I don’t usually review movies that I watch. I don’t make time to watch many movies and what you put in a movie review is going to be different than a book review. I am just not comfortable.
But City of Mirrors isn’t grabbing my attention and I was by a redbox this afternoon and I really liked John Wick. But much like many books and series, I’ve been burned by buying before watching. So instead of shelling out a good chunk of change, I just paid $2 for a rental. I can deal with that. So this evening has been an exercise in watching violence while doing household chores like laundry and stuff. Anyway, this won’t be a real review, more like stream of consciousness.
First thing I noticed was that the profanity level dropped by about 50-70%. Those &^%$! Russian mobsters weren’t around to despoil my virgin ears. I wouldn’t ask my mother to listen to this movie, but I’d watch it with my dad. In comparison, I’d have to have him watch John Wick by himself so he knew what was coming aurally if we watched it in a tender father/son bonding moment. Nothing ruins that moment of father/son’ness like some bloody Russian dropping the f-bomb every 5 words. Even when they were talking Russian!
The violence level definitely escalated. It had to. To stay in place in hollywood people have to act like the Red Queen in Alice Through the Looking Glass. Run as fast as you can just to stay in place. In the case of movie based on violence, each successive chapter has to be more violent just to keep pace. In the extras on the bluray was a short section entitled “Kill Count”. It follows Wick with a counter at the bottom and shows every kill. I stopped paying attention when it passed 75. A lot of head shots with blood spatters.
In John Wick, I was emotionally involved from the puppy scene onward. I was rooting for Wick as he took out the despicable bastards who could club a puppy to death. In Chapter 2, there wasn’t that emotional connection for me. In this movie, instead of being the one to determine his actions, he is being yanked around and simply reacting. He is not in control and it changed how I viewed the movie.
Characters. Wick is Wick. If you liked him in John Wick, you’ll like him here. The villain of the movie, who helped Wick carry out his Impossible Deed, isn’t bad but he came across as kind of greasy and polished instead of the bare handed brutality of the Russians from the first film.
Two changes really stood out to me. In movie 1, Wick had a “friend” in the business played by Willem Dafoe. It worked. This time around there is a man in the business [Cassius] who is his enemy due to Wick’s killing his ward. He is a big muscle bound guy who’s just about as good as Wick. But Wick has plenty of enemies, so one more doesn’t stand out. What he needs is a friend watching his back and we don’t get that here. The second change was in the female assassin. I really liked the idea of a small, mute female killer. She was calm, cool and the whole sign language fit right in with the sub-title idea. But she was simply over powered. She gets tossed around like a doll. I also didn’t even realize she had a name [Ares] until the credits. Compare that to Perkins from the first film. Perkins was pure kick butt. I almost wish they had combined the characters of Cassius with Ares. Well, maybe when I do my own movie, “Jan Wihk: Tulip Planter Extraordinaire”.
The best part of the movie? For me it was in the Extras. One of the extra’s was titled “Dog Wick”. John Wick’s Dog’s human [yeah, best of luck with that] is killed and so Daisy goes on the rampage. And the best part? At the end, the police are on the scene and the detective is looking through a stack of papers and says something like “Yeah, no laws against dogs shooting people to death.” I just about died from laughing.
So, overall. I enjoyed this a lot. I will probably hold off on buying Chapter 2 though until I see if there is a John Wick 3 and how that is. John Wick ended on a pretty good note and I’m willing to let it be a standalone if necessary.
Bookstooge's Reviews on the Road 
I liked the first one. Haven’t seen this one yet, but I can easily believe your comments about the escalated violence, lol.
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My first thought was that they were spoofing action films where the guns never run out of ammo, but then I started counting when he discarded and sure enough, no gun ever did more than 16-20 shots. He just killed One Person with every One Bullet 😀
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A puppy clubbed to death???? A puppy????
Not for me, thank you very much! (((shudders)))
🙂
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And not only that, it was his dead wife’s post-humous gift to him so he’d have something to care for instead of her.
Oh, the original had all the man-feelz.
The directors talk about how they approached the whole scenario and it wasn’t vulgarly done. But it was done. Off screen, and not graphic. Not that will change your mind, but don’t think it was an “excess”. It was the whole hinge upon which the original movie turned.
But now you know so you won’t get sideswiped by it. That would not be good…
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This sounds like a lot of fun! I’ve been meaning to watch John Wick for ages but haven’t got round to it (story of my life with most new movies) And yeah it seems pretty typical for Hollywood to “step it up” with violence these days, but tone down the emotional connection in sequels- they seem to think that “well you already like the characters from the first one so pah who needs character development”- at least that’s what it seems like to me (gone are the days of Godfather 2…) Anyway, awesome review (/stream of consciousness) I enjoyed hearing your thoughts on a movie!! 😀
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I do unreservedly recommend John Wick if you can handle the language, violence and pathos at the beginning.
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Ah brilliant! haha yes! 😀
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The freakin’ puppy 😢😭 broke my heart! Loved both movies though the first one had me more emotionally attached. Second one was full of epic and gratuitous action. I could only stare in wide eyed amazement at the number of blood sprays and broken people.
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Mind boggling, wasn’t it?
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The first John Wick was a massive surprise to me and I’m looking forward to renting part 2. I hear that as well as a third movie there’s a prequel tv series being planned that could involve Keanu Reeves!
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The ending of 2 really called out for a sequel, where as the first one didn’t. Which is why I’m not so enthusiastic about 2 as I was with 1.
Prequel sounds awesome. I could imagine the whole of season one being about his Impossible Deed. If the sexual side of things were kept to a minimum, I’d be really interested in something like that…
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I loved the first film. Which surprised me because I didn’t expect to. Like you, that puppy scene wrenched me and I was committed. I don’t know why, but I haven’t been drawn to the thought of watching this one. Maybe I will rent as well.
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I watched it again today and I have to admit, I have no desire to watch it again. It just didn’t pull me in like in the original. I’m reserving judgement until I watch 3….
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Noted 😉
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My review was: John Wick 2: More of the Same.
There was nothing particularly that set it apart from the first film for me. I think the finale was better though. At least it didn’t feel like a cash grab though. So many sequels have so little thought put into the story and production because they only made it to make more money.
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At some point I’ll watch the movie with the commentary on. I like those, most of the time.
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Unfortunate to hear your “disappointment” in this one. I definitely hear you on the issues you had with it though. I however did now see JW2 as a sequel that wanted to follow the format of the first and offer us a second dog death to propel us through a series of insane headshots hahah I really loved how the movie focused on the world-building and digged deeper in the organization that was hidden throughout the city/the world. Loved that violence escalated, that pencil scene really blew my mind and that silenced weapon showdown through a massive crowd had me laughing hahahah I’m definitely psyched for JW3 and will surely hit theaters for it as well! 😀 Great review for a movie, this was definitely interesting to read!
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Yeah, that pencil scene was great!
I might have enjoyed this more if it hadn’t been a sequel but the start. It was a fun movie to watch, but when I compare it to 1, it just can’t take the heat…
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