John Wick: Chapter 2 Review

The second chapter of John Wick's story really takes the series to a new height fully hitting its stride. Picking up shortly after the events of the first film Wick (Keanu Reeves) is after his car with extreme focus and precision. This is a strong and fun way to introduce the character once again while also helping to build upon just how dangerous he truly is.

After completing the minor mission to obtain his vehicle, Wick is visited by a mysterious man called Santino (Riccardo Scamarcio) that holds his marker. These markers bind a professional in their field to complete a certain task whenever called upon. The man wants Wick to kill his sister so that he may take her spot on the council and that's where the adrenaline filled ride continues.

Wick heads out to Rome meeting a wide variety of known associates to collect sharp weapons, stunning attire and information. Things go mostly well though Santino figuratively stabs Wick in the back and sends a crowd of assassins after him. The core of the film is definitely dealing with the fallout of this meeting and a wide range of people attempting to take Wick out.

With this being a sequel it greatly improves on the dark and solid aspects of the original to create an even more intricate world of assassins. It has all the intense moments one would expect from this second chapter and even more with a number of unique action sequences.

The film also has supreme pacing making it feel like a smooth adventure as Wick travels around racking up massive body counts and taking out any other assassins that get in his way. The film kept a serious mood while also giving some murderous laughs on the occasion and Keanu once again really brought it in this role. The supporting characters are also great with built up tension between them and obvious connections that are seen without being discussed which adds a deeper impact.

The film is also shot beautifully with some very stylized portions that keep the action even so you're never lost in what's going on. Some of my favorite aspects were the whole Rome preparation area, him shooting people up during the night in Rome and a very visually appealing museum shootout.

The Conclusion

John Wick: Chapter 2 not only hits harder than the first, but improves on all aspects for an amazing adrenaline filled ride. Keanu once again brings a dark brooding assassin onto the screen and it was excellent to see the character actually perform his previous profession as it was wondrous to view.

There's also such a well developed lore they're creating that gives us hints of what happens, but doesn't dive in to keep things wonderfully mysterious. The action was solid, the scenes looked beautiful and this was a great sequel that certainly builds towards future Wick adventures.

John Wick: Chapter 2 Review at Theater with Standard Viewing

Rating Overall: 9.0