Some roles just fit an actor like a finely made bespoke suit – and, in this case, said suit has a special bulletproof lining. . . you guessed it, I’m talking about Keanu Reeves as John Wick. Everything, from his direct delivery, longish hairstyle, and action persona, fit the character, and in the third feature in the franchise, 2019’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, director Chad Stahelski (who has helmed all three efforts) builds on the previous two, creating an over the top, stylistic extravaganza that will make action fans giddy!
If you saw Chapter 2, the film opened with silent film star Buster Keaton projected on a New York City building, symbolic in that this character is in many ways like The Great Stoneface’s iconic persona. . . as I put it in my previous review, Wick “bumps, crashes and bangs his way through foes, a wandering ‘tramp’ with no true home, albeit, wealthier, better dressed and much more connected”, well, as this picture opens, we once again see Keaton on a New York City building, only this time it is a sequence from his 1922 short Cops (a narrative in which the man is constantly being chased by the police, evading them time and time again in clever ways) – implying that this time, Wick will not be on the offensive, but rather, the defensive, endlessly tracked down after being marked as ‘excommunicado’ by the all powerful High Table for breaking their rules at the end of the last film.
Given one hour before the ‘hit onslaught’ begins, thanks to his old acquaintance Winston (Ian McShane), Wick must work on the fly, all while being pursued by a cavalcade of deadly assassins, from 7 ft 3 in Philadelphia 76ers centre Boban Marjanović, to a group of ninjas led by lethal sushi chef Zero (Mark Dacascos), this is his biggest challenge yet.
And never has a film better shown a character use the tools available to him. Developing creative, awe-inspiring, and stylish sequences that will have you wondering ‘who is thinking this stuff up?’, Wick utilizes a book, an antique store full of old guns and knives, a stable full of horses, and anything else at his disposal to dispatch the almost never-ending baddies – the creative team also find ever-present ways to show Wick’s unique style and disposition (he returns said book to the shelf after using it, while also reusing knives or stealing dead or wounded foes’ ammunition for his own gun).
Hand in hand is an absurdist, almost awkward humour. Stahelski finds a clever cheekiness within all of the violence (the knife fight mentioned above has a few of those moments, while a later gunfight shows a vexatious situation where both Wick and his fellow adversary are stymied by being out of ammo at the same time. . . there is also the respectful adoration the ninjas show for Wick – honoured to be at war with the legend), humour in even the darkest of violence (do not shoot someone’s dog!).
Though, unlike the last film, his friends are in nearly as much trouble, for both Winston (and inadvertently his right hand man Charon – played by Lance Reddick) and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) are being punished for helping the unpopular hitman achieve his task seen in the previous movie (the hammer being brought down by The Adjudicator – played by Asia Kate Dillon). . . while other blasts from John Wick’s past, (newcomers to the franchise) The Director (Anjelica Huston) and Sofia (Halle Berry) are not liking the idea of risking their own positions within The High Table to help the man with the fifteen million dollar bounty on his head.
Also, like in the last film, The High Table and its very strict setup (and intricacies) are further explored. We finally learn where those interesting gold coins are minted – a location run by Berrada (Jerome Flynn), and, at long last, meet the man who runs the shady international organization – someone simply known as The Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui).
Majestic in its set design (which goes hand in hand with the locations used), Parabellum’s scope is akin to a James Bond film – from the bustling streets of New York City to exotic Casablanca, each building, outdoor location, and everything in between, is exquisitely chosen. Likewise, Dan Laustsen’s (The Shape of Water) cinematography only further builds the atmosphere within these locales – Wick as a shadowy silhouette, ninjas hidden in the dark recesses of buildings, an inviting neon glow that should be anything but.
Much like one of those silent action packed shorts from the 1920s, Parabellum is a nonstop bullet train ride through some of the most exciting conflicts ever captured onscreen. Though there is some plot, it is minimal, yet the story drives forward in a logical way, never losing its momentum or steam, an exhibition in action at many times nonpareil – of course there are brilliant moments found in other motion pictures like Baby Driver and Atomic Blonde (both recent examples), but never done on this major scale – the final scene, without giving much away, is neon lit, set to Vivaldi’s “Winter” (perfection, as this film will soon be considered a classic much like the song), and features foes with head to toe bulletproof body armour. If you look up the meaning of ‘Parabellum’, it comes from the Latin phrase, “Si vis pacem, para bellum”, meaning, “If you want peace, prepare for war” – and a better description for this film there is not. . . though perhaps they could also work revenge into the title next time.