why change it? 

Know this: John Wick: Chapter 2 is just as good as the first chapter.  It is over-the-top spectacle for sure.  And, yes, some things have changed, but leave it to Reeves to fill the gap of having no real plot with an action-minded performance that will leave you gasping for air.  Reeves will never win an Oscar for ANY performance, but – if the award were given for sheer joy and effort in bringing a film to life – he’d be a fucking champion with names for all of his golden statues. 

Directed by Chad Stahelski (who has doubled for Reeves in the past when the stunts have been too risky), the second chapter in this (hopefully) ongoing series is, not surprisingly, a stunt man’s wet dream come true.  These truly are fists of fury.  With number two in the series, you have even more guns, more explosions, and even more wild car chases.  AND NO DOGS DIE!!! 

Through it all, Reeves remains untouchable – well, almost – in his suit and tie.  Amazingly enough, this sequel does everything right and gives us exactly what we want from the title character.  Almost every frame of this b-movie beast is an organized approach to carnage and vehicular mayhem and, once again, it absolutely rocks with a forward momentum that simply will not stop.  Ever. 

Narratively, the film expands upon Wick’s past and provides us a glimpse into his backstory.  It’s merely a peek, but it is enough to whet our collective appetite.  This ain’t Shakespeare, so the film cleverly knows when enough is enough and just lets both the fast and the furious fly.  And, as it co-stars Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo, and Ian McShane, there’s enough star power surrounding the sequel to keep its 120-minutes super-charged.

While Wick goes international, the film remains a slick ride.  Sure, sure, it’s completely silly toward the end and – as it never takes itself too seriously – invites playful banter from its cast, yet the film never slips into parody.  You might chuckle a bit, but you are not ever laughing AT the film.   That’s an important quality to recognize.

John Wick: Chapter 2 leaves you wishing there were more pages to turn.  It is a sequel that walks the walk and gets it right.    

 

John Wick: Chapter 2 - Movie Review

MPAA Rating: R for strong violence throughout, some language and brief nudity.
Runtime:
122 mins
Director
: Chad Stahelski
Writer:
Derek Kolstad
Cast:
Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane
Genre
: Action
Tagline:
Never stab the devil in the back.
Memorable Movie Quote: "You stabbed the devil in the back. To him this isn't vengeance, this is justice."
Theatrical Distributor:
Summit Entertainment
Official Site: http://www.johnwick.movie/
Release Date:
February 9, 2017
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date:
No details available.
Synopsis: In this next chapter following the 2014 hit, legendary hitman John Wick [Keanu Reeves] is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins' guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world's deadliest killers.

 

John Wick: Chapter 2 - Blu-ray Review

Blu-ray

Blu-ray Details:

Home Video Distributor: Shout Factory
Available on Blu-ray - October 11, 2016
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit); English: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 (48kHz, 24-bit)
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Once again, the film was shot with the Alexa camera and it, like the first one, looks stunning on blu-ray. The blu-ray release from Lionsgate presents an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.40:1. The image is crystal clear with sharp, pinpoint details and no major technical flaws. The cinematography is often bathed in blue or green light so flesh tones are expectedly a little pale but fit in with the rest of the transfer. Black levels are of a high quality. The release also features a pounding Dolby TrueHD 7.1 audio track. Music is strong and smooth, with a powerfully natural and dominant presence. Big, heavy effects often rule the day, with gunfight and explosions throughout while the ambient effects are somewhat limited but nevertheless engaging.

Supplements:

Commentary:

Now that Reeves’ career has been revitalized by the unexpected success of the first one, he gets close and personal with the commentary track he records here with director Chad Stahelski. It’s a good listen, especially for fans of the hall of mirrors sequence.

Special Features:

Due to the success of the original flick – both on the screen and with the home release – we get a bit more featurettes, including deleted scenes and two funny ones with Wick guiding us through a museum. The Blu-ray and Digital HD bonus materials include six exclusive featurettes that take a detailed look at different aspects of the film including the intense stunts, incredible action sequences, the stylized look and locale of the film, establishing the world of John Wick and how, once again, they made this action film their way.

  • Deleted Scenes (8 min)
  • Retro Wick: Exploring the Unexpected Success of John Wick (5 min)
  • Training John Wick (12 min)
  • Wick-vizzed (5 min)
  • Friends, Confidantes: The Keanu/Chad Partnership (10 min)
  • As Above, So Below: The Underworld of John Wick (5 min)
  • Car Fu Ride-Along (5 min)
  • Chamber Check: Evolution of a Fight Scene (10 min)
  • Wick's Toolbox (8 min)
  • A Museum Tour with Sir Jonathan Wick (2 min)
  • Kill Count (3 min)
  • Dog Wick Short (2 min)
  • Theatrical Trailer

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