JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 Review (Spoiler Free)

There's about six or seven movies worth of greatness packed within the entire 122 minute runtime of John Wick: Chapter 2. Not only is this a great action flick (and even more than that in ways I'll get to in a moment), it's extremely close to being as good, if not better, than the first John Wick.

While its predecessor had heavy hints of neo-noir/comic book influences, Chapter 2 dives in with ceaseless momentum when it comes to genre expansion. It effortlessly switches from being an great action flick to a colorful yet moody noir to a globe-trekking adventure to even a demented black comedy. Speaking of which, I was surprised to find how many outright hilarious moments are contained in here. Then again, considering that the bloodletting is so absurdly excessive, how could you not find humor in it?

Do I even need to tell you that the action is great? Well, who cares? I'll tell you anyway. The phrase "You could teach a class on [insert movie and what it does exceptionally well here]" is incredibly trite; yet, like the first one, you really could teach a class on how great the direction and fight choreography in each individual action sequence is. One sequence in particular is best described as what if Nicolas Winding Refn and John Woo had remade The Lady From Shanghai's iconic mirror sequence (go watch the movie if you want to know what I mean). Earlier, I mentioned how bloody this flick is and I wasn't saying that lightly. Maybe this was what Rutger Hauer meant in Blade Runner when he said he'd "seen things you people wouldn't believe"... or maybe not. Needless to say, the R-rating here is well-earned.

Let it not go unheard that how terrific the cast is. Keanu Reeves is, as to be expected, great as the titular hitman. Common is fun as a recurring nemesis with an absurdly deadpan demeanor. Ruby Rose displays a lot of personality for a character that can be easily summed up as just a mute henchman. Even bitplayers like Peter Serafinowicz and Franco Nero are memorable, despite their miniscule amount of screentime. Also, Laurence Fishburne's cameo is easily one of the highlights of the film.

Do I have complaints? Totally. One or two scenes feel tone-deaf and the dialogue is a bit stale at times. Still, those are pretty minor nitpicks to be found in what is overall a fantastic package.

While calling this movie on par with Empire Strikes Back and Dark Knight in the pantheon of great sequels might be a bit hyperbolic, the ways it expertly expands upon its predecessor and how much of a bitter cliffhanger the ending turns out to be (again, go see the movie) might elevate it to the level of those classics within the coming years.

JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2 gets a...
BADASS out of 10!

DO NOT MISS THIS ONE, FOLKS!

Breif addendum: I forgot to mention the absolutely breathtaking cinematography and the eclectic score from composers Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard. Just thought that those two positives deserved a mention.