John Wick 3: Parabellum Review – brilliant & bloody

I am just back from watching John Wick 3 at the cinema, and I still have ringing in my ear. I had seen the first two movies of the trilogy at home, but that doesn’t do justice to the insane carnage that John commits throughout the movie. From New York, to Casablanca and then back to New York, John Wick 3 starring Keanu Reeves is insane. Keanu plays retired but-not-actually retired hitman John Wick, a rather grumpy guy who doesn’t say much but who can kill people really well.

Story? What story?

So what is the story about? I am glad that you asked. It doesn’t really matter of course, the story is there to provide action, one-liners, cool friends and side-kicks, a bit with a dog and something about a hotel. But if you really want to know… John Wick 3 starts immediately were the second movie left off. John is on the hunt from the assassin’s guild called The High Table. While he manages to evade them (read – kill them all) some of his associates are not as lucky.

The always suave Winston (Ian McShane), the owner of the Continental Hotel, is faced with an ultimatum. He needs to hand it over in 7 days or face the consequences. Other associates such as the Bowery King (Lawrence Fishburne) and Sofia (Halle Berry) also face ‘consequences’. But none of them are willing to bend to The High Table, and John is equally willing to help them out. And so you have a mix for 2+ hours of mindless violence, silly but cool characters and almost perfect scenery.

John Wick 3 is an incredible movie – from a technical point of view. The choreography of the fight scenes is fantastic. Initially the movie is strangely devoid of gunfire, but after half an hour of watching John, and his assassin side-kick Sofia shoot people, you feel afraid of becoming deaf. John Wick 3 is also blessed with perfect cinematography, courtesy of Dan Laustsen.

John Wick 3 Conclusion

As John Wick 3 is a ‘technical’ movie – one that focuses on fighting and looking good, you do start to notice the deficiencies. Just as with other movies such as this it outstays its welcome. John Wick 3 is at 2+ hours too long. The final part, the fight for the Continental Hotel, could have been over with in half the time. And then there is the fighting. How many times one of the bad guys misses a shot or an attempt at stabbing is incredible. All this carnage in a world were apparently none of the authorities notices anything.

For those keeping score, there also numerous Easter egg references to The Matrix. It’s a Keanu Reeves movie after all!