John Wick 3 Review: Keanu Reeves’ film is a bloody treat for action-buffs and not to be missed

Star Rating:

If you are well-versed with the world of John Wick then you know what to expect from this action franchise. Well, there’s all that and more. So, John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum directed by Chad Stahelski has Keanu Reeves reprising his role of the reluctantly-back-from-retirement ace-hitman Jonathan Wick, doing what he does best – leaving dead bodies in his wake! But does this third installment of the superhit global franchise continue to up the ante for John Wick and his fans? Read on to find out…

What John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is all about: The film picks up from where the story ends in John Wick: Chapter 2. So, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is on the run after having broken the most sacrosanct rule of the High Table by spilling blood in The Continental, New York, when he killed Italian crime-lord Santino D’Antonio in the hotel. Post the killing, he is helped by the Hotel’s manager Winston (Ian McShane) who gives him a heads-up of an hour before declaring him excommunicado.

For the uninitiated, High Table is the most elite body governing and running the crime syndicate of which even the top mafias are a part of and have pledged their fealty to. Well, criminals they may be, but there’s much at stake when it comes to their honour and honouring their allegiance, rules and vows. As for The Continental, it’s a safe haven for the most elite criminals and crime syndicates as killing is prohibited on its grounds.

So, there’s now a bounty of $14 million placed on Wick and he has every single assassin in the city baying for his blood. Wick kills his way to stay alive, using his markers. He eventually even gets his ‘ticket’ cut – (which means that he seeks this last favour, post which he can no longer return to them and severs all relations with them marked by a rather gruesome ritual of the Russian Mafioso run by The Director (Anjelica Huston) – to seek a safe passage to Casa Blanca.

There he meets his old friend Sofia (Halle Berry), who is the manager of the counterpart of The Continental in the Moroccan city. Sofia reluctantly agrees to help Wick meet Berrada (Jerome Flynn) who works for the High Table in the hope that he may help Wick reach out to them. Wick reveals that he just wants to make amends with The Elder of the High Table.

Meanwhile, back in NYC, there’s an Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) appointed by the High Table who is out to punish John Wick and everyone who helped him escape, including Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) and Winston. In his quest to make amends, John realises that every action comes with its consequences and it leads him on an even bloodier journey than he had anticipated, as there’s a heavy price to be paid to be accepted back in the folds.

Yay: The ACTION – all 131 minutes of it! John Wick 3 is like a buffet laid out for an action fan who is spoilt for choice with the endless variety of action sequences. From high-end bike chases on the streets of NYC to hard-core action involving horses and from sword-fights to close range gun-fights, and gun-fu style of fighting, there’s something for everyone.

With an inexhaustible supply of mind-numbing violence and bloody gore, this one is a fight fest that you’ll not want to miss. Each and every of this action scene is executed with sheer brilliance, easily making up for the lack of much of a story-line or emotions and drama. Most of the action is raw hand-to-hand combat with minimalistic dependence on CGI.

Keanu executes his action so convincingly and effortlessly that you’d feel that the star was meant to be an actor to play John Wick. Combined with the high-rollers of crime syndicate and their bizarre rituals, there’s that added drama and a certain quality of intrigue to the film. The music adds to the mood.

Among the highlights of the action sequences, the knife sequence and the climax fight win our whistles and hearts. Keanu’s last sequence in the climax fight in the glass maze with Mark Dacascos seems like an ode to Enter the Dragon.

Most of the supporting cast including Jerome Flynn and Mark, do a fantastic job, although you wish Halle Berry’s character Sofia was a bit more fleshed out in substance. The film is punctuated lavishly with straight-faced humour and even in the most violent climax scenes, the dialogues evoke laughter.

Nay: There’s suspension of belief throughout the film. But more than that, the film is strictly not for the faint-hearted. There are moments when you might just feel exhausted with the sheer number of men, Wick takes on single-handedly. The scene of him being lost and found in the desert makes you roll your eyes too… Also, one does not dare ask where the cops are when all this blood-bath is taking place, right?

CineBlitz Verdict: Director Chad Stahelski and his actor Keanu Reeves get it perfectly right. John Wick 3 is a two-hour non-stop pulp action fare that many may find hard to digest. So unless you have a palate for some combat-heavy high-octane blood, gore and violence, do not try watching it on a full stomach. But if you are a fan then the film is a sheer treat. It’s like the entire John Wick franchise put on steroids. This is Keanu’s best as John Wick. A must-watch for Keanu fans and definitely recommended for John Wick fans.