John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

<em>'John Wick: Chapter 2'</em> felt a tad different to me, even if I still had exactly the same reaction to it - enjoyment! Keanu Reeves fits the lead role extremely well, he certainly elevates the films with his performances. I'd say the supporting cast are an improvement from the original, Riccardo Scamarcio alongside the likes of Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose and Common are good to watch. More of Ian McShane is welcomed, too. The difference that I felt was that there seemed to be many more talky moments, the preceding film felt like it had more wall-to-wall action than this. I could be wrong, but I'm not complaining either way - just an observation. I'm interested to see how the third film panned out.

Ok, so it's not quite as good as the first movie but how often does that actually happen? Mr Wick is cool, again. The action is cool, again. The villains are cool, again. Except for that silly little girl who doesn't speak of course. But again, the addiction to this movie lies in the multiple layers added to further build the world these characters inhabit. Great stuff.

Just as good as the 1st. Has some incredible fight scenes. He takes a beating and just keeps on going.

~NO SPOILERS~ This movie essentially starts right after the first one ends, right at the top-down view of New York City. Dark humor abounds, bullets rip through head and bodies, and Wick is unstoppable. This film should be held as the gold standard for action movies. There is very little camera shake during fights and Reeves clearly has spent a lot of time preparing for this role. You can see nearly every take-down, every gunshot, and Wick has to reload at inconvenient times in a realistic fashion which also adds to the hilarity of the following kills. Overall the acting performances were solid. Reeves isn't known for having an extremely wide range, but his devotion to making this movie a kick-ass martial arts production is second to none. I felt the villain was a bit on the weak side though, but he did his role justice. Ian McShane's character remains the strongest especially combined with the last film. The lighting is superb! There's a red-blue theme that is in nearly every nightclub and darkly lit areas and its absolutely lovely to look at. Overall cinematography is very good. Definitely worth seeing!

Grows the world. Grows the legend. But the story itself and the man himself remain firmly retreading the steps they took in the first outing. Not too harsh a criticism though, 'cause that one was damn good too. _Final rating:★★★½ - I strongly recommend you make the time._