John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum is as utterly mental as it is brilliant
Keanu Reeves’ bullet-proof, suited-and-booted assassin’s third outing is a Technicolor assault on the senses
FIRST they took his dog, then his car – now the High Table want John Wick’s head on a plate.
Having broken one of the assassins’ sacred codes in the second film, there’s now a 14million dollar bounty on his head.
Classed as ex communicado by the crime-lord organisation, Wick must somehow get out of New York and find a way to stay alive long enough to change their minds. Luckily, he still has a few favours to call in from old friends.
This is without a doubt one of the most entertaining franchises in cinemas at the moment. Keanu Reeves’ bullet-proof, suited-and-booted assassin’s third outing is a Technicolor assault on the senses, borrowing heavily from his previous franchise trilogy The Matrix.
Difficult to fit into any genre, it’s part Western, part kung fu, part Billie Eilish video. It works well because it takes itself so seriously. There is no mugging to the camera, no smirks, no moment you feel as though anyone is going through the motions.
While not exactly a romantic first-date movie, the audience I sat with had the time of their lives, because this is one film that does not f*** about. It’s a cacophony of violence, a relentless avalanche of bullets and blood.
People winced, screamed, laughed and were left exhausted by the end — it really does tire you out. You need to think of this film as 130 minutes of fighting with a couple of moments for people to catch their breath. It’s borderline too much.
Having said that, there are some genuinely great set pieces — from a bone-crunching fight in the New York public library to an incredible moment where Halle Berry, playing frenemy Sofia, co- ordinates a ten-minute attack on upwards of 30 men with nothing but a single pistol and two German Shepherd dogs clad in bulletproof vests.
Yup, you read that right. It’s utterly mental and utterly brilliant. The choreography and stunt work is top notch, even if Keanu is starting to look a little knackered (I refuse to believe he’s 54).
If anything negative can be levelled at the film, it’s the flimsy-as-hell plot (seriously, I’m not sure we need a John Wick origin act if I’m perfectly honest). There is a bewilderingly useless appearance from Anjelica Huston (zero point in her character).
And there is a criminal underuse of the supporting cast, especially Halle, who is kickass. You might be wondering what the hell happened to her career. She’s probably done nothing more than become an older woman in Hollywood.
Her lack of screen time is a ridiculous state of affairs given she’s an Oscar-winner who can still really deliver on all counts. Others that crop up are Game Of Thrones’ Jerome Flynn, complete with a truly shocking accent, and franchise stalwarts Laurence Fishburne and Lost’s Lance Reddick.
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There is better use made of Billions star Asia Kate Dillon as the stoic adjudicator. I can’t imagine anyone going to see this not knowing what kind of thing to expect — so therefore I can’t imagine anyone not having the time of their lives.
Can you have too much of a good thing, though? John Wick 3 really tests that theory.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, 130 mins (15)
★★★★☆