John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

First off -- look at that poster! How cool is that? Kudos to Lionsgate for letting some artists provide some incredible images for them. 

Second, in case you were unaware, Rath's Reviews now has an Instagram. My content is slightly different over there to accommodate that platform's differences, but please check it out and give it a follow if you "Reg the Gram" as the kids say! The Instagram handle is: @raths_reviews.

Now onto the film.

John Wick is a series that has been an absolute delight to watch grow. As far as trilogies go, we've gotten these three films rather quickly (the original released only in 2014, and its sequel in 2017) but the franchise as a whole has grown in popularity in the interim months. That's largely in part to the quality of the films, but also because Keanu Reeves' star seems to be on the rise again as people learn what an awesome dude in real life he is. In a film where John is referred to as the Baba Yaga, the Boogyman, the essence and idea of Wick in real life is so enormous that many joked he should be the one to help the Avengers take on Thanos. 

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, despite it's lousy add-on title, ups the ante considerably for this series in many ways. After the success of the first two films and the society's addition of John Wick to action film lore, everything seems more confident this time around. Reeves, director Chad Stahelski, and the technical components all feel like they're playing in the big leagues now. 

And the result is the best John Wick film yet, and one of the best pure action films in quite some time (not including the Mission Impossible series)

I mean, come on. Anyone will have that kind of accuracy with the gun that close

Look at the good boys!

Chapter 3 picks up moments after Chapter 2 and it's increasingly clear in this series that you must have seen the previous films. The film doesn't take much/any time to backtrack and explain so you'd be best off watching the first two [awesome] films. John is on the run as he's about to be "excommunicado" from the world of assassins. There will be a $14M bounty on this head and, if you didn't know this before, basically 1 out of every 10 people in the world is apparently an assassin for hire. So yeah...a lot of people are after Wick. The film uses the bulk of its time expanding on the lore of Wick himself and the rules of the High Table. Most of what happens here is us, as the audience, learning what rules are even available for John to try and reverse the mess he's in. It *mostly* works really well and pushes the story and series forward in interesting ways aside from a semi-weird and unrealistic detour into the desert. Much like the world of Inception, I want to learn more about this world and these rules - it would be awesome for a fan to write their own unique story set in this world *furiously jots down book idea*

Reeves continues to underplay Wick to great success and his constantly-exhausted, angry portrayal of the character is part of what makes him so likeable. He's not a typical action hero that never gets touched and has a one-liner after every kill, he's a man who gets beat to s**t time and time again, but somehow, someway, always comes out on top. The supporting cast, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Lance Reddick, gets more to do this time around and I'll be eager to see how they grow throughout future installments. Halle Berry (who's looking like a legit snack) joins this time around and is setting up the stage for a massive career comeback between this and her future with the Kingsman. She kicks total ass here and immediately had me wondering when she'll get her own spin off.

"Boo! I'm the Boogyman!"

But what you, and really any fan seeing the Wick films, care about most is the action. And boy does it deliver, almost exhaustingly so. From the get-go, we're treated to fight after fight and chase after chase, each being unique from the one before it. In a way Chapter 3 almost plays like an "on foot" Fury Road (which is a high AF compliment). By the time it all ends though, we've made it through a horseback chase, motorcycle chase, knife fight, book fight, fights with dogs, gun fights galore, etc. So it's a shame then that Wick: Chapter 3 decides to end on easily its weakest fight of the film: an exhausting and overlong fist/knife fight that is less about choreography and more about surviving. It's filmed gorgeously, but ends up being a letdown after nearly every scene before it would likely make a "best of" list in terms of sequences from the series as a whole. When you're given an earlier action scene that includes dogs launching themselves at bad guys - and I mean launching - a brawl with little finesse (comparatively) feels like a let down. Take that complaint with a grain of salt though because it's literally me stating there's too much action so yeah...there are worse things that could have happened. 

Parabellum is also a technical achievement that I know I'll be nominating for a lot of Rath Awards. Aside from some of the insane stunt work and choreography, it's all filmed wonderfully with minimal, but appropriate editing. I do really wish that the Wick series would make more of an emphasis on a "long take" because I feel like the balls-to-the-wall style of it would be incredible to see across a 3-5 minute, non-edited segment. You're also going to get your ears blasted, in a good way, as the hits are bone-crunching, the gunfire is deafening, and all the in between is gruesomely loud. Chapter 3 is the most violent in the series, which is saying something, and the first death you're treated to will prove just how in-your-face the rest of the film will be. 

I always love a good Wick gif!

If you've been reading my reviews for a while, you know I love action. And I love it when action movies deliver and give me new ideas and stunts to think about. John Wick: Chapter 3 - ...er um...Parabellum...is one of those films. Even more rare, it's an example of a third film in a trilogy that's actually the best, and I don't think it's going anywhere for a long time. 

CONS

• Found the desert excursion to be weird and didn't feel like it actually fit with the world of Wick
• The final fist/knife fight is far too long and a comedown from the awesome stuff we've seen before. It pushes the film into that "exhausting" action realm

PROS

• The world and lore are heavily expanded upon and used here. It's cool to see them double down on Wick's past and the larger possibilities of the series
• Keanu is the f**king man! Enough said
• Strong supporting cast that get more to do. Halle Berry nearly steals the show and should make another appearance ASAP
• The goodest of good boys!
• Excellent cinematography, editing, sound editing, etc. This is a technical achievement and part of the reason why the Wick films are a cut above
• Violent, unique, and fun action. The majority of the film is some of the best we've seen from this series
• Darkly humorous in some spots, but not over used
• An action spectacle that keeps on giving until you've had nearly as much punishment as John. But it'll leave you saying "Thank you sir, may I have another!"

Rath's Review Score | 9/10