Guess who's back, back again? If your answer was any of John Wick, your favorite blog, or Eminem, you'd be right! I mean seriously, his most recent song with Logic? Fire. Are we still saying fire? Or did Game of Thrones/Daenerys ruin that too? Anyway, we're back! As is Keanu Reeves for the third installment of the super fun shoot 'em up franchise, John Wick. Welcome to the latest iteration of The COARD.
Cody: What a movie to kick off our come back tour. Derek Kolstad and Chad Stahelski swung for the fences with 2014's franchise launcher, John Wick. Keanu Reeves signed on relatively early to Kolstad's script and actually recruited Stahelski in to direct based on their prior relationship working on, you guessed it, The Matrix trilogy. The result was a breath of fresh air in the action genre, which is no easy feat to achieve. Since then, the success and cachet of the franchise has only grown. To say the third installment follows a similar formula as its predecessors is to do a disservice to the wholly unique tone of this franchise. Yes, what you're walking into is essentially another nonstop killing spree, but sometimes getting exactly what you expect is completely satisfying. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is your go to meal at your favorite restaurant. It's your favorite band putting out another summer jam that reminds you why you loved their sound to begin with.
Roy: The John Wick series has risen to the top and entered the conversation as one of the greatest action franchises in cinema history. It's not just the body count, although if you're curious you can find the exhaustively detailed reports of that here and here. It's how this movie delivers the mayhem. Is this series anything more than Baba Yaga killing over 190 people in its first two installments? Looking at that kill total, one could be forgiven for believing that all there is to this series is an incredibly handsome man exhibiting a stellar proficiency in judo throws and head-shots. But one would be oh so very wrong. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum takes brutal violence and transforms it into art. It isn't just the cinematography, or the choreography, or the music, or the settings.... It's all of it. Stahelski takes every aspect of this movie and finds the beauty in it. Almost as if he is a director that rejects the premise that the darker side of humanity cannot contain beauty as a personal challenge and proves everyone wrong. Make no mistake, this movie was beautiful. In many different ways. Parabellum is an example of a movie that owns what it does best and never lets up. It's clear that everyone on this film works with intensity to make sure that you're not bored for even a moment. It starts with a relentless pace and never lets you up off the concrete.
Cody: And that pace somehow doesn't come at the cost of good cinematography. Dan Lausten got an Oscar nomination for Shape of Water just last year, another movie where the imagery does so much of the heavy lifting in setting the tone. Parabellum takes a moment to let the scene breathe at all the right moments, and in fact often does so in the middle of the aforementioned frenetic fight sequences. Speaking of those fight sequences, I can't even begin to imagine the sheer amount of hours that must go into the choreography for the movies in this franchise. The scenes these films are probably most famous for are the ones where Wick takes on eleventy billion baddies; killing each with some unique combination of hands, knives, or good ole fashioned guns. The effort involved and the attention to detail do not fail to impress. And yet you still get the sense that everyone involved is aware of, and willing to lean into, the absurdity behind this all. They want you to have fun, and Parabellum is just that.
Roy: With all of the things we liked about this movie, you will not find us gushing about the acting. It's fine. It's not bad. Everyone does their part. But don't go to this expecting to see the give and take between two master thespians. You are going to a ballet. A note that I believe we are meant to realize as that particular dancing style is featured in this movie. It's a great comparison. During the first act, we are shown the physical toll ballerinas must pay if they are to excel at their craft. The fight choreography was no different. Of course we enjoy watching John create, quite literally, human pin cushions with a plethora of throwing knives, but the technical skill behind that scene had to take hours upon hours of dedication and work. In addition to being a visual feast, Parabellum is well written. In a moment where we, along with John are catching our breath, we are given a spark of levity that does not disappoint. Underneath it all, John's main antagonist is just a fanboy. Mark Dacascos does an excellent job being all of us. ..... If all of us were ninjas. It doesn't matter that he was trying to kill John. He gushes to his idol the first chance he gets. Understanding that he has found himself in a moment that is larger than him, and really.... he just hopes he can live up to it.
Cody: One of my absolute favorite pieces of this franchise is the way they've constructed the assassin underground. There is no time to waste on long explanations of minutiae of the world the characters reside in, because that time could be used wowing you with amazing kills. The lack of deliberate world building is a completely intentional tactic, according to Stahelski. Parabellum introduced us to an adjudicator, and you quickly understand that this high table employee does exactly as the name would suggest. The various judgments and punishments dolled out to those that helped, or didn't actively try to stop, Wick served as major tools to move the plot along outside of what Wick himself was up to. Wick spends roughly three-quarters of the movie fighting his way toward the ability to ask forgiveness from a man called The Elder, who leads the high table. That addition didn't work as well as the others for me (how is he running the high table from a location so remote that just getting supplies there seems like a logistical nightmare, let alone the complexities of internet infrastructure). My opinion on the value of each individual element weighs much less to me than my overall respect for Kolstad and Stahelski's continued commitment to not slow down and baby the audience. It's just another way the franchise gets it right.
Roy: The "one who sits above the table" didn't work as well as they wanted it to. But it didn't harm the film either. It served as a transition from act 2 to act 3, plus getting there was really fun. I was astonished at the stunt work with the two German Shepherds. The always lovely Halle Berry had two attack dogs that were vicious, and yet you couldn't look away. What I loved most about that action sequence was the directors chose to show us the raw power these animals have when trained to go after a target. There was no CGI involved when you saw a German Shepherd lunge at a bad guy's gun hand from 8 feet away, grab hold, and allow their own momentum to fiercely drop a 200lb man. It was terrifying to behold. And just when I thought the dog scenes couldn't get any cooler, one of them jumped up a 12 foot wall using Halle Berry as a springboard. The creativity in this violent story rises above any expectations one could possibly have going into these films.... and I'm including die hard fans in that group. No one walks out of this disappointed.
Cody: Those. Dogs. Were. Awesome. Dogs have always been a central part of the ethos of this franchise. Stahelski actually wanted to get a dog fight into John Wick 2, but he underestimated the amount of time required to create "Dog-Fu." It became the first set in stone plot point of Parabellum. That action sequence was the best of the film, but there were so many other moments that made the audience ooh, ah, squirm, and even laugh. Wick hammering a knife into a man's skull got a lot of, "ohhhs" from the theater I attended. They threw in that random toenail removal just to make sure you were paying attention. We were. Loud groans. Though, the most audible moment of the movie came when Wick and Charon (Lance Reddick) switch up their fire power during the battle for the continental. After witnessing the immense durability of the baddies armor against standard weaponry, that first shotgun blast that removed 80% of some unsuspecting soldier's head was both shocking and hilarious. The crowd was left giggling with amazement, and I was compelled to join them.
Roy: After really thinking about it, I have one complaint about this movie. The last three fight scenes. It was when John is battling the top tier of the ninjas as the movie closes down.Wick vs. two ninjas, that formula repeated, followed by Wick vs. Zero - head bad ninja. It turned into a long sequence of the exact same fighting styles in the exact same location, it began to get monotonous. Compared to the rest of the movie though it is a small complaint and if I'm being accused of nitpicking, I won't disagree with you. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum delivered more than we could have asked from it. I am thrilled that John Wick 4 is on its way.
Cody: And that pace somehow doesn't come at the cost of good cinematography. Dan Lausten got an Oscar nomination for Shape of Water just last year, another movie where the imagery does so much of the heavy lifting in setting the tone. Parabellum takes a moment to let the scene breathe at all the right moments, and in fact often does so in the middle of the aforementioned frenetic fight sequences. Speaking of those fight sequences, I can't even begin to imagine the sheer amount of hours that must go into the choreography for the movies in this franchise. The scenes these films are probably most famous for are the ones where Wick takes on eleventy billion baddies; killing each with some unique combination of hands, knives, or good ole fashioned guns. The effort involved and the attention to detail do not fail to impress. And yet you still get the sense that everyone involved is aware of, and willing to lean into, the absurdity behind this all. They want you to have fun, and Parabellum is just that.
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| Zero: Terrifying ninja of death |
Spoiler alert! We'll get into some of the more specific plot points below, so continue on your own volition.
Cody: One of my absolute favorite pieces of this franchise is the way they've constructed the assassin underground. There is no time to waste on long explanations of minutiae of the world the characters reside in, because that time could be used wowing you with amazing kills. The lack of deliberate world building is a completely intentional tactic, according to Stahelski. Parabellum introduced us to an adjudicator, and you quickly understand that this high table employee does exactly as the name would suggest. The various judgments and punishments dolled out to those that helped, or didn't actively try to stop, Wick served as major tools to move the plot along outside of what Wick himself was up to. Wick spends roughly three-quarters of the movie fighting his way toward the ability to ask forgiveness from a man called The Elder, who leads the high table. That addition didn't work as well as the others for me (how is he running the high table from a location so remote that just getting supplies there seems like a logistical nightmare, let alone the complexities of internet infrastructure). My opinion on the value of each individual element weighs much less to me than my overall respect for Kolstad and Stahelski's continued commitment to not slow down and baby the audience. It's just another way the franchise gets it right.
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| Death on 12 legs |
Cody: Those. Dogs. Were. Awesome. Dogs have always been a central part of the ethos of this franchise. Stahelski actually wanted to get a dog fight into John Wick 2, but he underestimated the amount of time required to create "Dog-Fu." It became the first set in stone plot point of Parabellum. That action sequence was the best of the film, but there were so many other moments that made the audience ooh, ah, squirm, and even laugh. Wick hammering a knife into a man's skull got a lot of, "ohhhs" from the theater I attended. They threw in that random toenail removal just to make sure you were paying attention. We were. Loud groans. Though, the most audible moment of the movie came when Wick and Charon (Lance Reddick) switch up their fire power during the battle for the continental. After witnessing the immense durability of the baddies armor against standard weaponry, that first shotgun blast that removed 80% of some unsuspecting soldier's head was both shocking and hilarious. The crowd was left giggling with amazement, and I was compelled to join them.
Roy: After really thinking about it, I have one complaint about this movie. The last three fight scenes. It was when John is battling the top tier of the ninjas as the movie closes down.Wick vs. two ninjas, that formula repeated, followed by Wick vs. Zero - head bad ninja. It turned into a long sequence of the exact same fighting styles in the exact same location, it began to get monotonous. Compared to the rest of the movie though it is a small complaint and if I'm being accused of nitpicking, I won't disagree with you. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum delivered more than we could have asked from it. I am thrilled that John Wick 4 is on its way.
