John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum — GoodTrash Critique

John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum Review

In 2014, thanks to a little film known as John Wick, Keanu Reeves’ career found a bit of new life. That first film opened right after Reeves’ 49th birthday to critical acclaim and surprising box office success. Incorporating awe-inspiring fight sequences, a breakneck pace and straightforward story, John Wick worked incredibly well as a film, while laying seeds for an intriguing wider world.

That wider world became visible in 2017’s John Wick 2. With only a slightly larger budget than the first film, John Wick 2’s worldwide gross more than doubled the original. The sequel made strides to flesh out the assassin underworld only hinted at in the original and introduced components such as The High Table, which governs this network of killers. John Wick 2 also lands one of the best sequel-setting endings in recent history and sees the titular character marked as excommunicado and sent on the run.

2019’s entry into the John Wick franchise is fully titled John Wick: Capter 3 — Parabellum. Starting en media res in the minutes after he is sentenced excommunicado, Wick (Reeves) runs through the streets of New York. The prepared-for-anything Wick is soon on a journey to meet The Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui), a senior member of the High Table in hopes of making amends. This 131 minute action film takes John Wick on his most global adventure yet as he tries to put his past to rest once and for all.

The John Wick series has built a reputation on innovative, well choreographed fight sequences that incorporate weapons, martial arts, grappling etc. to tell a story. And if you’re coming to Parabellum in hopes of more dynamite fights, you won’t be disappointed. Reeves continues to keep up with the action of these films at the age of 54. His stoic, dry performance as Wick is as compelling as ever and he seems to be having the time of his life.

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The film’s first act features a progressive series of fight sequences as Wick’s excommunicado grace period comes to an end and every assassin in the city starts to zero in. Beginning in a library, moving through the streets of New York, into museums and horse stables, Wick fends off all comers in series-best sequences.

Jonathan Eusebio, credited as fight coordinator on the first two Wick movies, is credited as the fight choreographer for Parabellum. His work here is to be praised as we get some very fluid sequences that combine elements from multiple schools of combat. But, his work would be in vain if it wasn’t for the efficient cinematography of Dan Lausten (Shape of Water, Crimson Peak) and Evan Schiff (John Wick: Chapter 2, Proud Mary). Action sequences are only as good as a film’s crew allows them to be. Parabellum’s team does a fantastic job. The camera work, editing and choreography make great economic use of the sets and frame to deliver coherent set pieces that are easy to see and follow.

This orchestration all comes together thanks to director Chad Stahelski, who made his directorial debut with John Wick in 2014, following a career as a stunt coordinator and double—most notably standing in for Brandon Lee following his death on the set of The Crow. Stahelski has shown considerable growth as a director over the course of this small franchise. He and, creator/writer of the series, Derek Kolstad, have lovingly developed an interesting, anachronistic world. One filled with enigmatic and eccentric characters who understand and follow a set of rules that only they fully understand, but that Kolstad and Stahelski have slowly built out for movie goers.

This approach has allowed for a subtle assimilation into a world of assassins and operatives. Unlike other stories that try to beat you over the head with exposition, rules, backstories, prologues and epilogues, John Wick slowly rolls these ideals out. Parabellum furthers this exercise, introducing us to an even wider world within this underground. Wick’s journey takes him across the globe to Morocco, where he encounters the Casablanca version of The Continental (a hotel where work is off limits) and its manager, Sofia (Berry). Wick pleads with Sofia for help to meet another associate, Berrada (Jerome Flynn). These efforts send Wick on a trek through the desert, introduce more players, rules and destinations.

Halle Berry’s Sofia is a dynamic addition to the Wick roster. Though her role is only seen for a portion of the film, she gets a very memorable extended fight sequence. Plus, it’s just great getting to see her do dope stuff. Her fight sequence, with her two dogs, is my favorite of the movie, even if it might not be the most innovative, I could have watched it go on for a while.

In fact, as the movie progresses, some fights begin losing steam. The film starts at an 11 and then idles at a 6-7 for a while. And although it’s fun, it’s also exhausting. Structurally, the movie plays as a video game brought to life, as wave after wave of unnamed baddies attempt to take Wick down—growing in difficulty in each new stage of the game.

The narrative does know when to breath, though. With an expanded world come expanded subplots. Known side characters get their own stories, including Winston (Ian McShane), the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) and the newly introduced Director (Anjelica Huston). These characters look to get expanded arcs moving forward.

This expansion leads me to one of my biggest internal conflicts with the movie. The movie initially seems designed to draw things to a conclusion, especially based off the setup from Chapter 2. Rather, the film adds multiple new layers and breaks more things open. I am excited to see more John Wick, because I think he’s a fun, fascinating character grounded deeply in a very human root—trying to work through grief and loss. But, Parabellum sets the stage to take the character further.

In many ways, John Wick plays like the series prologue, introducing the character and his pain. Chapter 2 feels like the true start of a trilogy, with Parabellum acting as the bridging chapter. Which means Chapter 4, and I assume their will be a Chapter 4 considering the performance of one and two, could wrap up a proper narrative trilogy of John Wick tales. If a sense of finality never arrives, it’ll be hard to sustain momentum on these narratives and this franchise.

As it stands, John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum is a blast. It’s a hard R, adult-oriented action film with zero sex or nudity that lands amidst a season of Disney-driven tentpoles. It’s refreshing, it’s fun, it’s engaging. One attendee at the screening had no familiarity with the franchise and had no issues following the narrative. That’s one of the great things about each entry in this franchise, you can drop in at any point and pick up everything you need to know. I appreciate that sort of narrative.

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