Review: John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum

John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum

Two thoughts came into my head as I watched the gleeful chaos of John Wick 3: 1. Is there anything John Wick cannot kill a man with? And, 2. Who needs something like ballet when you have this kind of supremely fluid and majestic art / bloody carnage? Interestingly, both these questions were somewhat answered by the film.

At this point I don't think this film or the series needs much of an introduction. This chapter continues the trend of expanding upon Wick's world of assassins - thankfully never giving us any stunted explanatory exposition but always just throwing us in the deep-end to let us parse together the pieces of how this society of violence operates (FYI - it does so with a surprisingly high amount of diplomacy and order).

In terms of a review, put simply, if you enjoyed the previous installments then you will enjoy this one. It boasts the same level of first-rate action choreography and stunts - much of which was met with loudly audible 'ooohs and ahhhs' by the audience after each bullet hit, knife in the back and shattered bone. I personally found myself enjoying the first few fights the most when John used no less than a thick book, the contents of an antique store and even a stable of horses to dismantle his opponents in the bloodiest of ways. (That addresses question 1 from above). Later, the action eventually becomes a tad more stale when it mainly consists of variations of gun-play. Cinematography seems to have been upgraded in Parabellum too, and the neon colour palette of mostly orange/green throughout is wondrous to take in. I will not go into the story much as it directly continues from where the twist in chapter 2 left off, however, the story here very much aligns with the one-man army ideology of its predecessors. Regarding the ballet thought - it came into my head quite early on in the film and I was surprised to see that the film actually draws a direct visual and thematic comparison within the film between the gracefulness of ballet and John Wick's own fighting style. Again, there isn't too much to be said here - if you like John Wick or excellent action then go see this one, you will not be disappointed.