MOVIE REPORT CARD: JOHN WICK 3: PARABELLUM

Date: 5/17/19
Title: John Wick 3: Parabellum
Director: Chad Stahelski
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Dacascos, Lance Reddick, Asia Kate Dillon

GRADES

ACTING: 85
DIRECTING: 90
SCREENPLAY: 85
EDITING: 90
CINEMATOGRAPHY: 95
SOUNDTRACK: 95

​FINAL: 90/A-

COMMENTS

What started as a strange teaser trailer for what appeared to be a generic action movie starring Keanu Reeves, has turned into something else entirely three films in. John Wick 3: Parabellum is flashy, loud, pulpy, surprisingly brutal, and mesmerizing. It has gun fu, knife fu, dog fu, horse fu, motorcycle fu, sword fu, book fu, axe fu, and every fu in between. While the franchise has veered into true comic book territory with Parabellum, it surprisingly works. Some of it may be a little too inside baseball, but it's a welcome leap into this mythology. John Wick, is the perfect character for Keanu Reeves. It's an understated performance that fits for both the character and actor. The surrounding cast, all combine nicely. From the gravitas of Ian McShane, to the offbeat craziness of Laurence Fishburne, everyone is fun to watch. The action and spectacle taking place here, is something in another stratosphere. It's hard-hitting, edge of your seat thrills, that will have you gasping at the screen at times. There are moments, where things can feel a bit excessive, but in a strange morbid way, fits for this world. I can't state enough, how good some of these action sequences are. If you love the world that was set up in the first two John Wick films, this thing is something special. The first forty minutes alone, are worth the price of admission. This is a pulpy grand time, at the cinema.