John Wick 2: Movie Review

Yes, it’s as good as the first one. Yes, I want Keanu Reeves as my bodyguard.

John Wick was an instant classic in terms of its visual style, cinematography and no holes barred, over the top fight sequences. It follows the rather simple story of a man out for revenge and it’s bloody brilliant. John Wick 2 takes place four days after the first, with Wick being shoved back into the world of assassins he so desperately wanted to leave.

We start this movie with John being visited by an old friend, one who helped him complete his ‘impossible task’ that allowed him to escape the world he had lived in for so long. This guy is called Santino D’Antonio. He’s a creepy dude, who wants repayment for what he did for John.

He asks for John to kill his sister so that he could be on a council of criminals. John refuses and Santino blows up the house.

John makes his way to the Continental, a house that all assassins share and gets some new clothes and guns, ultimately agreeing to do the task. We’re then given some rather funny scenes of John trying out his new digs and doing the job. It goes south when Santino’s sister takes her own life and Santino tries to have John killed to tie up loose ends.

So, what ensues is John hunting this guy, until it ends in the Continental, after some help from Lawrence Fishburne’s character, who’s basically a crazy pigeon boy.

In the end, Wick kills Santino, causing him to become exiled from the world of assassins.

It’s an incredible film. Seriously, everything works so well. Keanu pulls off the broody assassin once again. Ian McShane stars as the owner of the Continental, acting as a guidance figure to John. The fight scenes are all stylised beautifully, especially the one at the end between him and Santino’s bodyguard, played by the wonderful Ruby Rose. Not to mention the sequence in which he’s basically almost killed by about seven different assassins. Two of which with a pencil.

Easiest 5/5 I’ve ever given honestly.