Review of John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) by Dlukask — 19 Feb 2017

Disclosure: I think the first John Wick is just about perfect, and it felt like a new shift in modern movies. It felt fresh and revealed its world with smart, simple choices. Going into John Wick: Chapter 2, I was curious about how it would continue the story. I didn't have to think about that for very long.

Chapter 2 opens at 100mph of amazing action and keeps you interested from the first scene and on. More of the mechanics of this fantastic hitman global network are revealed and developed without hesitation – trusting in the viewer to follow along. The movie is rewarded for that choice, as the story is able to proceed without slowing down. The movie is violent, yes. Cinematically so. But the brutal nature of the carnage here is balanced by many moments of refreshing humor.

I think Chapter 2 is just as good as the original, with the first movie's origin story just barely setting its status apart as a "modern classic" for now – though I would bet that ultimately, these movies will be viewed best as one entity, similar to the way the Kill Bill movies merge to become one massive epic. John Wick might just surpass that.