Si vis pacem, para bellum : "If you want peace, prepare for war"
Do criminals have a code? Do they have principles? Or is it just survival? John Wick seems to think that survival is paramount. He doesn't believe in honoring a commitment he made to someone. What makes the audience go gaga over John Wick?
Today, we shall try and explore the "John Wick Phenomenon" that has taken action loving internet by storm since 2014. This review was initially supposed to be only for John Wick's third installment, Parabellum, but we realized that justice cannot be served to this movie until we acknowledge the franchise itself. The movie has been a raging success overseas, since the videsi audience is accustomed to such action movies since decades. However to be fair, Indian audience have had their share of action movies too, specifically thanks to the south film industry. But, the action has been unrealistic to put it bluntly. John Wick has not done great business in India, it was not supposed to, owing to the bloody and gory way it proceeds. There are however takers for such scientifically plausible action flicks.
The franchise is about a retired assassin who returns to the syndicate (cartel). It begins with a foolish reason (a dog? Really? A DEAD DOG), but the second movie added a real reason for John Wick to go on. Needless to say it has now snowballed to a point where John Wick has locked horns with the "High Table". Really its the highest table there is, in the syndicate (apart from an entry of a surprise personality in Parabellum). You will really need to watch John Wick 2 at least, to understand the plot of Parabellum. I would suggest, you watch first part too, to better understand how the syndicate, or cartel works in John Wick universe. First part is not crucial to understand Parabellum. Because Parabellum's events take shape from John Wick 2. But first installment is quite good, some argue, its better than John Wick 2 (I ain't one of them). Parabellum begins where second installment ends, John Wick is going to be declared excommunicado (persona non grata for the cartel), he is a marked man, with 14 million dollar price tag. That means every guy/gal with a gun or knife or bare knuckles in the universe, is going to come after John Wick. The movie practically kept me on the edge, action began very early, and it didn't seem to stop, there were regular showers of action sequences, with every possible thing that can be used as a weapon, like a book (scene present in trailer so not a spoiler). There is blood and gore (not much), the movie is A rated so its better to keep kids at home for this one.
With very little resources and most channels of help blocked, John Wick has a hard time negotiating his way out of the country, not to mention the assassins who keep coming at him and don't let the poor man take rest. He finds allies in unexpected situations, so all is not doomed for him while chapter 3 is going on. There is a point, somewhere around halfway in the movie, where John Wick makes a commitment, a pact. And after 15-20 minutes in a different location, he gets convinced by someone else to overturn his own commitment, and that made me realize, why John Wick is so famous, why he is such a rage. While watching this transformation I felt, he did wrong. You made a commitment you should stand by it, but after finishing the movie, I wondered, that I would have done the same maybe. No one wants to live with his demons, no one wants to live a controlled life. Infact, we humans regularly overturn our decisions, commitments, we break pacts, promises regularly. We don't honor anything anywhere. Like John Wick, our own survival is paramount for us, ethics be damned, morals can take a hike. That is what makes me a John Wick fan. The relatability. John Wick is not a white character, he is not a black character, he is a grey character just like all of us. His disregard for rules is precisely what got him into this soup at the end of John Wick chapter 2. The reason why he became excommunicado.
John Wick doesn't encounter the high table which we were hoping to see in Parabellum. He encounters small minions, hired guns, assassins like himself in Parabellum. And to top this situation, by the end of the movie, he practically stands betrayed and wounded. Setting the perfect stage for chapter 4 which is slated for a 2021 release. Like a video game, the boss stage is coming in 2021, when the high table will descend in all its might to crush the rogue assassin John Wick, who refuses to die. You can wound him you can betray him, but you should be scared, very scared, till John Wick keeps breathing.
The story is pretty straightforward. In fact the story is not what the movie bases its strength on, Its the hand to hand combat, the chases, the gun fights. Most of the action is non CGI, Keanu Reeves did most of his own stunts. The only thing I disliked about the movie is Halle Berry's presence. Frankly you will feel bored during her presence, which thankfully is not for long. Its like the directors had 90 minute material for the build up and they added 30 minutes of Halle Berry as a filler and to increase the star value. Nothing else to be said about Halle Berry's performance.
The movie Parabellum is really like infinity war, setting the stage for the final war. John Wick against the high table. Parabellum has taken the franchise to an all time high, if the makers manage to take it even higher with chapter 4, that will be a huge achievement. We are a bit worried too, because usually makers tend to destroy the product after managing the feat that Parabellum has managed. We hope it doesn't happen for John Wick. It will be very hard to do proper justice while making chapter 4 but we have got sufficiently hyped, our hopes are up and we await 2021 "war" keenly now.
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