Chad Stahelski is back again directing the third installment in the story of “John Wick”. Subtitled “Parabellum,” it re-assembles the well-known characters from its first two films and picks up where “Chapter 2” leaves off after Wick (Keanu Reeves) kills a man inside The Continental Hotel in New York City, violating rules and making himself “ex communicado” in the process.
On the run and carrying a fourteen million dollar bounty on his head, he operates in the shadows (as much as he can), crossing the world to try and find a way to get back into the good graces of “The High Table” in order to stop running for his life in this action-packed thrill ride. Reeves again brings the dog-loving Wick to the screen in the way that he has done before, while Ian McShane, Lance Riddick, and Laurence Fishburne return as well. Joining the fray is Halle Berry as Sofia, a figure that ties to Wick’s past and gives the filmmakers a chance to show off the work that animals and their trainers play put in, which is very impressive given that it is almost all practical.
Given how much I enjoy my action films, this one does not disappoint. With a lot of graphic violence and well-choreographed fight sequences (highlighted for m by on taking place in an arms depot), this is the most fun film from an action standpoint that I have seen in quite some time. There is no doubt that the cast and crew truly saw this as a labor of love, and it shows.
The only drawback for me is that the script itself gets more complicated than I think it should be. The number of subplots woven into the story actually took away from my enjoyment versus adding to it. Granted, it wasn’t enough to keep me from seeing it again, but enough to knock it down a notch in my assessment to the point. That being said, I WILL see it again in the theater and will buy it when it is available for home viewing.