It feels like its a very difficult thing to create a solid action character that can support sequels over a franchise. The problem is that companies try and force sequels out of a character who isn't anywhere near as interesting as they think they are, who exist in worlds that barely have enough material to support one film, case in point the seemingly never ending amount of times Liam Neeson's Brian Mills has things Taken from him. Fortunately 2015 saw the introduction of Keanu Reeves as John Wick, finally an action character who you feel could kick John McClane's ass and still have enough energy to beat the bad guy. The first John Wick film also established an interesting underground assassin world which had so much more it could explore, and now in John Wick Chapter 2 it does.
John is getting ready to settle back down to his normal life after his one man rampage saw him take revenge on those that wronged him. Word has got out that he has come out of retirement and he is paid a visit by an old 'friend' Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio). John is indebted to Santino and Santino needs John to kill someone for him. John assures Santino that he is still retired, but things aren't that easy.
As with the first film the strength of this is Keanu Reeves commitment to the cause, unlike most actors you are entirely aware that Reeves can do the stuff that John Wick does because the camera pulls back and you're able to watch him do it. There's no need for editing to cut around stunt men jumping in and out of place for the star because Reeves can shoot like an expert marksman and can perform intricate martial arts, and in the major set pieces of the film it is an absolute beauty to witness. Occasionally it feels as though some sequences are going on slightly too long, but its a fleeting feeling before something else comes along to change it up.
Action set pieces on their own do not a good film make, and fortunately this has much more to it. The plot of the actual film is a fairly simplistic one of John Wick killing people then people coming to kill John Wick, but the effort that has gone into the films world building is what makes the difference. There's so much fun to be had watching the inner workings of this underground assassin world, there are rules enforced by hotel patron Winston (Ian McShane), there are blood debts and unique currencies, a sommelier who deals specially in weapons (played brilliantly by Peter Serafinowicz), and there's a sort of interesting style to how things are run with women operating old fashioned switchboards and typing up bounty's for assassins, there are small moments where this begins to emulate something akin to Gilliam's world building, which to have in a mainstream action film is absolutely fascinating. There's also a small decision that it makes with a particular characters death that really changes the tone of a scene and gives it a considerably more interesting angle.
Chapter 2 leaves John Wick in a very interesting place, who knows how far they can go with this world and this character, but two films into the adventures of John Wick and there is a genuine intrigue and desire for a second sequel, and that is as big a pleasure as it is a surprise.
(High 4 Stars)
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