John Wick returns in a tale that doubles down on the action and also expands heavily on the mysterious world surrounding him. Taking place four days after the first film, Wick - once again played by Keanu Reeves - is visited by a man named Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), whom John had once asked to help him when he carried out the “impossible task” that originally got him out of the hitman life. Santino, having heard of what happened in the previous film, comes to ask for the favor returned in the form of a “marker,” a coin that symbolizes an unbreakable blood oath.
Santino asks for John to kill his sister Gianna (Claudia Gerini), so he can take her seat at the “High Table,” which is a council of high-ranking crime lords. This sees the action shift from New York to Rome, where it shows just how deep this crime organization truly runs. Many of the same rules apply, including a Rome Continental, run by a man named Julius (Franco Nero), which has the same rules as the New York Continental, where no “business” is to be conducted on its grounds. And when a contract is put out on an individual, it’s now explored how it becomes a truly global event.
There’s still an air of ridiculousness in this film, as there was in the first film. Though this time around, it loses a little bit of the camp value. Part of the fun of the first John Wick was the fact that, while it retained a heart, it was silly and it kind of knew how silly it was at times. The way others spoke about John was over-the-top that it was hard to not crack a smile as it gleefully foreshadowed what everyone knew was coming, and would easily get audiences pumped up. This film tends to take itself a tad bit more seriously, and the way certain elements are played out - such as just how many people are truly involved in this crime underworld - don’t always hit their mark (no pun intended) because of it.
That’s not to say this film doesn’t know how to have fun. It’ll still lighten the mood at times, most notably with the introduction of Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King, a crazed pigeon-owning crime lord who rules the sewers and all the other hidden spots in the city. While Fishburne is only in the movie for a short period of time, he fills the void that Michael Nyqvist left with scene-chewing, over-the-top delivery. He delivers corny dialogue but he’s always cracking a smile when he speaks, with an air of self-awareness that’s easily charming.
And of course, the movie is at its most fun when it delivers what the franchise does best - more non-stop, hyper-stylized action. Part of a sequel’s job is to go bigger than the previous film, and this film is no different in continuing that trend. Any fans of martial arts or kung fu movies will find themselves in some nicely choreographed sequences that set the fights in scenes such as the subway, the sewers, and rooms full of mirrors. Like in the last movie, everyone performs their own stunts, and really do a solid job, with Reeves once again effectively showing off his physical skills, and Ruby Rose in particular being a standout as Santino’s mute, yet smooth and fast-moving enforcer.
In addition to doubling down on action, this film extends its run time from the first film, going from an hour-and-forty minutes to a two hour run time. While this mostly benefits the film, as it leaves room for more action scenes, there are certain moments where it hurts. In particular, some of the Rome scenes do tend to go on just a bit too long. Particularly, the extended sequence where John confronts Gianna feels overly-talky and ultimately only feels important towards the end. For a movie that otherwise contains quick scenes of violence and tense dialogue exchanges, moments such as this tend to bog the movie down occasionally and take the audience out of the moment.
Because the story shifts its focus a little away from John himself and more towards the world of crime itself, the movie does slightly lose a bit of the heart that the first film had. While Reeves once again turns in a great performance, beyond that, much of the audience’s connection to Wick himself will mainly be due to him already having been established from the first film. Not that he doesn’t have any character development whatsoever, but the stakes are due more to obligations rather than personal reasons.
The best character arc probably comes from Common as Gianna’s bodyguard, Cassian, who winds up having his own personal vendetta against Wick in the Rome scenes. The acclaimed rapper has some solid acting chops that feel overlooked to a certain degree. His delivery is often effective; he only has so many lines here but he delivers each of them with such painstaking emotion that it’s easy to feel sympathy for his character, despite the fact that he’s going up against the protagonist. There’s a scene in which the two are sharing a drink at the Rome Continental, while discussing how intent they are to kill one another, that’s only said in so many lines of dialogue that it feels more tense than any other action-filled scene in the film.
John Wick: Chapter 2 is slightly not as smooth of a ride as its predecessor, but it’s still a ton of fun. While the focus more on world-building causes the film to lose a bit of the personal drama for John, it makes up for it by doubling down on its well-choreographed action that for the most part, feels non-stop but always entertaining. The film once again showcases Keanu Reeves’ acting abilities, pitting him up against a cast of colorful characters who help make the experience incredibly entertaining. While franchises often suffer from producing a successful sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2 is a rare exception to the rule.
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