John Wick Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019) Review

Jon Wick's third installment was released for barely one weekend before a fourth was announced. The success of this franchise is due in large part to both lead actor Keanu Reeves and the director of the entire franchise, Chad Stahelski. This pair first met working together on The Matrix trilogy where Stahelski worked as both a stunt man and a stun coordinator. This deep understanding of martial arts and action, in the way of performing and shooting, leads to more creative fight choreography and better editing. All of these components enhance the artistic value of the franchise. With each film, the scale and style of the action has increased. The character content and the raw emotional honesty Reeves brings to the titular role is what keeps the audience invested in the story beyond the surface-live entertainment value of exquisite cinematography and exciting action.

Chapter 3 broadens the world-building so the audience can gain deeper insight into the many mysteries surrounding the John Wick's past and the assassin-world he spent so long working in. Though many action films have built their male protagonists off the dead bodies of the women they're said to have loved, the John Wick franchise maintains the emotional impact of his loss. His wife is not an after-thought beyond an initial death scene. The nihilistic component of the neo-noir genre is never so heavy as to make the audience swallowed whole by it, but instead strengthens the insight into John's psychology and how the toll of loss can linger.

Watch my full John Wick 3 review here: