By Cynthia Ayala

“After returning to the criminal underworld to repay a debt, John Wick discovers that a large bounty has been put on his life.”

—IMDB

What an amazing movie. Sequels are always touch and go, but this one was a sequel done right. It follows that saying “live by the sword, die by the sword,” and it really captures those elements. It was just an amazingly executed sequel that has tons of action in it, but thankfully, the action doesn’t take away from the story. And that’s probably why this film is so successful, it has a story, it’s not just action sequence after action sequence of non-essential details for a mind-numbing experience. No, this film has a story. John, played by the ever so talented Keanu Reeves, got out of the crime world, he was out, he’s happy, he just wants to remain retired. But, of course, the darkness as a lure to it, and then there is blackmail. The person who helped him get out is calling in a favor. But it’s not just any favor, it’s an impossible favor that will leave John with a mark on his back.

But of course, no one leaves him with a choice, and he is sucked back into the darkness of the underworld. How unfortunate for him. But at least he’s good at what he does. He is the boogeyman after all. And that’s the charm of the movie, that it has a story and a character who is drawn in not of his own free will. It’s heartbreaking and emotional to watch this film. But then there are those moments that are just hilarious. Derek Kolstad knew what he was doing when he wrote this film. He knew just how to incorporate comedy into the film without explicitly putting it in the film. He was able to balance the action and overall seriousness of the film with those light comedic moments that only serve to make the movie-going experience even more enjoyable.

More to the point, Keanu Reeves was amazing in this film. He is one of those people that is a great action star. His acting ability is on par and it’s clear that he takes his art very seriously. It shows in this film how he is able to capture the pain and angst of the character, but also able to keep himself separate from it.

John Wick: Chapter 2 is just an amazing action film that just keeps on moving forward at such a fast pace without sacrificing story or character development. Hands down a must see. ( | A)

—Film Credits—

Directed by Chad Stahelski

Written by Derek Kolstad

Based on Characters created by Derek Kolstad

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common, Claudia Gerini, Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishburne, Tobias Segal & John Leguizamo

Rating | Length | Genre: R | 2h 2min | Action, Crime, Thriller

Distributed by Summit Entertainment