John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum. A movie review.

No spoilers!

I’m a big fan of the John Wick movies. JW3 is another fine entry in the violent action series.

Keanu Reeves is back as John Wick, the almost-retired hit man who loves his dead wife and wreaks bloody vengeance on, well, pretty much everyone over the death of the dog she left him. JW3 starts where JW2 left off: the High Table of assassins has excommunicated him and he needs to get out of New York fast in order to survive. This leads to lots of murder and mayhem, with Wick disposing of various assassins in new and gruesome ways. JW3 is all about loyalty and the consequences of Wick’s actions in previous films. There’s even a sly Matrix joke.

There’s a bit more world building about the High Table, some new characters, some new twists and a set up for the next movie (how unexpected), but don’t expect searing dialogue and multi-textured layers of meaning. That’s not what these films are about.

The JW franchise has prided itself on its use of practical effects and wonderfully visceral fight sequences. There are several action set pieces in JW3 and Keanu continues to perform many of the fight scenes himself. But age is catching up with him and in JW3 there’s more use of stunt doubles and CGI than previously. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, it’s just an observation. There seems to be more guys getting punched and kicked in the balls than ever before, but maybe I just noticed it more this time around (there’s lots of crossed-leg moments in this film, especially when the dogs come out—for guys, anyway).

JW3 is great. Wick punches, kicks, throws and shoots his way out of trouble. And back into it. I’ll be back for the next one.

Rating: B+

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