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John Wick: Chapter 2

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John Wick: Chapter 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed byChad Stahelski
Written byDerek Kolstad
Produced by
  • Basil Iwanyk
  • Erica Lee
Starring
CinematographyDan Laustsen
Edited byEvan Schiff
Music by
Production
companies
Distributed bySummit Entertainment
Release dates
  • January 30, 2017 (2017-01-30) (Arclight Hollywood)
  • February 10, 2017 (2017-02-10) (United States)
Running time
122 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. A sequel to the 2014 film John Wick, the film stars Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo and Ian McShane. The plot follows hitman John Wick who must go on the run after a bounty is placed on his head.

Principal photography began on October 26, 2015, in New York City. The film premiered in Los Angeles on January 30, 2017 and was released in the United States on February 10, 2017.[2] The film also marks the most recent collaboration between Reeves and Fishburne, who last acted together in the 2003 film The Matrix Revolutions.

Plot

Shortly after the events of the first film, former hitman John Wick tracks down his stolen Mustang at a chop shop owned by Abram Tarasov, brother of Viggo Tarasov and uncle of Iosef Tarasov from the first film. After dispatching Abram's men, John spares him under the auspices of "peace" and he returns home with his heavily damaged car.

Later, he is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio who has come to seek John's help in assassinating his sister Gianna, who he believes stole his rightful place at the "High Table". A council of high-level crime lords. John is obligated to accept his request because D'Antonio holds a "marker" signifying a blood oath John took for help in his "impossible task" to leave the criminal world and marry his late wife Helen. After John refuses, D'Antonio destroys his home with fire grenades. Winston, the owner of the New York Continental Hotel, warns John that if he refuses to accept the marker his life will be forfeited. John reluctantly accepts the mission, much to his chagrin.

In Rome, John tracks Gianna to a party where confronted with her assassination she chooses to commit suicide to "die her own way" rather than allow herself to be assassinated. After a firefight with Gianna's bodyguard Cassian, John is ambushed by D'Antonio's men who wish to kill him because "Santino can't allow his sister's murderer to get away with no consequence".

Cassian and John get into a near-death fight but are forced to stop after crashing through a window of the local Rome Continental. A place where obviously no business or bloodshed is permitted. Cassian later vows revenge for Gianna's death regardless because he was "working" at the time.

After John's returns back to New York, D'Antonio submits a $7 million contract for John's death. John is repeatedly attacked by assassins once it becomes common knowledge of this contract.

Cassian confronts John once again but he is dispatched quickly. John decides spares his life.

In desperation, John seeks help from the underground crime lord Bowery King, who ultimately permits John safe passage to D'Antonio's location at the museum.

John wages an assault on D'Antonio and kills all of his men but throughout all of the chaos, D'Antonio is able to escape to the Continental Hotel. D'Antonio makes it clear he intends to seek indefinite at the hotel.

John, in violation of Continental rules, shoots D'Antonio in the head. Winston, the New York hotel manager decides he must excommunicate John from all Continental locations and it's benefits indefinitely. The contract on John's life is then doubled however Winston delays his contract and his excommunication for one hour to allow him an opportunity to escape. Winston also gives John a marker. John warns Winston that he will kill anyone who comes to find him before eventually fleeing past the watchful eyes of an assortment of world class, would-be assassins. The film ends with John on the run.

Cast

Production

In February 2015, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch revealed that a John Wick sequel was currently in development.[12][13] The same month, CEO of Lionsgate Jon Feltheimer made an announcement during a conference call, stating "We see John Wick as a multiple-title action franchise". Additionally, it was reported that Kolstad will return to write the screenplay.[14] In May 2015, it was confirmed that the sequel was greenlit and Lionsgate would be selling the film at the upcoming Cannes Film Festival. It was announced that Keanu Reeves, Leitch, and Stahelski would return to the film with filming set to begin in late 2015.[3][15][16][17] In October 2015, Common joined the film to play the head of security for a female crime lord,[5] and Ian McShane was confirmed to return as Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel.[8] In November 2015, Bridget Moynahan, John Leguizamo, Thomas Sadoski, and Lance Reddick were confirmed to return, while Ruby Rose, Riccardo Scamarcio, and Peter Stormare were added to the cast.[7] In December 2015, it was announced that Laurence Fishburne would appear in a cameo role.[18]

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on October 26, 2015 in New York City.[19] At the end of first week, filming had taken place in Manhattan.[20] Filming moved to Italy next[8] and later resumed in Montreal, Canada on October 27, 2016. Scenes were shot in the downtown area and at the MELS Studios. Montreal serves as a setting for scenes that take place in Moscow in the film.[21]

Release

John Wick: Chapter 2 premiered at Arclight Hollywood in Los Angeles on January 30, 2017 and was released in the United States on February 10, 2017 by Summit Entertainment.[2]

In the United Kingdom, the film was granted a 15 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification, after removing 23 seconds of a bloody injury within a suicide scene to avoid an 18 rating.[1]

Box office

In the United States and Canada, John Wick: Chapter 2 opened alongside two other sequels, The Lego Batman Movie and Fifty Shades Darker, and is projected to gross around $20 million in its opening weekend.[22][23] It earned $2.2 million from Thursday night previews at 2,400 theaters, an improvement over the $870,000 made by its predecessor.[24]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 91% based on 112 reviews, and an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "John Wick: Chapter 2 does what a sequel should -- which in this case means doubling down on the non-stop, thrillingly choreographed action that made its predecessor so much fun."[25] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 76 out of 100, based on 39 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[26]

Scott Tobias of Uproxx said the film improved upon the original, writing: "For better or worse — though mostly for better — it’s a full-scale assault on the senses, constantly pushing itself to greater feats of excess. At this rate, a third John Wick might trigger the apocalypse."[27] Mike Rougeau of IGN gave the film an 8.5/10, stating that it "takes joy in expanding on the original’s lore", and praised the film as a vast improvement of its predecessor in terms of action set pieces, fight choreography, cinematography and writing.[28] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "the real deal" and "pure cinema".[29]

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club complained that it "lacks the first film’s domino-effect momentum", though overall he reacted positively. In part, he praised the action scenes as "entertainingly surreal".[30]

Sequel

In October 2016, Stahelski revealed that a third film is already in the works.[31]

References

  1. ^ a b "John Wick: Chapter 2". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Evry, Max (February 18, 2016). "John Wick: Chapter Two Gets a Release Date". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Fleming, Jr., Mike (May 4, 2015). "Lionsgate Selling 'John Wick' Sequel At Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  4. ^ THR Staff (September 29, 2016). "Hollywood Salaries 2016: Who Got Raises (and Who Didn't), From Movie Stars to Showrunners". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 1, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Kit, Borys (October 26, 2015). "Common to Play Villain in Keanu Reeves' 'John Wick 2' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  6. ^ "'John Wick: Chapter 2 Movie Update: Keanu Reeves Talks About Laurence Fishburne's Role". 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g h Jaafar, Ali (November 9, 2015). "'John Wick 2' Fills Out Cast, Old Favorites Return". Deadline. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  8. ^ a b c Kit, Borys (October 26, 2015). "Ian McShane Returns for Keanu Reeves' 'John Wick 2' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  9. ^ "Keanu Reeves talks John Wicks 2". cosmicbooknews. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  10. ^ Han, Angie (October 8, 2016). "'John Wick: Chapter 2' Trailer: Keanu Reeves Is Back in Action". /Film. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  11. ^ Anderton, Ethan (October 5, 2016). "'John Wick: Chapter 2' Teaser Arrives Before The Full Trailer Debuts At NYCC". /Film. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  12. ^ Guerrasio, Jason (February 4, 2015). "'John Wick' Directors Are Already Working on a Sequel (Exclusive)". Movies.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  13. ^ "John Wick Sequel Already In The Works". Final Reel. February 5, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  14. ^ "Lionsgate Planning 'John Wick' Sequel". Variety. February 6, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  15. ^ Lesnick, Silas (September 22, 2015). "John Wick 2 Filming Begins This Fall!". Coming Soon.
  16. ^ Wwintraub, Steven (September 24, 2015). "Exclusive: Chad Stahelski To Direct 'John Wick 2' Solo". Collider.
  17. ^ Foutch, Haleigh (October 5, 2015). "Exclusive: 'John Wick 2′ Story Details Revealed". Collider.
  18. ^ McNary, Dave (2015-12-18). "Laurence Fishburne Reunites With Keanu Reeves for 'John Wick 2' Cameo". Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  19. ^ "On the Set for 10/30/15: Keanu Reeves Starts on John Wick Sequel, Seth Rogen and Zac Efron Wrap Up Neighbors 2". SSN Insider. October 30, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  20. ^ "Keanu Reeves has bloody cuts on face as he takes on foes in dramatic scenes while filming John Wick 2". The Daily Mail. October 31, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
  21. ^ Demers, Maxime. "Keanu Reeves est à Montréal". Le Journal de Montréal. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  22. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 26, 2017). "'Fifty Shades Darker' Poised To Submit To 'Lego Batman': Pre-Valentine's Day Weekend B.O. Forecast". Deadline.com. Retrieved January 27, 2017. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |work= (help)
  23. ^ "Box Office: Can 'Lego Batman,' 'Fifty Shades Darker' And 'John Wick 2' Outperform Their Tracking?". Forbes.
  24. ^ "'Fifty Shades Darker' Lights Up With $5.72M, 'LEGO Batman' Beats 'Zootopia's Thursday Night, 'John Wick 2' Shoots 'Kingsman'". Deadline.com.
  25. ^ "John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  26. ^ "John Wick: Chapter 2 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  27. ^ Tobias, Scott (February 8, 2017). "'John Wick: Chapter Two' Is A Skull-Shattering Sequel Determined To Outdo The Original". Uproxx. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  28. ^ Rougeau, Mike (8 February 2017). "John Wick: Chapter 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  29. ^ Travers, Peter (February 7, 2017). "'John Wick: Chapter 2' Review: Keanu Reeves Is Back in Delirious, Mayhem-Filled Sequel". Rolling Stone. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  30. ^ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (February 8, 2017). "John Wick: Chapter 2". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  31. ^ Page, Aubrey (October 10, 2016). "'John Wick 3' Already in the Works, Reveals Director Chad Stahelski; 'Chapter 2' Details Teased". Collider.com. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
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