CHICAGO – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Dan Baker on WBGR-FM (Monroe, Wisconsin) on March 21st, 2024, reviewing the new streaming series “Manhunt” – based on the bestseller by James L. Swanson – currently streaming on Apple TV+.
Film Review: ‘John Wick 3 Parabellum’ is More Bang For Your Buck
CHICAGO – I must admit that upon initial viewing, I didn’t care much for the original “John Wick” film. Coming as it did in the post “Taken” wave of old guy revenge thrillers, I found it to be stylish but supremely silly nonsense, since it was the death of puppy as the spark that lit the fuse. However as time has gone by, John Wick has grown on me.
Rating: 4.0/5.0 |
It was “John Wick: Chapter 2” that managed to do a deeper dive into the strange mythology of John Wick’s underground society of assassins … complete with their own code, their own currency, and their own boutique hotel (The Continental). That was the right move, because even in my initial review I recognized that this world building was interesting. fresh and the most promising element.
“John Wick 3 Parabellum” picks up mere moments after the events of Chapter 2, with John Wick (Keanu Reeves) on the run in the rain after breaking the rules and killing a man inside The Continental hotel, which is supposed to be safe ground for those of the trade. The plot involves John Wick seeking the head of the “High Table,” which governs the assassin trade to personally promise to make amends. He picks up assistance from his old mentor (Anjelica Huston) and then heads to collect an old debt from Sofia (Halle Berry), who runs an overseas version of The Continental Hotel in Morocco. Meanwhile, The High Table sends down an enforcer known as “The Adjudicator” (Asia Kate Dillon) to extract punishments on those who allowed John Wick to escape … and she hires a sushi chef named Zero (Mark Dacascos) with a seemingly endless supply of ninja students to take down the man himself.
The Title Character has a Bad Day in ‘John Wick 3 Parabellum’
Photo credit: Summit Entertainment