Sometimes picking a movie to watch can be a difficult process. There are almost endless selections across multiple formats and it is easy to spend more time searching for a movie than actually watching a movie. Usually when I can’t pick a movie I find myself settling on action movies where there may not be too much of a plot but are still enjoyable because of the badass action. Fortunately for all my action movie fans out there John Wick 2 packs in plenty of amazing action and doesn’t totally ignore the plot. I absolutely loved the first movie so I couldn’t wait to sit down and watch the second one.
The plot does not overly complicate itself. If you have seen the first movie then you know that John Wick (Keanu Reeves) was a retired assassin with a massive reputation who gets pulled back into the game by the actions of a young Russian mobster. Chapter 2 essentially picks up right after the events of the first movie. After John briefly reenters his unique world to get revenge on the people who wronged him in the first movie he receives a visit from a fellow assassin: Santino D’Antonio. He has heard that John is back in the game and he needs to call on John to pay him back on a marker, which is sort of like a blood oath type favor. (A marker is given out between assassins when one needs a favor and it must be honored when requested. If refused then your life is basically put on the line.) John does not want to honor his marker with Santino and is adamant that he is still retired, despite the stories to the contrary. Since the marker was refused, John has now broken the honor code. In order to show John that he is serious in his request, Santino blows up John’s house. Eventually John agrees to hear Santino’s request but he isn’t happy about it. He is tasked with killing Santino’s sister Gianna who has a seat at the High Table: a group of powerful assassins and Santino wants that seat. John reluctantly accepts the assignment to clear his debt and goes about planning and setting up. I won’t spoil the rest of the movie from there but I can tell you it is quite exciting and action packed.
There are strengths galore in this movie. The action and fight choreography are second to none and they are on full display for the majority of the film. If you appreciate action then you will love John Wick Chapter 2. Keanu Reeves really is impressive with his dedication and training for this role. You can see how comfortable he is holding the various firearms and he looks natural in his movements while shooting and fighting. In addition to Keanu, the other actors are all enjoyable in their roles. Riccardo Scamarcio is bit bold and quite smug as Santino and his performance sort of makes you want to punch him in the face but that’s really a compliment to his acting. The rapper Common plays Cassian, one of Gianna’s bodyguards, and he delivers a no nonsense, straight forward tough guy.
Really the only weakness I found in the movie was the character Ares, played by Ruby Rose. She is a deaf bodyguard for Santino and is easily out shined by the other characters. She doesn’t necessarily do anything wrong she just doesn’t do anything particularly great either. She seems to be included in the cast since she was a trending celebrity at the time. I didn’t find anything else to dislike here.
Even though I felt Ares was a weak character it wasn’t a huge detraction from the movie as a whole. It kept me entertained for the entire 122 minute run time and didn’t feel like it was too long. I loved the action and was wowed by the choreography. The actors all played their roles well and worked with each other to keep the story moving along. You really can’t ask for much more from the action genre as this movie stands out from the crowd with a spectacular rating of 0 Apologies. I would recommend this to anyone and everyone, as long as you don’t mind the violence.
-Movie Apologist