The beautiful thing about having only seen thirty minutes of the first “John Wick” film as a point of reference for this film was that I felt like I didn’t miss a beat. You really can jump right in! There’s enough of a bridge in this sequel’s content to understand the main aim of the screenplay, and enjoy every moment of the film.

Keanu Reeves is an action icon. Can we agree, sí or no? Even if we can’t, I think this film cements his legacy as a bonafide something—cinematic dream. I still can’t believe he’s the same kid from “Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure.” Incredible journey.

Okay, the review:

Bless the choreographers for all the action scenes. Like, I spend weekends watching old kung fu, and I miss seeing action that could (strong COULD) rival the choreography of the past. I think they’ve hit the nail on the head with this film. It’s gun, and swords, and fists, oh my! Beautifully executed hand-to-hand fighting scenes. 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾

Bless the screenwriters who made it painfully clear that pets, especially doggies, are not to be effed with by N. E. BOD. EE!!

🗣️🗣️🗣️LEAVE THE DOGGOS OUT OF THE NONSENSE, OR PREPARE TO GET EFFED UP, YA HEARD?! 🗣️🗣️🗣️

The supporting cast, including: the legend Ian McShane, my homie from the Wire Lance Reddick, my favorite baldie from Billions and OITNB Asia Kate Dillon, and Bronn from GoT fame Jerome Flynn, were crazy, stupid fun and all fed the film’s kick-ass plot.  And MUVA Anjelica Huston graces us with her presence!!! Yes, lawd!

I love seeing how different directors approach action-heavy films, whether they’re focused on a superhero, or an assassin, or a supernatural element coming to destroy all mankind. Here, director Chad Stahelski utilized elements and ideas reminiscent of a horror film to keep the audience engaged throughout. The action didn’t seem to dull out and I didn’t grow bored by the climax. I think this was all in the screenwriting. I thought of it as a story board, or mathematical equations,

for instance:

John Wick + A weapon = Contemplation X An intruder of his personal space + Time= Someone’s death 💀

then…

John Wick + An escape route + ‘Unexpected’ danger X A group of intruders in his personal space = Death (comical 😂 and gory🩸)

then…

John Wick X Travel + Bumps, bruises, scars + Back-up player X Adrenaline = A minor setback and more action💥💥

you get it…

Also, brava to the set designers–still an under-valued cinematic element,  but this film shows that meticulous attention to setting, set design, and coordination with cinematography and direction separates films like this from its B-movie counterparts.

Wick’s character is fallible. He has weaknesses (pets being one of them). He has a bit of a heart, it’s black as hell but it’s there. 🖤 There were consequence for his actions. This screenplay shifted much like completing missions during a video game, but there was no amass of endless life. He had to give up valuable things to continue on, and that’s what kept me captivated.

One other note: the opening credits and introduction to a film can impact the tone of the film. This film’s opening credits introduced artifacts that later proved important to the progression of the screenplay, but the audience would’ve captured the significance of those items as they were introduced throughout the film. Also, and this is a nit-picky thing that may be consistent throughout all three films and I’m just unaware, but the font used for the subtitled scenes felt a bit playful and amateur-ish and almost took away from action and power of the words conveyed. My attention shifted from what was being said to why the words took up so much space on the screen and the emphasis of different colors for certain words.