Movie Review: Keanu Goes for the All-Time Murder Record in "John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum"

John Wick, the perpetually drenched hitman whose Tinder profile surely reads "Must Love Dogs", continues his kill-streak in the wild Parabellum.

John Wick is back, and his reputation precedes him. In the first film, the mere utterance of the assassin’s nickname, Baba Yaga (the Boogeyman), sent shivers of terror down soon-to-be-shattered spines. Two sequels later, things are a little different. The John Wick brand is so strong, his enemies are now introducing themselves as fans. They do so before trying to slit his throat. In fairness, that’s basically what fandom is in 2019. Just ask the makers of Game of Thrones.

John Wick: Chapter 3—Parabellum picks up immediately after the events of Chapter 2. (One character reminds us that the entire trilogy has taken place over a mere month, which, for comparison, is less time than "Old Town Road" has been a #1 single). After murdering the Russian and Italian mobs as slightly inflated revenge for the death of his dog, John (Keanu Reeves) finds himself excommunicated from his international organisation of hired guns, unable to enjoy sanctuary in New York's Continental Hotel. Immediately, the many varied hit-people of NYC try to claim the $14 million bounty on his head, and stuntman-turned-director Chad Stahelski, returning for his third instalment, starts unfurling incredible hand-to-hand fight scenes. With his back against the wall, John must make do and kill his assailants with whatever’s at his disposal, including books and bucking horses. Luckily, he winds up in a warehouse that seems to exclusively store knives and chandeliers. My screening’s audience laughed joyously through the carnage that followed, followed by smatterings of applause. It was basically a blood-concert.

Unfortunately, things dip a little from there. (Maybe it should have been subtitled 'Parabola'? Maths comedy!) Writer Derek Kolstad, who got this whole saga started, is credited with scripting alongside Shay Hatten, Chris Collins and Marc Abrams, and gives us further backstory for John while fleshing out the worldwide web of his rule-abiding killer community. Meanwhile, we meet an Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) who's investigating—and punishing—those who assisted Wick along the way. Dillon, moving only at right angles, is a lot of fun as the human manifestation of those pesky rules. However, at this point, the pacing of Parabellum is all off. You have to wonder if the dearth of mid-movie action is to accommodate Reeves, who is still a powerfully violent presence but moving a little slower these days. The swift John Wick: Chapter 2 was a balletic murder-opera. Some parts of Parabellum play more like Stomp.

An epic shootout in Casablanca (where John flees for a spell) breathes life into proceedings, though these flicks are always less interesting when the guns come out. By definition, that’s when the fighting stops, although the choreography remains electrifying. This is where Reeves gets to team up with Halle Berry, as his mysterious ex-colleague Sofia, who brings with her two Belgian Malinois to assist. (She shoves a spare firearm into one of their bullet-proof thundershirts, meaning even the canines are armed and dangerous here.) I don’t know if John Wick: Chapter 3 has the most fatalities in cinema history (it might!), but it certainly has the most stuntmen getting their crotches savaged by attack dogs. The credits usually end with an insistence that no one was hurt during shooting. Parabellum may be the first to have to apologise for specifically ruining so many stunt-dongs.

Flat middle section aside, there's just so much else to love. The signature lighting is striking, and the set decoration expectedly ornate. Returning cinematographer Dan Laustsen still captures the stunt people’s death-defying work in all its glory, and sometimes his camera appears to be defying death too, as in a scintillating late motorcycle chase/sword fight. And the series truly regains equilibrium when we reach the final act, with the emergence of an ebullient samurai played by the hilarious Mark Dacascos, who gets to fanboy-out with Wick. He brings with him Indonesian martial artists Cecep Arif Rahman and Yayan Ruhian from The Raid, which was basically John Wick before John Wick. Stahelski and Reeves give them a nice nod, and the duo begin their showdown saying it’s an honour to fight Wick. Please, the honour is all ours.

4/5

In Australian cinemas now. Rated MA15+ for strong action violence.