John Wick 2 (2017) - Movie Review

JOHN WICK – 2     Rating- (3.5/5)

Cast : Keanu Reeves, Ruby Rose, Common, Ricardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane Lance Reddick, John Leguizamo

Director : Chad Stahelski

Review by Zulfiqar

The headshots’ savvy gun-slinger cum assassin is back again roaming on the streets of crime piling up the head count as he observes some long forgotten but rejuvenated contract. Momentarily dipping in the solitude of retirement, after the retribution of his dead puppy (a token for his healing grief by his deceased spouse), he resurfaces when a ‘marker’ is thrust upon him. the man who does this is not an immediate heir of Italian mafia family and who in the past has done a favor to the master assassin. Honoring the blood pact, though reluctantly, Wick readies himself for walking along the streets of mystic crime armored with a myriad set of arsenal shooting on live targets and globe-trotting while doing so.

This time his mission takes him to Rome where the coronation of the first in line to the aforementioned mafia throne is taking place. Though the city is different, the assassins’ cult is the same. There are similar hotels with privileges for hit-men with an unmentioned worth of coin-currency circulating for deeds, weaponry, information and wardrobe.

Stahelski who relies on the mechanism rather than the plot of the story conducts the operation more clearly with close-ups of headshots and with hero’s mannerisms getting clearer and legendary by the minute. Keanu Reeves conducts his killing-swag with controlled body language and with minimum of speech. Somewhere in the middle of the story, a character observes this hallmark of his persona. However the director extends the borders of this sinister world not only by geographical means but by bringing out new players into the game, like the sinister-homeless group whose leader has a murky past with Wick, and we are given an inside laugh moment when we remember their past relationship with respect to filmography.

The movie never ceases to entertain the audience who comes for the thrill of pulsating music, thudding sounds of body-falls, humming motor of Mustang convertible and lust for blood-thirsty action. It has a nostalgic tinge with the old action movies, which glorified in these sorts of things. Tarantino elicited such type of cinematic lust well. Whether this is an intentional nod from the director isn’t clear, but one can say it isn’t bad at all. The way Keanu Reeves is tailored up in his customary Wick suit and when he mentions the adjective of ‘tactical’ when the tailor of this crime-cult world asks of his costume, we know how much professionally the movie is immersed in the job of assassins.

The thing that Wick is legend in his cult world is a given. After all, his pencil trick has garnered a lot of word-of-mouth reputation among the highest of his hierarchy. And before it becomes a tedious mention, Wick demonstrates and re-acquiants with it while he is on the run through a subway. The second movie in line has established that the man is on a franchise journey. The climax is fully blown open with hundreds of possibilities.

The makers have, so, introduced a few characters who should be as legendary as the world itself. The ‘Q’ of John Wick is peter. The wordplay episode with him is relishing. Ian McShane as the manager and Riddick as the bellhop get a lot more substance for their credibility of reappearances. A couple of assassins are given a strange association with him. Common as cassius is on par with him in terms of hand to hand combat and does an incredible feat of making wick miss his target of the former’s head. Not once, but plenty of times. Worthy of foe, as it seems. Don’t be surprised if he may have a title of his own. And then there is Ruby Rose as the wordless, mute, nicely coiffeured lady mercenary, Ares, who is a tough cookie to die and gesticulates regarding her future. her relationship with Wick may go either way, regarding this, I am pretty much sure.

I, for one, am on lookout for the next episode in the installment more for the evolution of the standard pawns of the plot. The movie is associated with terms like classic, culture, legend even though it deals with one of the most notorious of human professions and behavior. But when it is done with such dexterity and authenticity, it isn’t easy for one to recede from applauding. John Wick is maybe back with his mutt, but his demons are still agitated. He will come back and I hope he will be back with his sorted out ‘mustang’ by chop-shop owner buddy, Aurelio, (john Leguizamo) come Christmas (whichever year it is).