John Wick: Chapter 2Choices made in desperation become regrets. John Wick: Chapter 2 is a stylish neo-noir action movie about an erstwhile assassin named John Wick (Keanu Reeves), who possesses both a preternatural skill at killing as well as a longing to put it all behind him for good. A jealous camorra lord named Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) calls on John to repay his blood debt to him, having previously helped get him out of the unsavory business of killing. John is forced to accept the crooked gangster's offer; refusal would mean being hunted by the entirety of the secret world of assassins for breaking one of their few taboos.
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As with the previous entry, John Wick: Chapter 2 is a fast-paced adrenaline rush of slick action and neon-drenched "gun fu" that recalls the exciting and over-the-top spectaculars from the Eighties. The action set pieces are inspired by these films as much as contemporary video games, combining the rapid and frenetic intensity of a "bullet ballet" with the speed and efficiency of a man on a literal kill streak. During the introduction, Russian gangster Abram Tarasov (Peter Stormare) reminds the audience about John Wick's infamous legacy as a savant of destruction. He is called "The Boogeyman" or "Baba Yaga" due to his reputation, and the first several minutes showcase his cool rage and unparalleled finesse with violence in his pursuit to reclaim his favorite car. The appeal of John Wick: Chapter 2 comes from the thrill of a concentrated dose of action combined with a signature aesthetic that is all its own. The fast-paced shootouts and martial arts recalls The Matrix, which helped to make Keanu Reeves an iconic action movie star. ("The Bowery King" is played by Laurence Fishburne, who also starred alongside Keanu Reeves in The Matrix.) The musical score drives the action, like the pulse-pounding firefight in the Roman ruins--a synth-laden beat by Le Castle Vania infuses the scene with intensity. The conclusion of John Wick: Chapter 2 is set in an art gallery--an appropriate lair for the pretentious Santino--and builds to a showdown in a mirror gallery right out of Enter the Dragon. John is a larger-than-life man of action; he is highly proficient in gunplay, aggressive driving, and hand-to-hand combat, and is even capable of performing complex martial arts after being hit by a car. Yet despite his efforts to remove himself entirely from his former life, he is never truly free, evidenced by Santino's "marker". From the moment Santino calls in their blood pact, John refuses to comply before he even knows what the job is. The reason for this is simple: it represents the inescapable truth that he has never left his old world behind, and is still beholden to all of the same bureaucracy and inexorable rules that come with it--ironic for a man who built his legacy on unlawful killing. John's refusal of the marker results in the destruction of his home, driving him the "Continental Hotel", a series of upscale hotels across the world that represent neutral ground for assassins, with the New York City branch run by Winston (Ian McShane). The significance of the Continental is explored in more depth than in the first film, especially in how it is emblematic of the society which John has tried to distance himself from. Winston explains that there are but two rules in their organization: you cannot refuse a marker and there is to be no violence in the Continental. John eventually acquiesces to Santino's proposition, despite his growing resentment toward the serpentine gangster. Santino orders John to kill his sister, Gianna (Claudia Gerini), so that he can claim her place in the camorra. That Santino double-crosses John should come as no surprise, since Santino has been exploiting John's heretofore poor judge of character from the moment he lured him with his diabolical deal.
Santino understands that John cannot escape his role as a pawn in a larger game played by power brokers who are comfortable dwelling in their rules and dictums; and as long as these rules exist, John will always be a victim of someone else's power, no matter how skillful he is at killing. Santino observes something about John that is also shared by several others who cross paths with the shadowy killer--he never really retired. John never suggests that he misses the killing; but what becomes clear about John's place in with this society of killers--complete with its own currency of specially minted gold coins--is that he technically should not have been allowed to leave in the first place. Consider the lengths to which he must have had to go to leave this lifestyle; it required an alliance with the unsavory Santino, who--despite his charming first impression--is a sniveling coward who hides behind dozens of disposable gunsels and thugs dressed in stylish suits. Winston chides John on his poor choice of playmates, but is himself a firm believer in the immutability of their society. When he tells John that he should do Santino's dirty job so that he will be "free", it is steeped in irony--John isn't free, nor has he truly ever been. When John returns from reclaiming his Mustang early into the film, he packs away his "business attire" beneath the floor of his basement and seals it up with concrete once again--an ironic moment, considering that John Wick: Chapter 2 is an action movie, and he is sure to be in need of the tools of the trade in short order. The gold coins represent literal blood money, minted for exclusive use by professional killers in this inner circle, and gives their "kingdom" an extra layer of legitimacy as a sovereign entity. The Continental--and the services associated with it, be they in New York or Rome--operates like a perverse parody of high society. The resident arms dealer is depicted in tongue-in-cheek fashion as a "sommelier", and John's tailor advises him about the bulletproof "lining" in his custom suit--a tactical uniform in this elite realm where fashion meets firepower. John is constantly forced to accept that his situation is like being trapped in quicksand--the more he struggles to escape, the deeper entrenched he becomes. Santino doesn't just betray John's trust; he spins the killing of his sister into a means to legitimize his position in the camorra by putting out an open contract on John. By accepting Santino's marker so as to not be hunted by every assassin in the society, John ends up being hunted by every assassin in the society. What makes Santino so villainous isn't just that he is deceitful and ruthless, but that he exploits this system for personal gain, using John as his stepping stone. It becomes infuriating to John to face an enemy who is able to neutralize him at almost every turn through a combination of nearly limitless resources and a complete lack of integrity.
Recommended for: Fans of a slick and intense action film, filled with fast-paced shootouts, colorful assassins, and a pumping soundtrack. John Wick: Chapter 2 is an ultra-violent film with protracted action scenes, but it also tackles themes of freedom and rigid bureaucracy removed from morality, and the difficulty in coming to terms with being highly skilled in one arena, but powerless against something abstract, like the laws of a governing power.
Santino understands that John cannot escape his role as a pawn in a larger game played by power brokers who are comfortable dwelling in their rules and dictums; and as long as these rules exist, John will always be a victim of someone else's power, no matter how skillful he is at killing. Santino observes something about John that is also shared by several others who cross paths with the shadowy killer--he never really retired. John never suggests that he misses the killing; but what becomes clear about John's place in with this society of killers--complete with its own currency of specially minted gold coins--is that he technically should not have been allowed to leave in the first place. Consider the lengths to which he must have had to go to leave this lifestyle; it required an alliance with the unsavory Santino, who--despite his charming first impression--is a sniveling coward who hides behind dozens of disposable gunsels and thugs dressed in stylish suits. Winston chides John on his poor choice of playmates, but is himself a firm believer in the immutability of their society. When he tells John that he should do Santino's dirty job so that he will be "free", it is steeped in irony--John isn't free, nor has he truly ever been. When John returns from reclaiming his Mustang early into the film, he packs away his "business attire" beneath the floor of his basement and seals it up with concrete once again--an ironic moment, considering that John Wick: Chapter 2 is an action movie, and he is sure to be in need of the tools of the trade in short order. The gold coins represent literal blood money, minted for exclusive use by professional killers in this inner circle, and gives their "kingdom" an extra layer of legitimacy as a sovereign entity. The Continental--and the services associated with it, be they in New York or Rome--operates like a perverse parody of high society. The resident arms dealer is depicted in tongue-in-cheek fashion as a "sommelier", and John's tailor advises him about the bulletproof "lining" in his custom suit--a tactical uniform in this elite realm where fashion meets firepower. John is constantly forced to accept that his situation is like being trapped in quicksand--the more he struggles to escape, the deeper entrenched he becomes. Santino doesn't just betray John's trust; he spins the killing of his sister into a means to legitimize his position in the camorra by putting out an open contract on John. By accepting Santino's marker so as to not be hunted by every assassin in the society, John ends up being hunted by every assassin in the society. What makes Santino so villainous isn't just that he is deceitful and ruthless, but that he exploits this system for personal gain, using John as his stepping stone. It becomes infuriating to John to face an enemy who is able to neutralize him at almost every turn through a combination of nearly limitless resources and a complete lack of integrity.
Recommended for: Fans of a slick and intense action film, filled with fast-paced shootouts, colorful assassins, and a pumping soundtrack. John Wick: Chapter 2 is an ultra-violent film with protracted action scenes, but it also tackles themes of freedom and rigid bureaucracy removed from morality, and the difficulty in coming to terms with being highly skilled in one arena, but powerless against something abstract, like the laws of a governing power.