John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

One of the few complaints I have heard about the John Wick series is that much of it doesn't make logical sense.  That's quite false.  The movies make perfect sense, just not in our world.  The moment the Continental showed up in John Wick I understood that this was not based in our world at all, and in John Wick Chapter 2 it turned out almost everyone, at least in New York, was part of a vast network of assassins all beholden to a mysterious High Table that controls all the organized crime on the planet.  It's a world in which the police are mainly there to pick up the pieces and where the few citizens that aren't part of the bigger organization turn a blind eye to the stylized violence going on around them.  They are just careful to keep out of the way. 

The first movie was a self-contained story, but did well enough at the box office to produce a sequel with a larger budget which allowed director Chad Stahelski to film abroad and to introduce new characters.  In the end, in order to prevent Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scarmacio) from taking over the Italian mob's dealings in New York and to get revenge for betraying him, John (Keanu Reeves) goes against the rules of the Continental and shoots Santino on the hotel's grounds.  This forces Winston (Ian McShane), the manager of the Continental, to declare Wick "excommunicado," but gives him the courtesy of an hour's head start. 

We start Chapter 3 with Wick on the run and that 60 minutes ticking down, monitored by the strange switchboard system the High Council uses that appears to be based on ancient telephone technology and '80s computers.  Every assassin around the world is notified as Wick's time comes up, but he is able to contact one of his own people - the Director (Anjelica Houston), the leader of a the Russkaya Roma in the U.S.  Wick makes his way to Morocco to seek the aid of Sofia (Halle Berry), the manager of the Continental in Casablanca, in order to make amends with the Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui), a mysterious man who is above the High Table itself. 

Meanwhile, an Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) is sent to judge Winston for showing Wick mercy, and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) for giving Wick the means to kill Santino.  When Wick returns to New York to do the Elder's bidding, the Adjudicator puts another assassin, Zero (Mark Dacascos) on his trail.  Wick must soon face a choice to live, albeit as a servant to the High Table, or to show a friend the same mercy they showed him.

Charon (Lance Reddick), the concierge of the Continental, gets to do much more this time than look dapper and keep track of Wick's dog.  While the Elder's appearance is brief it is probably going to figure more in the new film, while the Adjudicator and the power at her hands are further defined, as is the true power of the High Table.  Laurence Fishburne doesn't have a lot to do in his second go-round, but it is hinted the Bowery King will also be more integral to Chapter 4.  Halle Berry is only in the film for one segment, but it's enough to give her character quite a bit of depth and lead into one of the best action sequences in the film, featuring her and Wick fighting their way out of a tough situation with the help of her trained dogs. 

One thing I have liked about all three movies is that when certain objects are shown they are eventually used, and most of the time when new characters are introduced they serve a purpose, even if they don't have a ton of screen time.  They also have depth when needed, and when not are able to be accepted at face value as someone playing their part in Wick's story.  Also, with each movie the colors become more garish and the settings more elaborate.  If there were an actual comic book then this would be considered the best comic book adaptation since Marvel started hogging the spotlight.  As usual, a good portion of the stunts are done by the performers in order to make the fight scenes look natural, and it is nice to see two of Zero's men being cast members of The Raid: Redemption, as the John Wick series obviously was heavily inspired by that movie and its sequel. 

The one major problem with this chapter is that it is an obvious set-up for what appears to be an even more elaborate fourth movie.  It's not really a spoiler to say Wick survives to fight another day, but Parabellum is largely concerned with how he manages to get himself out of the mess he created.  It remains to be seen how things turn out for him, and if he takes his grievances all the way to the High Table and beyond, but so far the series has managed the rare feat of producing a better movie with each entry.  

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

Time: 130 minutes

Starring: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishbourne, Asia Kate Dillon, Halle Berry, Mark Dacascos

Director: Chad Stahelski