John Wick: Kapitel 3

The continuation of the seemingly futile premise that is the John Wick saga.

Filled with many of the usual and choreographed violent action sequences you would come to expect. In between this, there seems to be an inordinate amount of bureaucracy and supposition surrounding the ominous "High Table".

For all accounts it's well made, but it's just more of the same and rather derivative of the first two. Just don't expect anything more from this and it'll do fine.

Another significant increase in body count contribution, not including the injured and\or maimed, as John inserts his wickedness into the flesh and bones of those whose aim is unworthy of their role in organised crime, either that, or they've never handled a weapon or are visually impaired or only shoot blanks or all three.

About 6 months ago I saw a picture of the set of 'John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum' featuring Keanu Reeves on horseback shooting at motorcyclists. It was such a great looking shot that I have been waiting eagerly to see how it looked in the actual film ever since. It did not let me down. The style this film possesses is insane. It is one of the best looking action films I have ever seen.

The pacing of this film is also incredible. It starts the action immediately and almost never lets up. I can't wait to see what the death count was in this film because it will be truly enormous. The only problem is when the death count is that high the film can struggle to keep the originality up. After a while each death starts to look very similar to the last, and the 50 before that, and it can even become a little tedious to watch.

The only other flaw I came across with the film was that John Wick is on the defence too much. Instead of being angry and on the hunt like the first two films, for the majority of the Chapter 3 he is in survival mode. Still very fun to watch, but it isn't quite the same as seeing him take brutal revenge.

And the film is brutal. I could be wrong but I don't remember the first two entries in the series making me cringe in terms of violence as much. There were some very hard things to watch at times in this movie even for me, and I pride myself on handling those sorts of things fine most of the time. One of them early on got an audible gasp from the entire audience and I saw multiple people having to turn their heads to the side.

'John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum' is two hours of your life that will pass by very quickly. This is as non-stop action as films get. I think this is the third best action series currently producing movies (after 'James Bond' and 'Mission Impossible'). Will it get a third one? The first entry on the trivia page suggests no, however the end of this movie suggests yes? I guess we will have to wait to find out. For now enjoy the hell out of this one.

I'm a fan of the John Wick films. The action sequences are of the highest order and there is quite a bit that feels unique in each action scene. By half way through JW3I started to long for a plot line or a human relationship. There needs to be more to a movie than just fighting.

John Wick 3 is without a doubt the best action movie to have come out in a few years. And its so surprising and refreshing to see that movies like this still exist. Most action movies you see is filled with ridiculous amounts of shaky-cam, fast edits and way over-the-top fights. This is perfect. You can see all action clear as day, and by god the stuns in this film are extraordinary. Why the Academy Awards don't award talent like this is beyond me. There were times that I wondered if they had used CGI, because someone nuts must be willing to throw themselves from motorbikes and through glass. But whatever case it is, its a dam joy to watch.

As with the previous 2 installments, John Wick 3 is where Keanu Reeves is at home. This role was just made for him, and watching him stand toe to toe with powerhouses like Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne and Anjelica Huston, not only shows how good he is as an action star, but as an actor in general. He hasn't been given a role this good since the Matrix, but those movies never showed how good he was just at acting. He sells this movie.

The supporting cast is all amazing, and I loved how they left their character's hanging, giving us hope of seeing them in future installments. I also loved how more in-depth the movie spent on world-building. The way it brings in different cultures into this assassin guild is done very well.

John Wick 3 is an amazing action movie that never loses its steam throughout, and its 2 hour run times flies past, because of non-stop action that is directed and choreographed to perfection. I can't wait to see if they manage to pull off the 4th like they did here.

8.8/10