Released: May 17th 2019 (UK and US)
Length: 131 Minutes
Certificate: 15
Director: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Halle Berry, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dascascos, Asia Kate Dillon, Anjelica Huston and Yayan Ruhian
Since its inception in 2014, the John Wick franchise has become one of the most proficient and stylised action blockbusters in the movie industry, its firm commitment to visceral choreography forming the core of its success. After upping the ante with Chapter 2, the third entry continues things with a focused if reduced impact.
Picking up straight after the second film; John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run, having been excommunicated from the league of assassins, there’s a bounty of fourteen million dollars on his head. Desperate to escape, the lethal gunman evades his enemies while searching for a way to reverse his dire situation. If there’s one word to describe John Wick Chapter 3, it’s “consequences”; Parabellum does a great job of following up and conveying the effects of John’s actions, affecting not just himself but the people around him, including Winston (Ian Mcshane) of the New York Continental and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). The dramatic tension has spread beyond the protagonist to a point where it envelopes the setting. With that said; the intensity of the danger bearing down on Wick is undercut a bit by shift in the middle-act. Following a meeting with the senior levels of the elusive high table, our protagonist is faced with a dilemma, only to toss it aside so the final act can get underway. It does expand the world and its lore but feels a bit pointless as a piece of the larger narrative.
With gruff and gritty characterisation, the cast of John Wick 3 remains distinctive in their mannerisms, with quite a few new characters joining the roster. Of course, Keanu himself is still superb, undergoing even more intensive training to suit every moment on the thrill-ride. He remains tirelessly committed to the series. This time though, he gets more colleagues to tangle with. Halle Berry as fellow assassin Sofia delivers a vicious edge to a sequence in Casablanca; it’s just too bad that she’s only in one action scene before vanishing into the wastes. While not possessing a definitive villain, the simply titled Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) is suitably ruthless, acting as a representative of the High Table to ensure the rules are followed absolutely. Outside of these main members, the side characters and their individual personalities are just as strong with Ian McShane, Lance Reddick and Laurence Fishburne being the highlights. Chapter 3 even brings in some foreign talent, most notably Yayan Ruhian of The Raid films who complements the action brilliantly.
The John Wick series has always prided itself on delivering small scale fights with pitch-perfect cinematography and Chapter 3 doesn’t disappoint. This time we’ve got knife duels, animals jumping into combat, motorbike chases, gunfights and vicious brawls that push every actor involved to their limits; it’s a thrilling mix of set pieces that always keeps John moving, while also boasting the same slick camerawork that makes it all so entertaining. Though at the same time I couldn’t help but feel some repetition in the third film; the gun battle placed back to back against the hand-to-hand fights in the film’s final act are like those seen in Chapter 2. While the sound design is still excellent and pulse-pounding in every sequence, these moments are somewhat diminished. There’s nothing lacklustre about the action whatsoever and the same is true of the production design; shimmering colours and foreboding atmospheres collide to a gorgeous crescendo, with one of the highlights being a Romanian ballet that looks fantastic on-screen. Over the last three films, the directors have worked to craft an engrossing criminal underworld and Parabellum continues this trend effortlessly.
It’s not quite as intense as its predecessor but John Wick 3 is another relentless and furious action production; it boasts the best variety in the series so far with upgrades to the side characters that make them just as involved as the main protagonist. Underused elements and a weak middle-act swerve put it below previous entries but Parabellum is still a blast to watch.
Rating: 4/5 Stars (Great)
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