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Why didn\u2019t we get a sequel to 2008\u2019s \u201cWanted?\u201d The project has been knocking around for a while, but it has yet to materialize.\u00a0 And as we learn more about the expanded \u201cJohn Wick\u201d universe, I\u2019m reminded of \u201cWanted,\u201d which I haven\u2019t seen in years, but remember favorably.\u00a0 The mysterious even glamorous life of an international assassin never seems to get cinematically old.<\/p>\n
Who would have thought that the smallish actioner \u201cJohn Wick\u201d would have become such a hit?\u00a0 Starring the wooden by strangely radiant Keanu Reeves, the original story was largely a one note revenge tale.\u00a0 Wick\u2019s wife passes away and leaves him a puppy.\u00a0 Some bad Russians kill the poor dog and steal his prized 1969 Mustang Mach1 Coupe.\u00a0 Naturally, things get bloody violent pronto.<\/p>\n
What worked about the original film was its utter simplicity.\u00a0 Sure, the larger assassin world was hinted at mainly through the use of Ian McShane\u2019s father-like character named Winston. But at its core, 2014\u2019s \u201cJohn Wick\u201d was about kick ass and a high body count.<\/p>\n
Well, continuing that success, \u201cJohn Wick: Chapter 2\u201d builds on the mysterious assassin mythology while also delivering copious amounts of comically violent bloodletting. John Wick\u2019s world is dangerous and not one you\u2019d really even want to visit, but it sure is fun to observe from the relative safety of a darkened theater.<\/p>\n
In this outing, Wick is visited by a former acquaintance named Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio). Wick owes D\u2019Antonio a marker.\u00a0 And that marker must be paid, or Wick may find himself no longer in the land of the living.\u00a0 We learn that he gave the marker to D\u2019Antonio in order to \u201cget out\u201d of the hitman business.\u00a0 But ironically, or, perhaps, idiotically, it is that marker that will ultimately bring him back into the violent business of killing people.<\/p>\n
\u201cChapter 2\u201d does not have a narrative that will stand up to much scrutiny.\u00a0 There are holes to be found throughout.\u00a0 But like the first film, the rugged hand-to-hand combat and gritty action more than covers any incongruities.\u00a0 And in these times, when men in tights dominate the box office, Wick\u2019s style of action seems not only plausible but even slightly unique.\u00a0 This guy bleeds, and stumbles around, but keeps on killing.<\/p>\n
And the filmmakers aren\u2019t beneath a good old fashioned homage to cement their throwback roots.\u00a0 In one well-executed scene, Wick navigates a hall of mirrors reminiscent of Bruce Lee\u2019s final battle in \u201cEnter the Dragon.\u201d\u00a0 This is clearly intentional, and in \u201cWick,\u201d it works.<\/p>\n
At another point in the film, we get an appearance by Laurence Fishburne, playing a character that is not entirely unlike that of Morpheus in the \u201cMatrix\u201d films.\u00a0 Veiled references to that famous (or infamous) series of films inevitably find a place in the sometimes awkward \u201cChapter 2\u201d dialogue.\u00a0 This playfulness works, adding some levity to the overly heavy and sometimes too self-important and really silly larger narrative.<\/p>\n
To be sure, Reeves is excellent in the role of the stoic killer John Wick.\u00a0 This character, no doubt written for him, fits his skill set remarkably.\u00a0 And with \u201cChapter 2\u201d and the expansion of the pulpy mythology, a true franchise is born.\u00a0 Hopefully, it will continue to expand but won\u2019t forget that its the action that drives the films forward.\u00a0 Meanwhile, \u201cWanted 2\u201d is likely to get another look.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The action continues in the expanded universe that Wick inhabits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews","no-thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4309"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4309\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4313,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4309\/revisions\/4313"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dailyfilmfix.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}