John Wick: Chapter 2 Review

     To quote Keanu Reeves in the first John Wick, "I am thinking I am back." And oh boy, is John Wick definitely back! Sequels within the action genre are often risky because you want to tell a fresh story without making an exact replica of the original. John Wick: Chapter 2 expands the world of assassins and does so in a beautifully action packed manner.
     John Wick: Chapter 2 picks up not too long after the original. Wick has to answer for his come back as an assassin, however we will soon discover that there are punishments and Wick is not in the clear quite yet.

     Let's talk about the obvious yet biggest strength of this movie and that is the action. Much like the first one, the action in these movies is flawless. They incorporate a style known as Gun-Fu which is a mix of martial arts and gun play which is fantastic to view. What also makes these movies so much fun is their non-reliance on lots of cuts and shaky camera. This film is full of continuous shots that enhance the action and the performances. The beauty of this sequel though is how much the audience will be able to recognize how much more the action is amped up. You can tell they have a bigger budget at hand yet they kept to the integrity of the original.
     The story in this movie is very compelling. A lot of fans including myself were hoping the sequel would expand upon this world of assassins and give us a little more insight. John Wick: Chapter 2 does exactly that. Audiences are shown how this organization is at a global level. Wick travels to Rome which gives us a new location for these assassins. Keanu Reeves, who is often a hit or miss actor for most, fits the role of John Wick quite well. Wick is a bit socially awkward and seems to have no remorse for anyone who gets in his way. These movies aren't dialogue heavy whatsoever but the physical duties that go into the action scenes can make it quite stressful for the actors. It seems like Reeves does a lot of his own stunts and is quite invested in the role.
     The dialogue in this movie is very little yet not quite the best. Luckily, Reeves delivers these lines very well because of the characterization of John Wick so it doesn't necessarily take the audiences out of it.
     John Wick: Chapter 2 doesn't have the element of surprise like the first one but is still a great action flick. If you appreciate action movies that are well done on a technical level then this film will most definitely deliver for you.

Rating: 9.0 out of 10