After killing a member of the High Table on Continental grounds, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) once again finds himself on the run with a price on his head. But he's not the only one paying for his actions, an Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) has been dispatched by the High Table to punish those who aided him. Will John be able to make things right before he drowns in the bloodbath he started over his car and his dog? If anyone can, it's Baba Yaga himself!
With the action kicking off pretty much where Chapter 2 left things, we're seeing a different side to John Wick. Over the course of the last two movies we've seen him utilise every asset he has available to him, carefully planning and executing his missions, now he's very much alone...and improvising. For him it's a nightmare, trapped in a city filled with rival assassins, all looking to claim that $14 million bounty. But for us, it's delicious carnage as Wick literally kills his way through a multitude of different environments, all the while trying to find some way to get to safety.
Chad Stahelski once again takes us even deeper into the world he created. We learn of new establishments and organisations, including the place where the man known as John Wick was created - I wouldn't have been surprised to see a young Natasha Romanoff in there. Once again John must travel beyond New York to solve his problems, this time heading to Casablanca in search of the High Table. But with a bigger world comes more people. Anjelica Huston is clearly having fun as "The Director", someone John turns to for help. And seeing Asia Kate Dillon's "Adjudicator" strut around with an air of pompous severity, doling out punishment wherever they deem fit is oddly infuriating and enjoyable.
Although I don't think Winston (Ian McShane), his concierge Charon (Lance Reddick), and the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) would agree, all of whom are brought a lot closer to the action than they might like! And it's easy to see why, the Adjudicator's right hand being the highly skilled Zero (Mark Dacascos), who you'd think would be all dark and moody, when in fact the opposite is true. As well as his martial arts skills, Dacascos brings a lot of humour to the role. Zero's actually quite funny, and really excited about this job, because at heart he's a John Wick fanboy. But that doesn't make him any less deadly, if anything he's probably one of John's most challenging adversaries.
Just as he did with Chapter 2, Stahelski has dialled up the insanity. Parabellum (or Chapter 3, whichever you want to call it, it's a very long name!) is a giant bundle of over-the-top action from the moment it begins, right up until the very end. This latest chapter easily features the most action of the three, all of which is perfectly choreographed and delightfully brutal. Watch out for a motorcycle chase involving swords, and an epic shootout at the Continental. Keanu Reeves is on top form as usual, and he has some of the best martial artists in the business to go up against - including Yayan Ruhian and Cecep Arif Rahman of 'The Raid' fame. But John isn't on his own the entire time, for the first time we're seeing him fight alongside a partner, Sofia and her dogs (the dog fu is fantastic). Halle Berry is magnificent as Sofia, she has trained alongside Reeves and it shows, the two of them fighting together is not only awe-inspiring, it's one of the highlights of Chapter 3. Unfortunately though, her time in the movie is way too short, I was hoping Sofia would appear throughout, but that is not the case - I was definitely left wanting more!
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum is yet another masterclass in beautifully over-the-top action movie making from Chad Stahelski. The John Wick series has continued to excite and amaze without feeling stale or repetitive. While it will never top the original, Chapter 3 is another whirlwind view into this incredible world, one that doesn't let go until the credits role. Granted, I would like to have seen more of Halle Berry's Sofia, but with talk of the world of the Continental being expanded, I hope this isn't the last we've seen of her. If this is to be the last we see of Keanu Reeves as John Wick, it has been one hell of a rollercoaster ride, but I don't think this is the last we'll see of Baba Yaga...I certainly hope not anyway.
9/10
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