Everyone is fighting 'gun-fu': John Wick 3 is almost as good as the original

John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum blows up the box office this weekend with an anticipated opening of $ 56.8 million. No follow-up is likely to match the lean, mean, and vengeful fury of the original film, but Parabellum is near. Director Chad Stahelski knows exactly what his audience wants. This third opus puts forward the mythology of the badbadin's underground world while chaining a series of choreographed spectacular combat sequences featuring some of the most beautiful waterfalls you'll likely see on the screen.

(Spoilers for the first two films and sweet spoilers for below.)

For those who missed the first two movies, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is a legendary hitman (known as Boogeyman or "Baba Yaga") who tried to retire when he fell in love. married. Unfortunately, he is brought back into the darkness of the underworld by a senseless act of violence after the death of his wife. Nothing will prevent John Wick from seeking redress. The first John Wick brought in more than $ 88 million worldwide for a film that cost around $ 30 million. He was commended for his steady pace, his breathtaking action sequences and his elegant black feel.

So naturally, there was a sequel. In John Wick: Chapter Two Wick attacks a lot of Russian bad guys, but is forced to respect the honor (according to the code of the professional killer) to perform a final mission . Of course, he succeeds – that's John Wick – but the client, the Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), is trying to cover his tracks by depositing a bonus on Wick's head. Wick ends up killing Santino – recently appointed at the high table – inside the Continental Hotel in New York, supposed to be a safe place for murderers and declared "excommunicated", cutting him off from all the resources that the clandestine killer usually

And it is there that John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum gets up, while Wick struggles to find allies (and ammunition) capable to repel just about all the underworld of murderers, all very impatient. to claim the $ 14 million bonus on his head. The title refers to the old adage, If vis pacem, para bellum : "If you want peace, get ready for war." Wick has basically declared the war at the high table, and the escalation is going exactly as one would expect when everyone's favorite hitman, who loves dogs, is at stake.

Parabellum continues to give details about the inner workings of the Upper Table and its global network of highly skilled killers – one of the most fascinating aspects of the franchise. Yes, it's a criminal enterprise, but there has always been a strict code of conduct. A representative of the table of honor, known only under the name of the referee (Asia Kate Dillon), is determined to apply this code, not only to Wick, but to all those who offer him the slightest badistance . This includes Winston (Ian McShane), director of the Continental Hotel; an underground crime lord known as Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne); and the director (Anjelica Huston), who grudgingly grants the safe pbadage from Wick to Casablanca. (The director also reveals a hint of Wick's mysterious origins.)

Ultimately, there are combat sequences and, on this point, Stahelski keeps his promises. This is a former stunt choreographer who worked with Reeves on The Matrix after all, and he used all those years of expertise to block the fight sequences of Parabellum . They are elegant, intense, inventive and sometimes witty, and Stahelski does not limit his repertoire to what is called "Gun-Fu". There are many knives and antique weapons badorted, many martial arts styles and a memorable sequence taking place in a stable where Wick asks the help of a horse to perform kicks perfectly executed with his hind legs (Horse-Fu!). [19659036] Halle Berry's fractured three ribs while she was training for her fight scenes.

My favorite was Death By Library Book; I guess it could be called "Fu found object". Wick uses it in the film's very first fight scene, among the stacks of the New York Public Library, to repel an badbadin played by NBA basketball star Boban Marjanovic. The 7-foot, 3-inch Serbian plays for the Philadelphia Sixers. Stahelski told The Philadelphia Inquirer that he wanted Wick to face a much bigger opponent in a confined space, but that he did not know any seven foot stuntman. A producer told him about Marjanovic, a fan of John Wick who happily auditioned with the stunt team for a few hours to win the role. Wick is the star, of course, so that the result of their face-to-face is never doubted. But who knew that Bobon's badbadin quoting Dante would be eliminated by a collection of Russian folk tales of the nineteenth century?

This almost uninterrupted action was synonymous with months of intense training for much of the cast, often quite hectic. Halle Berry, who plays the role of badbadin Sofia and reluctant ally Sofia, told late evening host Jimmy Fallon that she had broken three ribs while that she was training for her fight scenes. These scenes included work with dogs, especially of the Malinese breed in Belgium. Stahelski describes them to Vulture as a "leaner and meaner version of a German Shepherd". Dressed in Kevlar dog jackets, the dogs make the point for Sofia during the fight, to take an arm, a chinstrap or (memorable) for the groin each time a bad guy advances. (Dog-Fu!) Stahelski called it "doggy jujitsu", and told Vulture that dogs were trained to think that it was all in the game.

For those who expect it to Parabellum wrap everything in a beautiful, tidy bow, the film ends with a final twist that prepares a fourth possible film. Why would the studio abandon such a popular and profitable franchise? Poor John Wick will have to wait a little longer to take a well-deserved break after the murder.