John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum Review

Prepare for War.

John Wick was never going to work. An original martial arts action film being released into a world where only sequels seemed to be profitable. A leading man in Keanu Reeves who hadn’t been in a hit since The Day the Earth Stood Still back in 2008.  The actor was entering his 50s struggling to regain his mojo since The Matrix Trilogy ended.  A director, Chad Stahelski, making his directing debut following years of working in stunt co-ordination. A film written by Derek Kolstad, a writer who’s only previous feature was a film staring Steve Austin and Dolph Lundgren. A plot that revolved around a retired hitman seeking vengeance for his dead dog. If you knew anything about film, you knew this was going to flop. John Wick seemed destined to end up lost in the bottom of a bargain bin in a discrete petrol station. Somehow the impossible happened. John Wick wasn’t just good. John Wick was excellent. It was the original action film we’d been screaming for years to get. The action was insane. Keanu was giving the performance of a man determined to regain the ground he lost. Stahelski and Kolstad had created a world that fans adored. John Wick: Chapter 2 built on the foundations laid by the first film. Not only was it on par with the previous film, but it added mythology to the already intriguing world. John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum arrives with the pressure of delivering a fitting end to one of the best action trilogies of all time. If we’ve learned anything from John Wick, it’s that you should never write him off.

John Wick 3 (that other title is ludicrously long) picks up where the last film left us. I mean that in the most literal way possible. John (Keanu Reeves) has one hour to prepare for the biggest battle of his life. After he killed a member of the international assassin’s guild a bounty of $14 million dollars is placed on his head.  All the assassins in the world want that prize money. John isn’t going to give it to them without a fight. This film will make you feel like you drank 10 cups of coffee before you sat down to watch it. From the very first minute it’s all hands-on deck. The film does not want you to settle into it. Without any build up or re-visits to the end of the last film, you’re thrown straight into John’s battle. It’s wonderful. Each scene with John is nerve wrecking. With everyone wanting him dead there are a multitude of fight scenes. Each fight tells a story. Each punch feels essential. Each headshot is just as satisfying as the last. Thankfully, it’s not exhausting. Having only fight scenes for its entire runtime could have led to them feeling worthless. Every single fight feels required to tell the story. When there isn’t action on screen; the film is building on the mythology of the last film. Learning more about the mythology of the high table and John’s backstory is riveting. The only thing about the film that doesn’t fully work is the last 10 minutes. The films conclusion feels a tiny bit anti-climatic after the insanity that comes before it. With that being said; John Wick 3 is another excellent action film. A film that proves that Keanu should never have been given up on.

The character of John Wick is one who we learn about through Keanu’s performance. Keanu’s reactions, tone of voice and body language teach us about the character. Wick could have easily been a brooding figure who kicks ass without the audience caring. Keanu over the course of the trilogy has turned John Wick into an action icon. From his suits to his love of dogs. Everything about Wick ticks through Keanu’s aura.  The actor is 54 years old. Despite that he’s giving the best physical performance of his career. It doesn’t feel contrived or out of the realm of possibility for Wick to be as strong as he is. To put it into perspective, Liam Neeson was the same age when the first Taken was released. When that film came out all anyone could talk about was Neeson’s age. The praise he got felt almost condescending. As if it was a pat on the back and a rustle of his hair. With Reeves, he’s not being praised because he’s older than most action stars. Reeves is being praised because he’s doing work that most actors could only dream of doing. I have nothing but respect for the actor for giving it his all. To save his career was a bigger task than Bruce Willis faces now. Congratulations Keanu Reeves. Not only have you gotten audience back on your side. You Have created one of films newly iconic characters.

It’s not just Keanu Reeves who impresses. The supporting cast are terrific. Halle Berry gives her best performance since she won her Oscar nearly 20 years ago for Monster’s Ball. Berry plays Sofia, a fellow assassin and former friend of Wick. Berry is phenomenal. She may even steal the film from under Reeve’s nose. Sofia as a character is funny, fierce and brutal. With her trusted 2 dogs, she delivers in the film’s best action set piece. It’s refreshing to see a woman over 50 given a role that allows her to show that it shouldn’t just be the men who get to have mid-career action roles. Sofia must have a spinoff. The character in only a small amount of screentime is fully deserving of one. The legendary Anjelica Houston is on top form as The Director. As Wick’s former mentor it’s enthralling to see the one person who strikes fear in Wick. Ian McShane and Lance Reddick are both superb once again as Winston and Charon, two members of the high table who are trying to keep things operating amidst the chaos. Laurence Fishbourne is having a blast. Playing Bowery King, Fishbourne is instantly quotable whenever he is on screen. Any opportunity for a mini Matrix reunion is always welcome. All these supporting characters fit into Wick’s story perfectly. It’s these characters who add that flair that makes these films so enticing.

Director Chad Stahelski deserves all the credit in the world for turning what normally would have been a B-movie into must see action films. The former stunt director is clearly making films that he would have loved to perform in. Every person he hired to fight Keanu all play their part. Not one fight feels forced or poorly executed. The fight scenes are genuinely the best to ever grace Hollywood. Not since The Raid has action bee this captivating. Last week, when reviewing Detective Pikachu, I made the claim that 4 people should never write a script together. It’s taken 1 week for me to be made look like a fool. The script was written by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams. Kolstad wrote the previous 2 films on his own. The help he brought in adds to the film wonderfully. Hatten will have offers coming in from everywhere considering that this was his first ever script. Collins uses his experience from Sons of Anarchy and The Wire to add to the mythology. Abrams who worked on The Bernie Mac shows adds a surprising amount of humour. I didn’t expect to be laughing as much as I as during this film.

The only creative decision that doesn’t quite work is the primary villains.  The film goes for the brain and the brawn method.  The brain is The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) is trying to keep everything by the book. To do that she needs Wick dead. The character is too robotic to be intriguing or passionate about. The brawn is Zero (Mark Dacascos) a John Wick fanboy who is determined to be the man to kill him. The role is played for comedic effect. Dacascos is entertaining in the role, but it feels like the wrong choice to have him set up as Wick’s biggest threat. A better move would have been to form the two roles together. By doing this you’d have a villain who idolises Wick yet is aware that she needs to take him down to maintain the rules. By splitting 1 villain into 2 parts it makes both parts feel underwhelming. It doesn’t completely ruin the film. It just would have elevated the film from an excellent film to a classic film.

John Wick 3 is a beautiful end to the trilogy. You must watch this film on the biggest screen possible. Absorbing every single move in the fight scenes that demand to be re-watched again and again. John Wick is one of films great trilogies. Every single chapter feels essential. No scenes in any of the films could be thrown away. The story, performances, action and direction make this a series that if you haven’t watched it yet, you need to now. Original films are becoming harder and harder to find in cinemas these days. Go watch John Wick 3. Support original films. If you’re not doing it for me. Do it for Keanu. Do it for the dogs. I promise you that you won’t regret it.

Liam’s Summary of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum

Best Character: I want a Sofia film and I want it now!

Worst Character: The Adjudicator is a robot and not a good one like WALL-E

Best Moment: The horse is the greatest weapon known to man.

Worst Moment: No one has still not said, “Oh no, I’m in the Wick of it”.

Watch This If You Liked

Speed: Any excuse to watch this classic must be taken.

War for the Planet of the Apes: The most pitch perfect closure to a series in recent years.

The Raid: The action will melt your brain.

Overall Rating: 4.5/5