‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ bigger, better than its predecessor

“John Wick: Chapter 2” is a brilliant sequel to the original “John Wick” starring Keanu Reeves as John Wick.

It picks up where the first film leaves off — only the Russian crime boss (Peter Stormare), who takes over the mob after his brother and nephew are killed by Wick in “Wick 1,” is out to avenge his relatives’ deaths. But the carry-over from the original 2014 film pretty much ends there, except that Wick does steal back his 1969 Mustang from the Russian mob — you may recall the classic car was stolen from him in “Wick 1” by the junior mobster Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen). Also, since there is no bringing back the beagle pup that Iosef viciously killed, Wick has wisely replaced him with a more substantial pit bull.

Wick, a much feared and renowned international assassin for hire, is once again called back into service from retirement in response to a blood oath marker held by Santino D’Antonio (Ricardo Scamarcio). Santino has been disenfranchised by his father who appointed Santino’s sister Gianna (Claudia Gerini) to sit at the prestigious “High Table,” an international power hierarchy. Santino rightly assumes that the only way to gain the seat for himself is if his sister meets an untimely death. That’s where Wick comes in. Wick first refuses to honor the marker, and, as a means of persuasion, Santino napalms Wick’s beautiful glass house — with Wick and his nameless pit bull barely escaping with their lives. Ironically, once Wick achieves his goal of causing the death of Gianna, Santino must avenge his sister’s death by putting a contract on Wick. Maybe this is how international mob justice works — family is, after all, family.

So Wick is forced to kill his way through a multitude of professional assassins across the globe. The only place of safety, allegedly, is the Continental Hotel, a chain of elegant international hotels where famous assassins and wealthy villains can get a bit of R&R without fear of being bumped off.

“Wick 2” is bigger than the original in every way. First, it is visually elegant — filmed in the Catacombs of Rome (or a place that looks like them), New York’s Central Park and other Manhattan landmarks like the Metropolitan Opera House. It is cinematically a feast for the eyes. It is also bigger in the overall death toll, which Wick visits on the rogues who attempt to kill him (I stopped counting after 100). The action is positively elegant with a great deal of hand-to-hand combat choreographed in macabre dances — a modern-day form of swashbuckling. The car chase scenes and inevitable crashes are protracted and more intense than in the original film. Overall, the action in “Wick 2” is heightened in every way. It is an edge-of-your-chair experience that relentlessly sucks you into the film.

To relieve the intensity of the film are delightful touches of humor, such as when the sommelier (Peter Serafinowicz) artfully presents an assortment of weaponry sufficient to satisfy the tastes of any discriminating international assassin. Then, too, the Italian tailor (Luca Mosca) measures Wick with well-fashioned “tactical” suits with linings to ward off penetrating bullets. Also, it is amusing to see Wick striding through the streets of New York and Rome with a face that is freshly and seriously battle-scarred — never turning a single head. It is a treat to see some of the old characters from “Wick 1” with Ian McShane as Winston, the chief hotelier at the Continental-New York; Lance Reddick as Charon, the hotel manager; and Thomas Sadoski as Jimmy the car repair genius. Mention should also be made of Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King (who knew that panhandlers were so well-organized and equipped with cellphones?).

Director Chad Stahelski is to be credited with making a sequel that is even more compelling and innovative than its predecessor — a difficult and remarkable achievement in action films. Reeves is positively beautiful as the reluctant assassin. Too bad he is so focused on retirement — since he is so excellent at his work. However, the film certainly leaves ample room for a “Wick 3” somewhere in the near future. Stay tuned.

This story was originally published February 15, 2017 at 1:58 PM with the headline "‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ bigger, better than its predecessor."