John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum (2019)
Director: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Mark Dacascos, Halle Berry
Primary genre: Action
Secondary genre: Thriller
Third genre: Neo-noir
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An undisputed truth exists: third cinematic installments are mostly anemic at best (if not flat out embarrassing) with a creatively bankrupt team seeking to recapture forgotten glories. You can literally count in one hand movie trilogies of consistent quality. Fortunately, “John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum” is one of these rare exceptions that honors its predecessors and continues enthusiastically to built upon their foundations a fascinating and intricate world of assassins under a particular social structure, a rule set and code of honor always in a respectful manner.
Starting exactly where “Chapter 2” ended, director Chad Stahelski opens the film with some of the most memorable 30 action minutes in movie history highlighting the diversity of locations (e.g., NY stables, the Continental) that only the city of NY can offer. There are several holy s**t moments - whether it is a highly entertaining knife throwing fight in an antique store or a nasty skirmish inside a library - which will make you wonder how they pulled it off without risking significant injury from the actors’ part. The action as a whole is absolutely bonkers relying on novel ideas (e.g., dog fu, horse fu!) and a variety of settings that the stuntman-turned-director and his army of stunt coordinators and fight choreographers use to perfection. As we move towards the finale, Stahelski keeps amping up the stakes with tougher opponents and more intricate arenas (almost following a videogame logic) leading to his own visually stunning homage to Bruce Lee’s “Game of Death” (1978).
Lit under Dan Laustsen’s outstanding neon inspired cinematography which can convert a rainy alley into a Blade Runner-esque panel of deep blacks and hypersaturated blues and reds, the film is simply gorgeous to look at. Combining real locations with the exceptional production design of Kevin Kavanaugh that bears oriental and western aristocracy influences (a distinct visual feature of the franchise itself), “Parabellum” might be the most stylish entry in the series yet (until the release of “John Wick Chapter 4” (2023) of course) easily passing as an adult live art show.
“Guns. Lots of Guns“
-John Wick
Amidst all this chaos that stretches from the moody NYC to the desert of Morocco, the slender figure of John Wick in typically stoic fashion, fights numerous waves of enemies all wishing to kill this lethal machine of human carnage. Keanu Reeves, already synonymous with the look of the soft spoken assassin, has to reluctantly fight due to the plethora of rules keep setting him against the might of the High Table. Thematically consistent where everyone and everything is tied to someone or something, this neo-noir universe continues to explore how deep the rabbit hole of no-good-deed-goes-unpunished is in a society where favors, assistance and a piece of advice can be used against you playing with the sentiment of a Greek tragedy. This mythology remains fresh despite the excessive body count expanding upon previous concepts and the current underworld infrastructure (e.g., the 50s styled, tattooed secretaries are fantastic, there are additional hints on Wick’s upbringing) showcasing just enough to keep the audience’s desire to come back for more. If this type of approach worked twice, why fix it? However, although it is a welcome change of scenery, the segment in Casablanca feels more like an exotic detour than a necessary plot element reduces the first act’s superb momentum.
Keanu’s commitment to this physically demanding role should be recognized going to the extreme lengths of a young Jackie Chan in his “Project A” (1983) and “Police Story” (1985), placing himself in several scenarios that no ordinary, inexperienced and passionless actors would dare to be involved in. Key players return and they are on top form; McShane, Reddick and Fishburne have more meat in their roles and the newcomers have enough sharp characterization to register in the audience’s memory with Anjelica Huston’s theatre director having a limited but strong presence and Asia Kate Dillon’s Adjudicator (coming hot from “Orange is the New Black” (2013-2019)) being just about right in an (on purpose) emotionless role. But like before, the lack of a physically imposing villain is strongly felt and despite Mark Dacascos’ martial art prowess, his Zero does not possess a threat and the script’s attempts to insert Marvel like humor to his villain fall rather flat.
“John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum” won’t convert cinephiles who are not invested in lengthy action films. Yet, its impeccable cinematic presentation warrants your attention. Technically superb (the sound design is awesome), atmospheric and gorgeous to look at, “Parabellum” is still something more than brainless fighting and bullet exchange encounters. John Wick remains a likeable guy whose the audience root for a happy (if there is such a thing) ending. Considering that it does not betray the franchise’s roots by selling out to lackluster thrills while simultaneously celebrating the contributions of stuntmen and women and creating love letters to all time genre greats, “John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum” is a valiant effort by people who love making movies. Who would have thought that a stuntman turning director would have such a unique cinematic eye and panache for exquisite action?
Stunning third chapter in the John Wick saga
+John remains consistently reliable
+Innovative and fresh action sequences
+Stunning cinematography
+Ambitious and bold
+Supporting cast
-Lack of a memorable antagonist
-Morocco segment feels like a detour