John Wick: Chapter Two

A vast improvement over 2014’s John Wick, John Wick: Chapter Two follows Keanu Reeves’ unstoppable title character as he’s drawn back into the criminal underworld by a shady figure (Riccardo Scamarcio’s Santino D’Antonio) calling in a debt – with the film, naturally, detailing the violent carnage that ensues after Wick embarks on a quest of revenge. It’s interesting to note that John Wick: Chapter Two, though a full 20 minutes longer than its predecessor, boasts a much more streamlined feel than the original movie, with the film, directed by Chad Stahelski, boasting an opening half hour that effectively sets up the scenario designed to draw out the central character – with the better-than-expected atmosphere heightened by a strong first action sequence and a typically engaging Reeves performance. And although the film’s momentum takes a hit with its first proper shootout – Stahelski bathes this segment in dim lighting and less-than-coherent handheld camerawork – John Wick: Chapter Two eventually charges into an unexpectedly engrossing midsection that’s rife with fairly captivating set-pieces and interludes. (There is, for example, a blistering and exciting montage that sees Wick taking on multiple assassins.) The movie subsequently progresses through a series of above-average sequences until reaching its impressively mesmerizing climax (which transpires within a mirror-heavy art installation), with the end result an ideal sequel that jettisons what didn’t work in the original and ultimately stands as a seriously compelling contemporary actioner.

*** out of ****