John Wick: Chapter 3-
Parabellum is the best in the series if over the top action is your thing. The
filmmakers don’t exactly shirk from the fact that the action is the main driver
of this series. The action is inventive and mesmerizing at times; but as they
say, sometimes there is too much of a good thing. The original connection to
the puppy and the wife is lost here yet at the same time there is expansion in
the seedy world of assassins and high table overlords. As the title suggests
this may just be the beginning of a long struggle and there is no real finality
provided and so with John Wick 3 it
is possible that the series has reached a peak. There is just too much of a
good thing.
John Wick: Chapter 3
stars Keanu Reeves, reprising his role as the titular character on the run from
the High table following the murder of one of their members, Santino, in the
previous installment. In this chapter, he meets new allies (some from a long time
ago) but loses key ones and new enemies emerge out of the shadows, particularly
those close to home, as he searches for a way out. Halle Berry also features as
Sofia.
Positives
The main positive is obviously the action. The variety of
set pieces on display is impressive at times and there are moments when the
action is simply mesmerizing. The best in the series so far. At times, it was
video gameesque and the audience members were simply in awe with the brutality
on display. There are clearly many ways to get killed; a book perhaps. As I mentioned in my review of John Wick 2, there should be a video
game based on the adventures of John Wick and, if well made, it should do well
in terms of sales. It is clear that the
filmmakers were indulgent (video game style maybe), and clearly there are implausible
moments where John Wick should have realistically met his end, but for the most
part the suspension of reality is convincing.
The impressive world building continues from John Wick 2. The seedy world of assassins
and High table overlords is expanded here and we even reach as far as Morocco
(Casablanca). It goes to show that the established rules are filtered down in a
highly centralized manner. Everyone knows their place and if one steps out of
line then some form of blood must be shed. The world building does extend as far
as the high table and beyond but it is still mysterious apart from the
emissary, the adjudicator (Asia kate Dillon), and one gets a sense that with
the expected part 4 in the series the mystery will be unraveled.
Although there aren’t much emotional stakes in this film,
apart from maybe Sofia, clearly there is intrigue which fans of the series will
appreciate. This has a lot to do with the world building on show since part 1
in the series and how things clearly turn on their head. One wonders when Wick
will be able to stand tall and be in a position to dictate his own terms. There
are glimpses of it here but at times his character is diminished. If this film
is about parabellum then the next installment is clearly all out war. Hopefully
by then the action won’t seem too exhaustive.
Negatives
The primary negative is that there is too much of a good
thing here. The indulgent action by the end seemed to serve no purpose. The stakes
were lowered by the end because there was no sense of finality and the fancy
latin word in the title was a mask for all this. The film clearly never intended
to resolve much here apart from the preparation for all out war. This means
that there is a strong possibility that the beloved action moments of the
series will eventually run its course and become exhaustive. This film clearly
represents a peak for the series and this probably means that decline is
inevitable. They will not be able to sustain the thrill of action if they
continue to elude the finality that John Wick’s story clearly craves. The days of the puppy and wife are mostly
lost here with bloodshed the only joy to marvel at. There are flashes where
they try and reestablish the emotional connection to the original story but
this is fleeting and certainly not consistent. All the action we just witnessed
was merely preparation for all out war and so what will that mean for the
follow up of all out war. Is the character John Wick going to get some mystical
powers? He already seems very resilient to the grasp of death. Maybe they will
surprise us even further but for the time being the only stakes seem to be John
Wick’s survival. It is pretty clear that he is more than capable of surviving.
Surviving is normally the basest of instincts hence why there should be greater
stakes at least; stakes that will allow the character’s influence to filter
through the fantastic, seedy underworld.
Time and time again we see him evade death and eventually that’s
all there is. The supporting characters need more heft and meaning in order to
up the stakes and clear objectives need to be established in order to get some
finality. With John Wick always on the run there must be a time where we can
see him take charge and not just be a meandering character simply reacting.
Then again, how much of this will be out of character. The emotional stakes
will have to be raised and they should be wary of caricaturizing the character
and his supporting cast ‘What do you need John?’ ‘Guns, lots of guns.’
