High octane sequel to an impressively building franchise with Reeves getting in touch with his inner Charles Bronson/Steve McQueen

Rating: 9/10 (22 February 2017)

JOHN WICK : CHAPTER 2 (2017) ***1/2 Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane, Ruby Rose, Common, Claudia Gerini, Lance Reddick, Laurence Fishburne, Tobias Segal, John Leguizamo, Bridget Moynahan, Thomas Sadoski, Franco Nero, Peter Stormare. High octane sequel to an impressively building franchise with Reeves getting in touch with his inner Charles Bronson/Steve McQueen as the titular attempting-to-retire assassin who this time is seeking peace and quiet but only putting that on hold when his marker is called by nefarious gangland weasel Scamarcio calls his debt to off his sister (bewitching Gerini) to take over the family business. Reeves is a study in pot boiling simmering rage barely contained and when push comes to shove the body count doubles. Slickly photographed by Dan Lausten, pulse-quickeningly edited by Evan Schiff and the returning team of director Chad Stahelski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad ups the ante considerably with globe-trotting (Rome never looked so lethal) and fantastic stunts choreographed fight sequences and chases. Nice bit of in-on-the-joke casting of Reeves' MATRIX co-star Fishburne and McShane as the safe haven hotelier/bookmaker on the excessively violent scores to be had.