Reviewed by Victor Rebikoff.
Director: Chad Stahelski, Lionsgate, MA 130 Minutes.
Keannu Reeves returns in director Chad Stahelski’s third sequel of the JW franchise, reprising his role as the hard-hitting hit man John Wick in this excessively brutal all guns blazing killing spree movie with its minimal dialogue.
This instalment follows on immediately from the previous sequel as Wick is granted one hour’s grace after gunning down a crime lord from the High Table (an international assassins’ association) and declared ‘ex-communicado.’
Besides being stripped of all protection services, a $15 million bounty is imposed on Wick as he battles his way through the streets of New York to avoid being killed by hired assassins everywhere.
First-off Wick seeks help from a ballet school director (Angelica Houston –‘Thirst Street’) who reluctantly agrees to send him to Casablanca unaware of the High Table’s Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon –‘Billions’) being assigned to get rid of the revenge-seeking assassin.
Meanwhile, the Adjudicator has informed Winston (Ian McShane) and the Continental Hotel’s administrator and the Bowery King (Lawrence Fishburne) that they must resign from their respective positions for not stopping Wick, but her demands are rejected.
In Casablanca Wick secures the support of Sofia (Halle Berry –‘Kings’) the Continental Hotel’s Moroccan manager with two ferocious dogs, in confronting former boss Berada (Jerome Flynn –‘Black Mirror’) ahead of engaging in a shooting match before heading to the desert.
Having collapsed in the desert, Wick finally comes face to face with The Elder (Said Taghmaoui –‘Wonder Woman’) and gets his blessing to reverse his ‘ex-communicado’ by agreeing to kill Winston, resulting in his return to New York.
Prior to his arrival however, the Adjudicator has already made plans for the assassin Zero (Mark Dacascos –‘Ultimate Justice’) to kill the master assassin only to find that Wick has decided against shooting Winston.
The concluding scenes reveal a surprise betrayal between all the partners in crime and an upended conclusion that will certainly be resolved in a fourth sequel.
On the whole, Stahelski’s third sequel is nothing more than a succession of blood-spattered bodies with a well-choreographed sequence of action scenes similar to that seen in ‘Kill Bill 1 & 2.’
Although the indestructible Reeves is entertaining in repelling the many attacks on him it is the constant killings that are senseless and no one should bother to see ‘JW 4’
Vic’s Verdict: 2 Stars
