A Killer Performance by Keanu Reeves in ‘John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum’

Here’s the plot summary for the 2019 film John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, according to the IMDb site:

“After gunning down a member of the High Table — the shadowy international assassin’s guild — legendary hitman John Wick finds himself stripped of the organization’s protective services. Now stuck with a $14 million bounty on his head, Wick must fight his way through the streets of New York as he becomes the target of the world’s most ruthless killers.”

The movie is extremely entertaining, and, as usual, the body count is incredibly high. John Wick killed nearly everyone except his beloved dog and himself! Fortunately, he also didn’t kill the nearly equally lethal character Sofia played by his talented (and Academy Award-winning) co-star Halle Berry. Sofia’s trained killer dogs almost stole the movie in an intense 30-minute sequence in which Sofia and John Wick fight off a horde of attackers.

“This third entry in the over-the-top action series gets more complicated, with lots more explanation — but the bracingly crisp, fluid fight choreography still blows away most challengers.” — Jeffrey M. Anderson, Common Sense Media

Here are some more excerpts from movie critic reviews:

“The supercharged third installment of the hyper-violent franchise is staggeringly accomplished and wearyingly soulless.”

Jeannette Catsoulis , The NYTimes

“Combat-heavy pulp of the highest order, this is the most enjoyably over-the-top entry so far. Where else can you get samurai dogs and a Tarkovsky reference?”

Nick de Semlyen , Empire

“A refresher course, and a liberating one, in the nature of escapist entertainment.”

Joe Morgenstern , Wall Street Journal

“The John Wick movies aren’t so much stories as they are ballets of blood.”

Plugged In Staff , Plugged In

“‘Parabellum’ more than makes up for what it lacks in-depth, with stunning visuals and captivating action, as Keanu Reeves and the rest of the cast make yet another essential entry in this series.”

Neil Soans , Times of India

"The movie should by rights be a “Wow!” But it feels bloated, self-conscious, and pretentious, with long waits between its few dazzling fights."

David Edelstein , Vulture

“It's full of action scenes.”

Devasheesh Pandey , News 18

John Wick also gets expert help from the likes of Winston (Ian McShane) and the Bowery Kind (Laurence Fishburne) in fending off attackers. But through most of the movie, John Wick goes it alone and does just fine.

If you like amazingly choreographed gunplay in movies, you’ll love the John Wick movies, in which those kinds of scenes play out like a slow-motion ballet of death.

“GUNS. LOTS OF GUNS.” — John Wick

Yes, John Wick kills a slew of people in John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum, same as in the first two John Wick movies. But he had to kill all those people (94 in total, according to reliable reports). After all, they were trying to kill HIM first, so his actions were all done in self-defense. Although that’s a little murky morality-wise, it’s understandable for movie fans since Keanu Reeves is playing a kind of nice guy who also happens to be a deadly assassin.

“WHOEVER COMES, WHOEVER IT IS…I’LL KILL THEM. I’LL KILL THEM ALL.” — John Wick

John Wick keeps trying real hard to get out of the assassination business but is having no luck at all doing that. That’s a good thing for us John Wick fans because it means Keanu Reeves will keep coming back to appear in more sequels in the future to entertain us. All the character John Wick has to do is stay alive, which is never an easy feat in the incredibly dangerous world in which he lives and “works.”

John Wick Chapter 4, initially scheduled for release on May 21, 2021, has now been pushed back until May 27, 2022. While that’s disappointing news for the legion of John Wick fans around the world, the delay allows Keanu Reeves time to complete the next chapter of his iconic Matrix franchise, Matrix 4, which is scheduled for release on May 21, 2021.

You can watch John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum on various streaming services. While Chapter 3 works fine as a stand-alone entry in the film series, I recommend you watch John Wick 1 and 2 first, if you can. They’re both terrific as well.

“YOU WANTED ME BACK. I’M BACK.” — John Wick

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Thanks for reading. Copyright © Terry Mansfield. All Rights Reserved.