Movie Review- John Wick: Chapter 2

PLOT- In this second installment of the franchise, John Wick (Keanu Reeves), is forced back into the life of an assassin, when a former colleague, Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) calls on a favor that Wick is unable to refuse. Wick is asked to kill Santino's sister, Gianna (Claudia Gerini), who is about to become the head of a powerful group of assassins in Italy. If Wick refuses, his own life could be in danger. Wick completes the task, but quickly learns that it is a trap, and that he is in more danger than ever. Can Wick manage to fend off assassins from around the world? Assassins that seem to be on every street corner? More important, will Wick's dog survive?

LIKE- When Dan and I rented the first John Wick, we had zero expectations. We had not even seen a trailer for the film. The first film was immensely creative and unexpected. It was gory, violent, and hilarious. We loved it, and we were excited for the sequel. 

Admittedly, John Wick: Chapter 2, is not as good as the original. We already knew the tone and it wasn't as much of a delightful surprise. However, just because it wasn't quite as good, doesn't mean that it isn't a fun ride or that it lacked creativity.

John Wick is a solid protagonist. For as much as I've been down on Reeves for his previous acting jobs in movies like Point Break and Bram Stoker's Dracula, he is well-cast as Wick. Wick is a man who in life, has been both physically and mentally beaten to a pulp. He is stoic and hardened. Although there are tender moments with his dog or when he is looking at a photo of his dead wife, Wick doesn't betray a lot of emotion. He is mostly an ass-kicking machine and although Reeves might not be as muscular as other action stars, his scrappiness makes him believable in the role.

My favorite part of both films is The Continental and its proprietor, Winston (Ian McShane). The Continental is a hotel that provides a safe spot for assassins. They cannot kill on its grounds and the staff is well-aware of the activities of the guests. I love the creativity of a hotel for assassins, and that McShane has been cast as Winston. McShane makes anything better. Along with The Continental, there are nearby businesses catering to assassins, like a place to buy fancy weapons and a tailor that makes custom suits with armor. This entire world has a keen sense of style and decorum, a great balance to the massive amounts of bloodshed.

John Wick: Chapter 2 is incredibly violent and bloody, but there is humor with the killings. For example, Wick is known for murder by pencil. PENCIL = let that sink in! We also learn that the homeless living on the subways, might not always be homeless after all. Or maybe you should watch out for that street musician.

DISLIKE- The only real dislike was the character of Ares, played by Ruby Rose. What drove me nuts about Ares, is her lack of backstory. Hell, they don't even mention her name in the film, I had to get that from IMDB. Ares only communicates through sign language, so I'm guessing that she's deaf, however she seems to have zero problems creeping around corners, and taking part in situations where hearing would be necessary. Ares being deaf added a quirk for the character and lent itself to the stylistic choice of using subtitles to translate her sign language, but I don't think it was necessary or added anything relevant to the story. If anything, I thought it was confusing, and I kept waiting for the moment where her disability would be exploited in a way that made sense to the story, whether for her benefit or downfall.

 I thought the bloody showdown with Ares and her crew in The Metropolitan Museum of Art, was a bit contrived. I'm guessing they filmed on location, as they were very careful that nothing real in the gallery got damaged (blood splattering on floors and info markers only), but when they moved to a modern art installation, which was clearly filmed on a sound stage and created for the film, all hell broke loose. The use of mirrors was cool, but in general, the scenes with Ares were my least favorite of the film. I like Rose in Orange is the New  Black, but I did not care for her, or her character, in John Wick: Chapter 2.

RECOMMEND- Yes, but only if you've seen the first film. If you can handle hyper-violent action films, John Wick is a fun franchise.

Movie Review- Zero Dark Thirty

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My main reason for wanting to see Zero Dark Thirty, was because it's director Kathryn Bigelow's follow up to her film The Hurt Locker, for which she became the first woman in History to win an Oscar for Best Director. The Hurt Locker was one of the most intense and affecting movies that I have ever experienced. My stomach was in knots throughout the entire movie. I went into Zero Dark Thirty, expecting a similar experience.

Although a very well crafted and affecting film, Zero Dark Thirty was not on par with The Hurt Locker. This is not to say that it isn't one of the best movies of the year or underserving of its many awards and accolades. It just didn't have the same level of intensity and I felt less engaged with the characters. The pacing of the movie was slow to start and didn't immediately grab my attention.

Jessica Chastain is well cast as Maya, a CIA Operative chasing after leads to catch Osama Bin Laden. She carries the film with the help of a strong supporting cast, including a nearly unrecognizable James Gandolfini, whose betrays him. I love Chastain because she is such a chameleon in every role and is such an interesting actress to watch. She nails it in this film and although I have not seen all of the nominees, I suspect that she will take home the Oscar.

This movie has been swirling with controversy. I went in and just experienced it as a movie, not too fussed with fact vs fiction. I left feeling that there was a good dose of both. Really, both in truth and in fiction, the situation is rife with gray areas and people trying to make the best decisions with the resources that they have been given while working under extreme duress. This is what made the story so compelling and to me, it didn't matter how much of the movie was hard fact, as I feel that it touched upon the key issues and emotions.

As a side note, Bigelow's 1991 movie, Point Break is one of my guilty pleasures. Even better than watching the movie, is seeing the live theater version of the movie, where they cast an audience member to play the Keanu Reeves role. I've seen the Los Angeles production at the Dragonfly twice and it's one of the most hilarious, crazy and audience participatory theater events that I have ever experienced. I highly recommend it. If you go, don't skimp on the poncho, or you'll be sorry!