Companion viewing
"Baxter" (1989)
"Red" (2008)
"John Wick" (2014)
In 2014 Keanu Reeves scored a surprise hit with "John Wick." Now he’s back with "John Wick: Chapter 2" (opening throughout San Diego on Feb. 10), a sequel that ups the ante on the action.
In "John Wick," Keanu Reeves played a hit man who comes out of retirement to seek vengeance after the dumbass son of a Russian mobster steals his car and kills the puppy that his dying wife left him.
That premise was kind of genius. I mean it's simple, emotional, and who can't identify with a man getting revenge on the bastard who killed his pooch (played to fuzzy perfection by Andy the beagle).
The film was co-helmed by stuntmen-turned-directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, and co-produced by their action design company 87Eleven. So as you would expect the action kicked ass. But the film wasn't just a show reel for their stunts. It was a smartly crafted, well cast, slickly executed revenge tale that proved highly satisfying.
Now we get "John Wick Chapter 2." It picks up a few days after the first film ended as John decides to go after his stolen car and tries desperately to remain retired. But the harder he tries, the more bodies pile up.
The sequel doesn't have the focused simplicity of the first film, which could be summed up as dog dies, man gets revenge. But it moves the story in a satisfying new if a bit more conventional plot direction. Now it's about John insisting that's he's retired, getting pulled back in, then double crossed, then out for more revenge. We no longer have a puppy tugging at our heartstrings but rather a cycle of violence spinning out of control.
But Stahelski and writer Derek Kolstad succeed in taking the revenge to a new level and giving it a bit of a James Bond twist with stunning locations, layers of secret organizations, and global machinations. And like Bond it exits the real world on a certain level and we go willingly along.
"Chapter 2" is proof that Stahelski (who takes solo directing credit on this one) knows how to make an action film with Hong Kong sensibilities but a distinctly American flair.
So instead of kung fu we get what he calls "gun fu," a mix of martial arts and tactical three-gun. But his real innovation is to employ a more Hong Kong style of shooting action, which means involving all levels of the crew from actors to cinematographers and editors in the prepping and execution of action sequences. This allows for fights to be tailored to the location and for props to become more active parts of what's happening on screen.
It also means using wider, longer takes of the fights and stunts so editors can choose where to cut for emphasis rather than having to make rapid cuts to hide mistakes and make the combatants look faster. In addition, Stahelski doesn’t stop the story for fight scenes. Instead the action propels the story forward and reveals character in the process.
It’ll also make your jaw drop.
The result of this approach also means that the audience can appreciate the action more fully. It feels more visceral and you feel more invested in the characters created by the actors because with fewer cuts you see more of the actors doing their own stunts.
But the influence isn't strictly Hong Kong.
Stahelski opens with a nice nod to the silent clowns of American cinema by having a frantic silent film chase projected against a New York building just before John Wick comes speeding down the street after a motorcyclist. As with silent comedians like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd as well as dancers like Gene Kelly, Stahelski appreciates how these longer wide shots can showcase physical prowess.
While Hollywood films never thought to apply these techniques to its action films, Hong Kong stuntmen like Jackie Chan were quick to adapt ideas from Keaton, Lloyd and Kelly to their fight choreography. And choreography is the perfect word for what people like Chan and Stahelski do — they turn fights into dances that dazzle us.
As with the first film, the sequel has clever casting in the supporting roles. Talented British actor Ian McShane returns as the lord and master of The Continental, the hotel for assassins, and Franco Nero (the original Django) plays his counterpart in Rome. Both men bring a touch of elegance to the film.
Then Peter Stomare gets to shine in what is essentially a cameo to open the film and Edgar Wright favorite Peter Serafinowicz gets to play The Continental's sommelier (only it's not wines he's serving up). And then Stahelski arranges for a "Matrix" reunion by casting Laurence Fishburne (Morpheus to Reeves' Neo in "The Matrix") as the Bowery King.
That's a pretty classy bunch of actors for a rough and tumble action film, and they elevate the film.
Stahelski also elevates the film by getting Guillermo del Toro's cinematographer from "Mimic" and "Crimson Peak" to shoot his film and saturate it in rich colors. Every step of the way Stahelski shows care for how the film will look. And while some people might have rested on the success of the first film and not tried anything new, Stahelski seems to push himself as a director to try new things. He also pays homage to films like John Woo's "Hard-Boiled" (in the warehouse scenes) and Orson Welles' "The Lady From Shanghai" in a shoot-out in a hall of mirrors.
But the bottom line is that "John Wick: Chapter 2" (rated R for strong violence throughout, some language and brief nudity) is just crazy fun.
The action is relentless, Reeves (at 52!) is impressive at all the stunt work, and there are moments when you just shake your head and wonder how the hell did they just do that? The film ends with a "Chapter 3" seemingly on the horizon. I don't know how much more they can do with this story and how many more hit men Wick can kill off before he simply dies of exhaustion. But heck, I'm game for whatever they want to serve up because they haven't disappointed yet.
Be listening for my podcast this weekend featuring Stahelski, Common (who plays one of Wick's adversaries), and Bey Logan (author of the seminal book "Hong Kong Action") as I look at how the "John Wick" films are redefining American action.
