Crap

Rating: 2/10 (13 February 2017)

I'm as much a fan of action as anyone, but this is spam - and I use that word to get pass the profanity filter. This was clearly written/directed by a Matrix fanboy ... oh, look, it's Matrix stunt double Chad Stahelski directing this tripe. When Laurence Fishburne shows up in a throwaway role I had to be physically restrained from yelling, "Welcome to the desert of the real!" and "My name is Neo!" Fishburne's contribution to the movie: A handgun. Gag me with a spoon. "There is no spoon."
John Wick (Keanu Reaves) gets a visit from the movie's antagonist, and is presented with a promissory note - a marker. John refuses it, knowing full well that he's going to be forced to accede to the demands later, but gives antagonist Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) the opportunity to blow up John's home. John responds by ... doing what the antagonist originally asked him to do. "That is the sound of inevitability."
The first 45 minutes are set-up. He gets a pair of bullet-proof dress suits, a wine course of weaponry (as foreshadowed in the trailer), maps upon maps of the impossible mission that he needs to complete, and keys to open the antique locks that bar the way. Like, you're kidding me, they have no fewer than 70 mob minions for him to kill on the way out, but the evil overlords can't afford some Craftsman combination locks? "They are guarding all the doors, they are holding all the keys."
The action scenes are well choreographed, except for the ridiculous fact that both Wick and his many opponents miss with striking frequency, whenever it's useful for the continuation of the story. World class assassins miss short-range no-cover head-shots constantly. I give this a 2 star fully for the acting of supporting actor rapper Common and for the one-handed thumb-less cocking of a 1911 by Wick (forgetting that there was no reason to one-handedly cock the 1911, but it was cool).
Ares (Ruby Rose with the trademark short hair) is an androgynous master bodyguard. She plays the whole movie, poised like a lethal weapon ready to strike. The whole movie. I kept on thinking it was Justin Bieber, and I wanted her to get her ass kicked. She's so good that nothing could possible best her, except for John in about 20 seconds. What an anticlimax.
John says to Santino, "it's impossible," and makes his contract kill with ridiculous ease. He does it so easily that the target offs herself rather than take the bullet. Do the same for yourself. Save yourself from this tripe and rent Mel Gibson's Payback.
When CinemaSins does "Everything wrong with John Wick 2" on Youtube, it's going to set a record for sins.