Review: John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Anyone who thinks cinema is dead should visit my local on a Tuesday night. Maybe my awful Fifty Shades review has brought in extra punters (ha, like anyone reads this anyway) or maybe it’s because the place has brought back every Best Picture nominee, but as I pulled onto the car park on Tuesday night I had to kick my husband out of the car while I parked to grab a spot in line, because it had reached the door!

Thankfully, the cinema had put on 2 screens for John Wick: Chapter 2, and a good job too because even our second screen was jam packed. Call me naive, but I didn’t realise John Wick was so popular! I watched the first last year and enjoyed it plenty, but I’m not well versed in action movies.

You’re best to catch up before starting Chapter 2, because it picks up almost where the original left off. John’s got himself a new dog, but he still wants his car back. John (Keanu Reeves) has a knack of getting what he wants, and I hope his car gets fixed in John Wick: Chapter 9 (release date 2030), because it was pretty sweet. Putting the car aside, things are about to get real, because John owes some guy a blood debt, and saying no quite clearly isn’t an option.

Here’s what’s so great about Chapter 2. It takes the world we were introduced to briefly in the original movie, and expands on it hugely. The organisation John Wick worked for is huge, it has it’s own 5* hotel that acts as a safe haven for the agents, they have their own set of strict rules, and a huge team of tattooed ladies working in the top secret admin area operating machinery from years ago. It’s all quite fascinating, and makes you feel like a very small part of something huge.

Then you’ve got the action scenes themselves, which are second to none. My husband is adorable with movies like this, he gets so sucked in to the action that I swear he “feels” the hits taking place. You’ll hear his gasp and grunt and if someone gets hit in the throat, he’ll actually cough. Bless him. But yeah, the action is great. If you raved about John Wick taking guys out with a mere pencil in the first movie, you’re in for a treat.

Let me get my gripes out of the way. Firstly, a big screw you to the BBFC who have ruined a second movie for me with their stupid ratings screen before the movie. How did they ruin it this time? Next to the rating, along with ‘strong violence’, they included ‘suicide scene‘ (highlight the text if you want the spoiler). Thanks, BBFC. Next, what was the point of Ruby Rose’s character being deaf? Just another reason for the really cool subtitles? In fact, what was the point in her character at all?

One more thing that I actually found quite funny. Everyone pays for goods with these fancy looking coins. What does one coin buy you? Anything as extravagant as a team of people to clear a room after an assassination for you, or an unlimited stay in a top hotel. What does one coin also buy you? A bourbon and a gin at a bar. Excuse me?!

Forgive my rants, I did quite enjoy this movie. It’s been perfectly set up for a third instalment, and I’ll be looking forward to seeing it. John Wick: Chapter 2 gets 3 and a half pencils out of 5 from me.