Not All That and a Pile of Spent Bullets

Rating: 7/10 (11 February 2017)

Okay, I'm going to need someone to sit down and explain this one to me. Please use words, graphs, colored charts and anything else at your disposal because I really am a little blindsided by the success of this series. I mean, we are all aware John Wick (2014) and this new sequel are, by and large okay action movies, right? They're the kind of action movies that, more or less, gives genre fans what they expect and is sort of stingy about the rest. This movie is good but is it Die Hard (1988) good? Is it Enter the Dragon (1973) good, is it 91% on Rotten Tomatoes good? I would argue no. The John Wick series is arguably no better than early nineties Jean-Claude Van Damme vehicles no matter how many architectural wonders they foist behind Keanu Reeves. The only real difference here is director Chad Stahelski brings a scintilla of visual flare to the party while the plot lugs around suitcases full of world-building ornamentation. If John Wick had one thing going for it, it's that came absolutely out of nowhere. John Wick 2: It Gets Wickier, doesn't have that benefit.
And what exactly is John Wick (Reeves) avenging this time? Well, everyone has moved past the dog; especially and including criminal big-wig Santino D'Antonio (Scamarcio). Since the assassin has signaled he's no longer retired, D'Antonio calls upon Wick to make good on a blood oath that is enforced by the same nefarious international crime syndicate that also happens to operate the luxury hotel chain from the first flick. Wick is, of course double-crossed, things escalate and the entire criminal underground, only hinted at in the first film are suddenly all out hunting for him.
Much like the first film, John Wick 2 is visually impressive and includes some pretty arduous fight sequences, at least from the perspective of the stuntmen. Yet the movie lacks any tension and fails to establish any real stakes. Wick, hereto described as the biggest swinging d**k in all of murderdom, has an incredible reputation as an unstoppable boogeyman. So much so that point blank shots to the gut, stabs to the leg and tumbles out of his car barely faze him. Keanu Reeves is not just portraying a character with uncommon physical abilities; he's basically playing a superhero.
He's a superhero that's up against regular, Joe-Shmoe villains, who are put down with a simple double tap to the head. With the exception of Common's loyal guardian and Ruby Rose's deaf henchman, there really doesn't seem to be a whole lot standing in Wick's way. Unless of course you include the inner workings of The Continental whose two rules (honor the blood oath and no killing on company grounds) aren't exactly an advantage. Ian McShane's posh hotel manager Winston returns to give the audience enough insight into The Continental's inner workings; a function that often feels more like a pacing siphon.
As said before, the fight sequences are quite impressive and Stahelski does an exquisite job showcasing their physicality. Additionally, Keanu Reeves as a close quarter's brawler does find a handful of moments that force onlookers to erupt in coliseum level cheer. Yet the film lacks any real action set pieces that aren't callbacks to other, better action films, or a remix of the same ingredients used in the first movie. In John Wick, the obvious low budget was enough to overlook the lack of a big blowout finale but here it's obvious they purposely eschewed such a choice. The results are a repetitive sequence of fight, rest, fight, rest, exposition, fight, rest.
At a pivotal point, our cocksure villain stands triumphant amid a room full of Grecian statues. This in a nut shell is the kind of almighty status John Wick 2: No Rest for the Wicked is looking to attain. It's knocking on the door of greatness and is asking to join the pantheon of truly awesome high-octane action movies. Some people are inclined to open the gates on this one but I say we should all just turn out the lights and pretend no one is home.