The Art Of Action
As much as the superhero genre, specifically the Marvel strain of films, have rather saturated audiences with its abundance of choreographed heroics, the action genre is a category of features which was always morphed into many different styles; depending on the contextual circumstance. Indeed, Whereas the aftermath of the Second World War inherently changed film-makers at the time to depict battles fought by the brave and noble, films such as Cornelius Ryan’s The Longest Day or J. Lee Thompson’s The Guns of Navarone, and how these films in returnled to the spy genre seen throughout the James Bond centric films of the 60’s, it’s fathomable to perceive just how much the action genre has changed since it’s arguable inception from the very beginning of cinema. Such change is evident through Chad Stahelski’s acclaimed John Wick series of films which purposefully takes the choreographed stylisation of the Hong Kong ‘Heroic Bloodshed’ movies of the 80’s and amalgamates that with a context that’s seeped in intrigue and originality. It’s from this combination which has resulted in Keanu Reeves enacting at his best in his best franchise; forever disregarding The Wachowski’s The Matrix trilogy. However, considering that there was arguable and reputable issues in relation to Chapter 2’s story, and how there was no real substance that was carried over from the first film of which audiences sympathised with, how does both Stahelski and Reeves tackle this niggling discrepancy in Chapter 3 – Parabellum?
On the run for taking a life on Continental Hotel grounds, skilled-assassin John Wick is now a wanted man with a $14 million dollar contract for his life. The victim was a recent member of the High-Table who ordered the open contract and upon this killing, the famed Baba-Yaga was deemed excommunicado, a term here which not only means the Continental services are prohibited, but also how the world’s most ruthless hit-men and woman await every turn. In using his wits and former allies for assistance, can John Wick fight and kill his way out of this predicament?…
For those who are already infatuated with Keanu Reeves’ most established film franchise, as highlighted within the introduction, to expect a meandering of hyper-stylised choreography and ever-flowing Gun-Fu techniques – homaging films like John Woo’s The Killer and Ringo Lam’s City on Fire – is inherently assured since Stahelski’s latest outing of the John Wick franchise in the form of Parabellum doesn’t hold back in displaying a story structure that is action-orientated right the way through the total run-time. Indeed, whereas the preceding outing of Chapter 2 introduced the world of Wick on a larger scale and introducing more characters and lore that enriches the viewing experience even further, this third-entry cranks the volume dial even higher; forever deepening the mythology of the business in which Reeves’ character is tangled-up in and delivering a series of Bushido brawls as inventive as they are grimacing. the film in discussion even begins its story in similar fashion to the preceding feature, with the story immediately cutting to the denouement that transpired from the previous film with the central character running for his life from the masses of assassins that are ripe to kill. While there isn’t any intuitive character building of the central character, as seen in the second films introduction which simply builds the mysticism of the ‘Boogeyman’ persona that John Wick has, Parabellum’s opening is a necessity since it appropriately builds-up the heightened tensions left in the credits of the last film and delivers the impact of Reeves’ character being excommunicated in a thrilling manner. Once the film gets passed the build-up of John Wick left to find a way out of the predicament that he’s in, the feature doesn’t hold-back in showcasing sequences in which the said character battles his from New York to Casablanca. It’s from this global outreach in the story, where Wick finds himself travelling for a reason which won’t be spoiled, that Parabellum further expands on its distinctive world-building and contextual pieces of lore that does seem rather flamboyant and ostentatious; even for the likes of the gritty realism which previous John Wick features have effortlessly evoked. Indeed, as much as John Wick’s world ‘plays’ on its own set of rules, one in which flip-phones and first-age computers are in frequent use and how there favourable hot-spots for a mass of assassins to congregate in their deadly dealings, it’s a distinction which is rather bonkers and it’s only performing if you personally let yourself go from its bizarre contextual shackles. For myself, it was with an assiduous attitude that I remained contempt within the bosom of Parabellum’s confidence in ambitiously pushing it’s context wider since there are sequences which make you less invested. As amble and professional the technical prowess was maintaining a high-octane level of action throughout all of the story, it has to be said that there were occasions where you’re transported away from Wick’s wacky wonder. Not only does the central character’s choice in the beginning of the final act feel rather unsatisfying, but how equally wasteful are the moments that subsequently follow, In particular, a fight scene in which Wick is dusting-up against two Shinobi assassins which comes across as an odd and un-intense face-off that comes across as a scene in which you might see in a spoof. The proof is in the pudding when this said sequence wasn’t initially in the script to begin with.
As there isn’t any room this time around for Stahelski to implement a strong emotional angle to a once good-willed hit-man in the form of the John Wick character, since much of the contextual emphasis in this latest chapter focuses on rehabilitation rather than redemption of the preceding features, what’s of course pertinent to the centre of all these films – including Parabellum – that makes such an engageble watch and loved overall, is the application of the action and how the choreography improves more and more. More than the development of the story and the progression of John Wick as a character, of which we’ll discuss in relation to Keanu Reeve’s portrayal of the said protagonist, it’s with the action where Parabellum delivers to its audience. Whereas the night-club sequence from the first John Wick is adhered to be the most stand-out action set piece in the franchise, there are a myriad of scenes that rather make an impression from its technical delivery. The obvious example of this seen in Parabellum is a scene in which we see John Wick riding-away on a horse from other kill-thirsty assassins in the rainy night-scene of New York. As much as the likes of the grandiose happenings of the Mission Impossible films create this outlandish spectacle that Western audiences will inherently grasp towards, it’s equally satisfying to see a film in this which devotedly executes levels of stylish film-making mixed with ample amount of dust-ups that are frequent and impactful. Even the appearance of Halle Berry’s character of Sofia and her two well-trained stunt dogs can and should make your mouth drop, considering what sort of stunts and actions these said dogs are put-up against. Once again, with it taking inspiration from the Hong Kong ‘Heroic Bloodshed’ films of the late 80’s/early 90’s which frequently applied stylised bouts, we’re presented with scenes in Parabellum that are intensely fluid. While there are Western film-making sensibilities that are necessary to authenticate the film’s attemptive violent realism, Stahelski has a knack in showcasing these bombastic moments in a oddly beautiful way.
Much of the same praise can be said of Keanu Reeve’s continuous pursuit in portraying a damned and mercurial figure in John Wick that doesn’t get old in seeing. As outlandish as this may sound and come across, it’s hard to imagine how all of these films that make-up this beloved franchise without the charismatic presence of Keanu Reeves. As much as you’re going to know what you’re getting from Reeves 3rd appearance as the bewildered ‘Boogeyman’, it’s this expected bold performance and deliverance which draws you into his character. Considering his background in a multitude of action/stunt film endeavours, most notably in The Matrix as Neo, it rightly makes sense since his execution and commitment in delivering these stunt motifs simply come across as riveting. The very fact that he’s been doing this in the preceding films in a enthusiastic manner shows us Reeve’s love for the role. What’s rather intriguing to ponder as well is the polarity between the John Wick that the characters in the film all murmur about – a man so sorrowfully deadly that he gives assassins in the same business nightmares – and the mellow yet kindly spoken demeanour of Reeves, a star renowned for his loner and amiable persona. Unlike other action stars of similar ilk, in the forms of say Gerard Butler or Jason Statham that parade the silver-screen through their recognisably rugged personalities, it’s Reeves’ zen yet vindictive way of playing the aforesaid protagonist that makes his appearance all that more fresh. This very much plays into the bone-dry wit of the Wick films, where we see Reeves nonchalantly move from an assortment of corpses to another assortment of corpses. To see an actor who loves playing a role numerous times is a truly great thing to behold and Reeves clearly exemplifies this with a self-seriousness that makes his performance fun and unexpected each time. Much of that same liveliness can be found in the rest of the cast – with the likes of Ian McShane, Halle Berry and Laurence Fishburne all providing a level of enjoyment and sophistication to their respective roles. One particular enactment that rather suits the series’ comic-book esque lore was Asia Kate Dillon’s performance of The Adjudicator who, like Reeves funnily, executes lines of dialogue in a stark and conscientious mode of means that made her memorable, which is always good.
“Art is pain, life is suffering” is a line of dialogue in which a victim of John Wick’s fury mentions and while this is very true, the ‘pain’ displayed in Chad Stahelski’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is one which is endlessly entertaining and never rarely becomes stale or repetitious. The very fact that Stahelski and the rest of his film-making team of action choreographers are still displaying stylish and gripping sequences of fluid style in a third instalment of a beloved franchise is a feat that non a lot of others franchises can compellingly convey. In juxtaposition to its preceding story-lines and other action films of similar ilk, Parabellum is an over-the-top entry which succeeds in boasting its thrilling action in a distinctively fluid manner that not many Western action films of today can replicate. At the same time however, being that much of the narrative of this third instalment is heavy reliant on the action telling the story, the structure of Parabellum is very combat-centric which while this is expected, does also mean that the emotional angle of the protagonist is dissipated somewhat. With another entry in the John Wick franchise likely to come in the coming years, it’ll be interesting just how the aforesaid assassin’s story concludes…
On that note, it’s time for me to end this week’s Film Review. As always everyone, thank you for reading my latest Film Review of Chad Stahelski’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and if anyone happens to have an opinion on my the film or on my review itself, you’re more than welcome to share your thoughts down below. For next week, I’ll be discussing Netflix’s A Series of Unfortunate Events’ latest and last season and whether or not the said series was a success for the said streaming service. With that said, thank you once again for reading my latest Blog Entry and I hope you’re all having a nice weekend! Adieu! 😃😎🏃🐕👊💥
★★★★☆ – Alex Rabbitte