Void of substance

Rating: 4/10 (9 July 2017)

In John Wick 1, the story unfolds with major tragedy. Wick's wife died. he is in mourning. Then a useless thug kills the dog his dead wife left him. In doing so the writers created an instant, sympathetic connection to the character.
In this sequel, I have absolutely no sympathy for, or connection to any character in the movie. Moreover, to the director, writers, and producer I ask how many times can you show someone shooting people in the head before it gets old?
John Wick 2 is a Groundhog Day action movie. One man with a pistol shooting people in the head over, and over, and over again. I do not consider this statement to be a spoiler because the previews indicate as much. Even action movies require some foundation such as good writing, a compelling story, and a hint of plausibility. This movie is simply a man with a pistol killing a never-ending supply of villains.
What is even more astounding, the never-ending supply of "professional" villains are bad shots with poor reflexes. In John Wick 1 he was not invincible, making him more of a more sympathetic character. He was captured and would have been killed had he not been rescued by a fellow assassin. In this version he is basically wearing a red cape and leaping over tall buildings in a single bound.
That said, if you just want to see a bunch of people getting shot in the head time-and-time again, you are going to really love this film. John Wick 1 spent a little time building the characters including the villain. John Wick 2 has chaotic character development, a sloppy plot, and doesn't contain even a grain of plausibility.