Here some the third part of a neck-snappingly violent franchise, starring Reeves as an ex-hitman with a Russian folklore nickname Baba Yaga.
Now Wick is ex-communicado with a $14m bounty on his head and all of that because of a killed puppy a few weeks ago. But this is still the same John who once killed three men in a bar with a pencil.
What is interesting, during those two weeks in a film, John Wick has taken down literally hundreds of New York’s gangsters, gone on an Italian ‘vacation’ to take down even more, and finally ended up in New York against all kind of assassins looking to grab a slice of that $14 million bounty.
There is a very good scene at the beginning of the film where John is seeking a doctor’s help when only 10 minutes left before all his privileges will be canceled. The doctor can’t make the last stitch because time run out and John doing it himself in the best traditions of Rambo.
Trying to find a way out Wick somehow managed to get to Casablanca to meet old friend played by Halle Berry. Their partnership, gun fighting, and dogs protection are the most enjoyable aspects of the film, and it’s a good world to explore in the fourth part of the franchise.
Definitely, Sofia’s pack of German shepherds are the perfect fit for Wickiverse and they do their job to protect as the supernatural parkour beasts. Get ready K9 fans!
The whole movie can be split into three parts – Escape From New York, Welcome to Casablanca, Back To New York. If the first part is fueled by John’s charisma, the second part is taken by Sofia and dogs, the third part is after Mark Dacascos who brought energy and humor, but not enough to fully salvage the film.
Mark Dacascos stars as the primary antagonist, Zero, who sent to kill John Wick and everyone who helped him before. Also, he is a sushi chef with an endless array of deadly ninjas at his service. His best duo of killers played by Silat experts Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman.
Seeing them both fighting John is a dream of every action fan but choreography wise this is a disaster. Silat art is fast and dangerous especially with the knives but Wick’s style is more of a mix of BJJ and Karate with straight kicks and throws. John looks like an old man playing with young energetic kids.
As always a vast majority of the men sent to stop John Wick are merely faceless obstacles that he must slice and shoot his way through. He gets a knife into a man’s eye, he beats a giant man with a hardbound library book, he fires bullets into killer’s necks. He does anything he can to get his way through.
Each movie of the franchise is judiciously choreographed to maximum effect, and this time John puts his anger and aggression towards fellow assassins which respect John and secretly admire his work as the best fans what is very confusing… even for John.
Action sequences so stylishly executed that they remind one of the best films of action genre masters such as John Woo, Luc Besson or Walter Hill. Like others, the brilliant action mayhem and well-choreographed fights made John Wick movies so memorable.
Director Chad Stahelski is clearly onto something and I wish he can explore the Wick’s world deeper and tell stories of many characters with the adrenaline-fueled approach.
John Wick 3 is a masterpiece of action cinema breathtakingly beautiful to look at but struggling of new ways to tell an old story.
