John Wick: Chapter 2 review

John Wick: Chapter 2 is the continuing story of Keanu Reeves' ex-hitman forced to come out of retirement.

The first John Wick is a brilliant action movie. Having seen Chapter 2 twice now, I must say that I think it is better than the original.

The film opens on a car chase through New York, a few days after the first film ended. The chase and following fight scene perfectly set the tone for the rest of the film, if the original didn't do it well enough.

Chapter 2 has some absolutely fantastic action scenes throughout the film. From the opening car chase, to an almost silhouetted gun fight, to a montage which I can only describe as a blood soaked rampage, to an extremely well executed scene, the idea of which is reminiscent visually of a certain Key and Peele sketch. On my second watch I tried to notice any directing flaws during that climactic scene and I was further impressed when I couldn't find any.

Keanu Reeves seems like a cool guy, and  he is at his prime playing John Wick. This isn't the sort of performance that will get recognised during awards season, but Reeves is perfect in the role. He brings the right amount of gruffness and empathy to make you care for him. In almost every action scene you can see that he is there doing all the stunts. There are no quick cuts or shots avoiding his face, just wide shots where it is clear what is happening. Now in his 50s it is amazing that Reeves still shows this much dedication to his craft. He and Tom Cruise are two of a small number of actors working today who show great dedication to their stunt work, and I hope more younger actors take after them.

The film introduces other assassins who are able to pose a physical threat to John, such as Common and Ruby Rose. In addition to this, it also continues to set up the world established in the original. If every action movie were as well shot as this, the world building would be where this stands out.

In short: This is one of the best action movies of recent years with excellent cinematography and world building.