John Wick Chapter 3: Movie Review (No Spoilers)

By Michael Momper

The newest installment of the John Wick franchise is finally here, and I waited for it in eager anticipation, not at all dissimilar to the excitement I had for the latest Mission:Impossible chapter. I have mentioned the strengths of both of these franchises before, but perhaps a few of them are worth repeating as the high quality of these franchises has become predictable in the most excellent way.

These franchises perfectly exemplify the glowing results of putting a movie in the hands of a capable, motivated director who has a crystal-clear and tasteful vision for his art. Both franchises now have three blockbuster smash-hits in a row, and the quality is very evident. The latest John Wick film plays to all of the strengths I have mentioned previously: wonderfully choreographed action, whimsical exotic locations, and most importantly, knife-like precision behind the camera with practical effects and a complete ditching of the shaky-cam action formula. This takes very hard work and meticulous practice, which is precisely why most blockbusters (likely due to the crutch of having immense budgets) often forego the practice of fight scene choreography for shaky-cam sleight of hand and dubbed editing tricks. Often the effects become distracting, even ugly, and fight scenes where action is blurred by shoddy camera work completely dull the effect of audience immersion, which is exactly why the fight scenes in John Wick, full of real stunt work and martial arts, are so hard-hitting for audience members.

John Wick Chapter 3 starts off with a bang, as we pick up with a solitary John Wick who is on the run from assassins lurking around every corner. He has been excommunicated from the one organization that protected him, and we are plunged into his forced state of paranoia from the very beginning. As usual, dialogue is relatively scarce but effective. Seedy villains and oddball side characters abound, which give the movie a comic book vibe but only accentuate the effectiveness of director Chad Stahelski and writer Derek Kolstad’s knack for world-building. The arduous attention to detail they have put into creating a unique and surreal world is one of the huge strengths that places John Wick above many other action franchises. There are plenty of inept fools that challenge John Wick and are instantly shown to be live target practice, but in the climaxes of the films there are plenty of intriguing and kooky villains, each with relatively simple and uncluttered motives. The franchise doesn't come off as pretentious, nor does it try to be an incredibly thought-provoking character study and risk muddying the video-game-style dimensions of each character (by this I mean, most of the characters are relatively transparent and only as profound as is wholly necessary). You will not find a Michael Corleone in the John Wick franchise; but then, this isn't the time and place for that kind of depth either.

I felt like this third installment really shined when John was placed in antique and seemingly ancient settings. The franchise as a whole constantly subverts the distractions of futuristic set pieces and gadgetry; though the clothing and weaponry is oftentimes inherently modern, there is a really fun feeling of sophistication to be garnered from the expensive whiskey, the gold coins, the medieval art and architecture, and the Gothic beauty throughout. When John is fighting in these places we can focus easily, and in an odd way there is an aesthetic attraction to the dance-like movement of the characters upon these timeless canvases. I love the fact that many critics point out how much the fights in these movies are like a bullet-riddled ballet. I think that’s an excellent simile- the back and forth dance of the bullets, knives and fists conjured up many cheers in the theater. Like a great gymnast routine, there were perfectly-timed pauses to allow for audiences to gasp or cheer at the carnage unfolding within.

This franchise is built on fun characters, an immersive world and inventive (but strangely beautiful) deaths. The only bit in this movie that dragged for me was a three-minute fight scene that had a few too many kills in a row shot in the same perspective and with little to no variation between the kills. As long as the writer and director continue to gloriously stage this mayhem however, I can’t wait to see where the franchise takes us next.

Rating: 89/100