Simultaneously Satisfying and Disappointing

Rating: 7/10 (22 February 2017)

I find myself simultaneously satisfied and disappointed with Chapter 2. What really stuck out to me, beyond the exquisite fight scenes, of the first movie was it's emotional core. It's unfair to expect Chapter 2 to hold quite as much emotional level, and it didn't, but it didn't really substitute it with anything nearly as good. The film opens with Wick tying up the last loose end from the first movie and returning home, only to be served a mandatory IOU that leads him deeper into the mysterious underworld of assassins and hit men. We see how far this world extends, including a Continental in Rome, and the influence of assassins extending from rich higher-ups all the way down to buskers on the street. It did get to the point where I wondered if there was actually anyone in this fictional universe who wasn't an assassin. But at least they didn't just resort to a re-hash of the first movie (even though that's where I thought it was heading initially).
But while the plot was a little unsatisfactory, choosing instead to embrace it's cheesier mythology, the action sequences remain as tight and gritty as ever. One might argue that they're actually a step-up from the first film, that was mired in a limited budget. Chapter 2 having more money to play around with allowed the filmmakers more creativity in their stuntwork. There's a few stand-out moments, including a covert shoot-out across a bridge that passer's-by don't notice, knife fights in what amounts to a hall of mirrors, and even using cars as weapons (although I did wonder how anyone could stand up and fight after the amount of times Wick got run-over). We even get to see how John Wick managed to kill three men in a bar with a pencil.
That said, the sheer creativity used in the fight sequences are balanced out by a lot of more mundane stuntwork that drags on a little too long. Pretty much any time Wick and Cassian come head-to-head, their fights go on too long and the admittedly impressive choreography just becomes a blur. Likewise, Wick finds himself battling through endless swathes of goons on multiple occasions. Why all these goons are so stupid and/or inaccurate is beyond me, and they just keep coming and feeding the machine that is whatever weapon Wick is wielding at the time. Even fellow assassins on the street fall victim to just being headshot fodder. Longer and bigger is not always better.
Visually though, Chapter 2 is a massive step-up from it's predecessor. The increase in budget also allowed for some simply fantastic cinematography and creative uses of backdrop and setting. Almost every scene is complimented by interesting lighting that gives it an artistic-looking edge, and even composition and framing are used to good effect to create the most visually pleasing imagery. For example, there's a shot of Santino in an art gallery dead centre, with statues either side of him literally framing him in the shot. Mirrors and windows are also used to great effect, with a bright and vibrant array of colours splashed on to them, creating interesting visual effects not too dissimilar to those in Blade Runner and Skyfall. This is the cinematographer of Crimson Peak and Silent Hill at his best.
Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard return to score the movie, with the same kind of frantic electro-rock. Every scene is driven by a drum beat, either natural drums or electronic, with dance basslines and the odd distorted guitar providing the musical backbone. Marylin Manson's Killing Strangers, which acted as the first movie's main theme, is absent entirely (much to my disappointment), but Nostalghia provide a good substitute with their odd brand of atmospheric techno, and Le Castle Vania provides another typically clubhouse tune for Chapter 2's own version of the club shootout. Finally a note for the sound department; Chapter 2 is very, very loud, with sharp difference between action volume and dialogue volume. Not sure if it was just my cinema screening, but they had it turned up so loud that the action sequences (most noticeably with the opening car chase) just became a distorted mess. I was starting to think I should've brought earplugs.
Even after having written all of that out, I'm still torn on what I actually thought of it. It absolutely did not live up to the sheer excellence and creativity of the first film, but I never really expected it would any way. The fight scenes are exceptionally well choreographed, balancing style with practicality in a way rarely seen before, show signs of originality in how they're presented, and are filmed with such a fantastic eye for photography that every scene is wall-mountable. However a lot of the gunfights and knifefights go on too long, fall back on filler, and the deeper dive into the assassin mythology is more cheesy and OTT than engaging and interesting. I give John Wick: Chapter 2 a 7/10.