John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum Movie Review: Rules to Live and Die By

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum delivers more of the same non-stop, eye-popping action (and that’s a literal description of one scene to prepare the squeamish) and eye-popping production design the franchise is known for as it continues to expand the mythology of this crime world and the geography Wick covers.

Starting up right after the events of John Wick: Chapter 2, Wick has been given an hour before Winston (Ian McShave), manager of New York City’s Continental Hotel, declares him excommunicado for breaking the rule of doing “business” on Continental grounds, which provides sanctuary to all its guests, even if Wick has a very good reason. When the hour is up, a $14 million bounty will be placed upon Wick and he will lose all privileges he had been afforded in the criminal underworld.

Wick goes to see the Director (Angelica Huston), a ballet instructor and leader, or at least a higher-up, of his “family.” Even though they are forbidden to help him, he claims he is owed, and seeks passage to Casablanca. She agrees but tells him he can never come home.

The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) arrives at Continental. She is there to replace Winston, who has disappointed the High Table for allowing Wick to kill Santino, for not killing Wick, and allowing him get away. The Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) is told the same because he gave Wick the gun and seven bullets used to kill Santino. She also pays a visit to the Director, displeased Wick was given aid after he was made excommunicado.

In Casablanca, Wick seeks Sophia (Halle Berry), who now runs the Continental there, cashing in a marker for when he helped her with a personal matter. They, along with her dogs, go see her old boss, Berrada (Jerome Flynn), for information about the Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui), who sits above the High Table, and may be able to help with Wick. The Elder offers a mission to drop the excommunicado status: kill Winston.

When Winston refuses to step down and John refuses to kill him, the Adjudicator calls for the Continental to be deconsecrated, meaning business can now be conducted there, and sends in the High Table’s army led by Zero (Mark Dacascos), who has been trying to kill Wick since he became excommunicado.

Director Chad Stahelski leads his cast and crew through another thrilling installment of the John Wick franchise. The action and tension take off right from the start and rarely lets up. Wick is chased through the NYC streets being stabbed, punched, kicked and shot at. It’s especially exciting when he is on horseback fighting off a squad of motorcycle-riding assassins. Returning to the fold are director of photography Dan Laustsen and production designer Kevin Kavanaugh who head crews that bring to the screen kaleidoscopic visuals as relentless as the attacks on Wick, but which are much more pleasing. Within this multi-hued wonderland, the talented stunt team execute fights that drop bodies of the participants and jaws of the viewers. They are ably assisted by departments dealing with make-up and effects.

While the story will be richer starting at the beginning, John Wick: Chapter 3 is as good a place as any to enter this world. Enough backstory is presented to catch up to the whats and whys that are taking place and if one can handle the intensity of the action and violence here, they can handle it in the rest of the franchise. It’s definitely a “get in, sit down, shut up, and hold on” type of film.