John Wick: Chapter 2 (2014) - 8/10

The first installment of John Wick was actually my first entry in this blog so it's fun getting to continue along with the reviews for this series. It's also fun because this is a really great sequel. JW:2 takes a lot of the great aspects of the first film, amplifies them, and then builds out the lore and the world of the series - a simple concept that most sequels fail to understand. Anyway, I don't have much of an intro to this one, so let's jump right into the rubric and talk about JW killing some more bad guys. 

1. Acting 

I believe 'minimalist' was the term I used to describe Keanu Reeves acting in the first film and the sequel is really more of the same. We do get to learn a bit more about John's former life here, but Keanu's approach to the character is unchanged. The stoic and menacing Baba Yaga is here to stare at you forlornly before merc-ing a bunch of nameless bad guys and I really couldn't care less that there's no Oscars being given out. From a physical aspect though, Reeves is certainly upping the ante and his growing commitment to portraying the white knuckle action of the titular assassin is really commendable. 

As for the rest of the cast, we have a much fuller body of supporting characters in this one and I really like the new and returning faces. More specifically, our returning cast includes more wonderful work from the likes of Lance Reddick and Ian McShane who act as allies for John during his quest. As for the new faces, we get standout additions from Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio and Ruby Rose. In particular, it was both fun and smart to bring in Fishburne. Not only is he a great dramatic actor who eats up his limited scenes, but the more antagonistic relationship between him and Reeves is a nice switch of dynamic for those who know the duo mostly as Neo and Morpheus. Also, Riccardo Scamarcio comes in and gives a really great villain performance. He is compelling actor to watch on screen and I think really elevates a fairly simplistic power hungry character into someone with more depth through his facial and verbal subtleties. 

2. Cinematography 

 Danish cinematographer Dan Laustsen replaces Jonathan Sela for this follow up film. Despite the change, Laustsen seems willing to continue the visual language of the first film and retains a lot of similar color palettes and shooting styles that Sela used to great effect on this first film. If anything, Laustsen and director Chad Stahelski really just turn the volume up from the first film and get a bit more ambitious in their tracking shots, long takes and mix up some shot angles. 

It may just be mostly 'more of the same' from the first film, but it is executed very well and keeps things visually interesting the entire time. It also feels like the team is experimenting a bit more than the first film. I see a lot aesthetics and shot selections that are very reminiscent of graphic novels and neo noir. For instance there is a great overhead shot of Gianna D'Antonio's death that feels like it was ripped straight for the cover art of a comic book or novel.  

3. Production/Costume Design

A lot of the production design in terms of character design, gun prop design, and sets feel very much like the first film. However, the production teams main effort in this film is expanding the world of John Wick to an international setting. The inclusion of the Roman locales, the new Continental in Rome, and the catacomb sets, all look fantastic and create a lot of fun new places for John to kill people in. It also really opens up the lore of the series and the execution of it all is well done. 

4. Writing 

When we left John at the end of the first film, it was at a point of ambiguity. He had finished his quest, but had cracked open the door to a life he left behind. This film smartly picks up very shortly after that film and gets right into the action. Nevertheless, there is a portion of this that is very much a retread - John is getting reluctantly pulled back into his life as an assassin. Luckily, the writers made a smart move by introducing a new concept - a marker. It not only serves as a plot point that acts as a call to action, but it introduces the audience to a secret society that is full of rules and traditions. It also is not force-fed. Most things in the script are not exposition dumps, but rather implied through conversations between characters. I can very easily see a cringe worthy version of this film that opens with a text scroll or voice over narration explaining the high council and markers and blah blah. Thank god someone was paying attention in screenwriting 201 instead of that. 

As for the rest of the plot, it's not the most complex thing in the world, but it works. After John cracks open the door of his return, his old friend Santino sees an opportunity to capitalize on a marker that John owes him. Santino is ambitious and by learning about his goals we learn about the existence of the 'high council'. This revelation doubles as a plot point for this movie, while also laying the groundwork for the sequels that will follow, which is a smart move. After succumbing to the pressure of the marker, John reluctantly carries out Santino's bidding and evades being killed himself since he is now a loose end. Once he gets a moment of reprieve, John turns the tables and switches from being on the defensive, to be on offense with the 3rd act serving as a revenge plot. Again, not complex. But, it is succinct and compelling. 

5. Sound Design 

The John Wick series may not have iconic tracks or themes like some other films do, but it is very well done nonetheless. While some movie soundtracks are remembered for a particular melody or sting like Jurassic Park, the John Wick soundtrack is more of a 'vibe'. The eclectic mix of club, metal and grunge just fits the world so well, and the inclusion of some Italian flare in the tracks during the 1st and 2nd act are smart additions to this installment. 

6. Editing 

This film clocks in with over 20 minutes more than its predecessor. However, due to a fun plot and incredible action sequences, it really doesn't feel like a significant jump. The additional time to let scenes breathe is also important for building out the lore and characters of the world. But, at the end of the day, the extra run time is really just so the stunt teams can really indulge on some terrific action scenes and I enjoyed every minute of it. 

7. Visual Effects 

This is definitely one aspect where the film staggers a bit. There is a deceptive amount of CGI in a film like this and it is most likely focused on selling the stunt teams incredible work. Unfortunately, there are a few scenes the feature wonky VFX that really stand out amongst the otherwise tight visuals.  For instance, the explosion at John's house is just off. I can't put my finger on exactly what it is, but it looks very fake. 

Conversely, there are some incredible CGI work being done in the final act of the film. A huge chunk of the final action sequence takes place in a museum exhibit composed of endless mirrors. Mirrors can be a nightmare for VFX houses because, depending on how it the scenes are shot, may require painstakingly painting out the film crew out of the background. There is no easy way to do it either. It's a brute force tasks that likely took months to complete. 

 

8. Originality or Strength of Adaptation

This is obviously a sequel film so originality may be off the table. However, what we do get in this film is a massive expansion of world building to entice the audience with. It smartly takes what came before it, and then progresses the mythology in a compelling way.  

9. Stunt Coordination 

I mean, what can I even really say. The stunt teams involved with this series are fantastic. I can see a reality where this film was just repeating the first film, but they actively are avoiding it whenever they can. Of course they use similar moves a lot, and there is only so many ways to shoot a person, but the totality of what we get is really amazing. Every move the John or the villains make is a new dance move. We know the rhythm, we may recognize some stances, but each step of the choreography feels like they are finding newer and newer moves to make. And more importantly, the 'dances' are trying to tell a story. By watching the action we learn about John - how he thinks, how he moves, how he problem solves, and how driven he is. We also are progressing the plot. The action scenes don't just happen in a vacuum. John is constantly on the move either running from or towards something and we never linger in one particular set or place which keeps things flowing to the next bit. 

Additionally, not only is the action well designed and choreographed - it also requires a bunch of stunt actors to just take some crazy hits. The camera and edit is always willing to linger in a scene and is always resisting the need to cutaway from the action to sell a hit. Instead, the actors are just 'going for it' a lot of the time and it really makes a difference. For a silly example, there is a ton of stair hits in this movie. Stair hits are a bit of a stunt person's 'bread and butter'. You can't really fake it when shooting on location, so most of the time its just a dude that throws on a few pads and just sends it. I think since the director is a former stunt person, every inclusion of it feels like a bit of a wink to all the other stunt people of the industry - kind of a 'I see you' type of moment.  

10. Direction 

Thankfully, Chad Stahelski and his team return to direct the next (and future) installments in the franchise. This time around, it feels like Stahelski is more confident in his role as director and it definitely feels like he wants to be more ambitious. I really like a lot of the choices the teams made and its no surprise that Lionsgate is willing to stick it out with him at the helm. 

Legacy/Final Thoughts

In the grand scheme, John Wick: Chapter 2 has become a bit of a forgotten middle child for the franchise. It represented a big leap of ambition for the series, but is acting almost as a bridge film whose main purpose is to build out the world for the 3rd and 4th film. Having not really rewatched the rest of the series since their release, I'm interested to see what my ranking look like in the end because for now, JW:2 is leading the way for me.