John Wick: Chapter 2

Note: This review contains spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 2.

While the original John Wick film (Chapter 1) was a box office success in 2014, enough to warrant ancillary media, it wouldn’t be until 2017 that there would be a formal theatrical sequel, John Wick: Chapter 2 (Chapter 2), with the same writer and director returning. After finally seeing Chapter 1, I was interested enough in its setting and characters to watch Chapter 2 soon after. Although many sequels tend to have a decline in quality after the first installment, Chapter 2 manages to raise the stakes without going overboard, all while maintaining the same level of quality, even with some nitpicks.

Following the end of Chapter 1, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) finally recovers his stolen car, reburies the remnants of his old life and tries to start anew with his new, unnamed dog. This respite doesn’t last long, however, as crime boss Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), hearing of John’s return, calls in a favor from a blood oath, symbolized by a Marker. When John refuses, Santino has his house burned to the ground by explosives, forcing him (with dog in tow) to accept the terms.

 

John (Keanu Reeves, right) made a blood oath he can't get out of so easily.

With how Chapter 1 ended, one might wonder how a sequel might follow up on a self-contained story, but Chapter 2 manages to find an effective way to do just that. The plot feels like a natural extension of what came before while remaining internally consistent in its worldbuilding, only this time John no longer has any safe place to return to by the end of it. The Continental gets expanded upon as well, almost feeling like a character in itself as we get a greater sense of its scope as a worldwide chain, as well as its internal policies. Much like Chapter 1, new characters feel like a natural part of the setting due to their implied history with John through dialogue, leading to some funny interactions. However, the film does not shy away from its own share of tense moments, one particular highlight being John getting his revenge on Continental grounds being genuinely shocking and setting up a masterful lead-in to Chapter 3.

Although the action remains grounded and realistic, one moment that stood out, albeit for the wrong reasons, was John having a public shootout with Cassian (Common). Even with the use of suppressors, the fact that none of the civilians in the area reacted or seemed to notice seemed a bit silly since other similar scenes feature realistic reactions to witnessing a gun fight.

Similarly to Chapter 1, there is a lot of interesting camera work, subtitles and fight choreography, even trying new things without sacrificing what made the first film work. There’s also some interesting use of lighting to convey the mood of a scene, such as making John seem isolated in the midst of a crowded subway car. A particular standout is a battle in a hall of mirrors, which feels like a more creative take on the idea and is done in a way that makes the lack of any visible cameras even more impressive.

 

The subtitles have an effective way of displaying emphasis.

For those looking for more form the John Wick universe, John Wick: Chapter 2 is an easy recommendation, as it keeps everything that made the first movie work while expanding on its qualities in many creative ways. Newcomers, however, are advised to watch the original first for continuity reasons.