Straight away John is thrown into fights, having to manoeuvre his way out of tricky situations with just about every man and his wife after him. What is refreshing about these films is that the characters utilise everything around them with which to attack with; whether that be knives, artefacts, glass and even dogs! There are way more than just guns in this film but even when there is shooting, Stahelski makes it interesting and unpredictable. Towards the end there’s a scene which uses lighting to change up the sequence and add another level to the action.
Keanu really is the man here! John Wick is such a slick, smooth operator and no matter what obstacles are put in his way he can take them on and that’s what makes him one of the most likeable action heroes of late. Reeves clearly has a lot of fun making these movies and he still does a lot of his own stunts which adds to the authenticity of the fights. The man certainly doesn’t loo 54! He’s charismatic and funny as well as playing the serious side to the character and pulls the performance off perfectly once again.
There is some great support in this one in the likes of Halle Berry who plays Sofia, one of John’s old acquaintances whom he asks for help on his quest to get out of this sticky situation. Along with her aforementioned dogs, she is a fierce, dominant character that counteracts Reeves’s rather laid back Wick (even in this time of crisis!). The pair gets to share an exciting action sequence together and they hold brilliant chemistry on screen.
It’s also great to have the dynamic duo of In McShane and Lance Reddick return as the manager of The Continental and his trusty receptionist. The former is as compelling as always and shows a sensitive side as he is one of the only people who has Wick’s best interests at heart, having given him that hour head start at the end of the second film to make his escape. The latter is quirky and amusing with his little one-liners that bring a nice comical edge to proceedings. This pair even gets to take part in the third act climax which proves very entertaining indeed!
Like its two predecessors, this third venture has a superb music score that works so well against the dark, corrupt backdrop of the story and increases the tension just at the right times. All in all this is a suspenseful, stimulating and incredibly engaging film that follows on perfectly from the first two and shows that both Keanu Reeves and his director clearly don’t have any wish to give up these guns any time soon!