A modern Spaghetti Western.
Chapter 3: Parabellum digs deeper into, and adds to, the franchise mythology. And, perhaps, that's the biggest weakness of the film. The beauty of John Wick, the original, was that it had a simple plot based on a simple premise: Bad guy falls in love, is changed forever for the better, loses girl, struggles to stay true to her memory, then kills several dozen people as he works through that conflict.
Well, maybe it wasn't that simple. It wasn't, however, just a fucking puppy.
Chapter 3: Parabellum has a larger budget and lots of big-name supporting actors. But it's the action that brings people to the show. By now everyone in the audience knows Wick's moves. . . he never backs up, instead always moving forward into the fight. He's gonna arm drag one guy onto the ground, then hold him tightly with his legs while he shoots another guy who is running toward him. He'll then re-load the gun and shoot the first guy he's been holding down all this time. He'll shoot a bunch of guys close-up in the face while working through a crowded venue. And then later he'll have at least two knife fights that make the best martial arts films look weak.
But we don't care that all his moves are the same. That's just who John Wick is. He's a man of focus. A man of sheer will. I once saw him kill three men in a bar using nothing but a pencil. Who does that?
John Wick.
While I prefer the first film to either of the sequels, I enjoy watching the character evolve and the mythology being built. We learn a little more about the personal life of Wick in Parabellum, and that insight helps us appreciate the guy even more.
Can't wait to watch Chapter 4.
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