Whether it's the type of gun or the Latin word meaning "prepare for war" you're thinking of, Parabellum makes for the perfect title for the third chapter of the John Wick series, an action flick which unfortunately has too much action for its own good and becomes tiresome before even hitting the first hour mark.
Co-written by the franchise's creator Derek Kolstad, the film picks up immediately where the previous left, with hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) on the run with his pitbull in Manhattan, New York, as he is declared excommunicado by the High Table and is now the target of every assassin in the world.
Cut off from any help, John calls in a favour from The Director (Anjelica Huston) to go to Casablanca, Morocco, and bargain for his life with The Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui). In the meantime, an Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon) from the High Table arrives to deliver consequences to those who helped Wick assassinate the member of the High Table at the Continental, and ensure that Wick meets his fate.
Although it seems heavy plotted, just like its two predecessors, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum has a very thin plot which is laid out before our eyes within the first thirty minutes of the film and features elements — specifically the High Table, a secret society similar to 007's Spectre or Mission: Impossible's Syndicate — that aren't nearly as explored and developed as they should have. Unfortunately, while the first two films succeeded in spite of this lack, Parabellum suffers from it and, as a result, the film is quite tedious and unengaging.
The writing is quite lacklustre character-wise too. While John Wick is still the badass hitman we fell in love with and started rooting for when he went on a killing spree to avenge his late wife's dog, and we learn more about his past and background, the supporting characters are disappointments, specifically new entry Sofia (Halle Berry), who barely has any reason to be in the film — from the promotional material I was expecting her to be much more important honestly.
The villain, Mark Dacascos's Zero, on the other hand, is quite memorable. He may not be the strongest villain in terms of writing but he does have a nice personality — which is occasionally the source of humour — and makes for a great (physical) opponent.
The villain, Mark Dacascos's Zero, on the other hand, is quite memorable. He may not be the strongest villain in terms of writing but he does have a nice personality — which is occasionally the source of humour — and makes for a great (physical) opponent.
As for the cast, John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum benefits from yet another charismatic although a bit wooden performance from Keanu Reeves; also, he may not be the greatest actor out there but he delivers a hell of a physical performance here. The rest of the acting is average at best though, and Anjelica Huston is wasted.
I have nothing negative to say about the visual aspect of the film though as it looks stunning, and it's a real feast for the eyes. The neon night sequences look gorgeous, the set pieces are fantastic, and the action sequences are beautifully choreographed. As I mentioned above though, there is too much action — the film is essentially two hours of non-stop action — and while it's inventive and entertaining at first, I eventually got tired of them as they lacked unique elements to make them stand out, or differentiate one from another.
I have nothing negative to say about the visual aspect of the film though as it looks stunning, and it's a real feast for the eyes. The neon night sequences look gorgeous, the set pieces are fantastic, and the action sequences are beautifully choreographed. As I mentioned above though, there is too much action — the film is essentially two hours of non-stop action — and while it's inventive and entertaining at first, I eventually got tired of them as they lacked unique elements to make them stand out, or differentiate one from another.
