JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3

BY: Katherine Sloan

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum is set to debut in movie theaters around the country later this month, and it is sure to be a massive hit. In a recent interview, Anjelica Huston proclaimed that “There’s not a dull moment on screen.” Keanu Reeves plays the titular role of a legendary hit man with a price on his head while Huston plays “the director” (of assassins) whom Wick turns to for help. With a heavy Russian accent, enough jewels to sink a battleship, red lips and sleek black hair, Huston informs Wick that there’s “no escape” for him. From the trailer we see that he must get out of New York by hook or by crook—actually “with guns, lots of guns.” The trailer teases us that it’s a proper shoot-‘em-up picture in the vein of Sam Peckinpah (something movie-goers have begun to expect and even shrug at) complete with Keanu Reeves engaging in knife fights while on horseback and riding a motorcycle at breakneck speed down the Verrazzano Bridge.

This installation of the John Wick franchise hopes to offer more than just over-the-top action and violence: it’s actually a film for dog lovers (it’s been said that Wick is avenging the death of his puppy). Other than giving us the ridiculously handsome Keanu Reeves to ogle at for over two hours (no matter how wooden his acting), audiences will also be delighted to see Halle Berry grace the silver screen with long, layered hair and a flawless figure while kicking ass, firing guns and strutting her stuff. As Frank Sinatra’s “The Impossible Dream” soars over the soundtrack in the teaser, how can viewers not be engaged? It’s the Chairman of the Board for the 21st century and there’s never been a better crooner in any century.

The film also stars sexy Englishman Ian McShane and the never disappointing Laurence Fishburne. John Wick: Chapter 3 is filled with martial arts and loads of impressive stunts as Reeves’ character must, again, do anything to escape New York as he’s the target of many assassins. There are lots of scenes filmed in the rain as Reeves (with long-ish hair) dressed almost completely in black runs down crowded city streets and, then, somehow ends up trekking through the desert like a ultra-modern Lawrence of Arabia.

Asia Kate Dillon (known for her work in Billions and Orange is the New Black) stars as the “adjudicator”—sort of a sexy referee or mediator—who can be seen proclaiming “Mr. Wick broke the rules.” With this brief snippet, we can tell that her character—complete with a shaven head, neck tattoo and only one dangly earring—is no shrinking violet and this is very seductive. Fans of action movies will most definitely be chomping at the bit to see this third chapter of the John Wick franchise and the rest of us will, let’s face it, be thrilled, too.