John Wick Chapter 2 kicks you know what

Movie Title: John Wick Chapter 2

Grade: A-

Rating: R, 122 minutes of non-stop action and violence

In a Nutshell: Revenge. Huge body count. Cool guns. Lots of violence. Welcome back John Wick.

If you liked the first one, you’ll love the sequel. You can tell it’s directed by a stuntman, Chad Stahelski. It’s a master class in hand-to-hand combat. A movie critic from the Quad City Times described the stylish, slick film as a “ballet of violence.” Well said.

Uplifting theme:

Persistence, tenacity
Honor

Things I liked:

Cool intro scene with motorcycle image on the façade of the building.
Rome! I absolutely love Italy.
At times, there are subtitles, but I have to say they’re very stylish ones.
Common does a great job as Cassian.
The legend says John Wick killed 3 guys with a pencil. You finally get to see that skill play out in this sequel.
The film actually ties up loose ends from the first movie.
Fans will be happy to see a cliff-hanger that assures another installment in this franchise.
The trailer doesn’t reveal much of the story. Thank you.
Keanu Reeves does 95% of his own stuntman. Check out some of the many impressive Keanu Reeves videos on YouTube that show how he trained for both John Wick movies.
You get to learn more about the criminal “organization” and its underground world. I thought the telephone operators with all the tattoos were hilarious.

Things I didn’t like:

Some of the scenes take place in dark catacombs, so this film will be hard to watch on a computer screen when it comes out on DVD.
It’s ridiculous how many fight scenes there are in large crowds, yet the people around hardly bat an eye, let alone move out of the way or scream.
John Wick has an excellent aim, yet so many of the other professionals keep missing their shots.

Interesting lines:

“I’m not that guy anymore.” – John (Keanu Reeves)

“You’re always that guy, John.” – Santino D’Antonio

“Rules.” – John

“Rules. Without them, we’re like the animals.” – Winston (Ian McShane)

“So, you have a choice. You want a war or do you just want to give me a gun?” – John
“Remember, you owe me.” – Bowery King

“You don’t want me owing you.” – John

Funny lines:

“Does he have a name, Sir?” – Charon (Lance Reddick) asking about John’s dog.

“No.” – John

“Never one to waste words.” – Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio)
“I’d like a tasting.” – John (as he tests out various weapons)
“And the lining?” – tailor

“Tactical.” – John

“I’ll make it quick.” – Cassian

“I’d appreciate that. I’ll try to do the same.” – John

“7 million! It’s Christmas! We going to Applebee’s after this.” – Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) It was fun seeing Keanu Reeves and Laurence Fishburne in some scenes together again after the Matrix