John Wick: Chapter 2
John Wick: Chapter 2 | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Chad Stahelski |
Written by | Derek Kolstad |
Based on | Characters by Derek Kolstad |
Produced by |
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Starring | |
Cinematography | Dan Laustsen |
Edited by | Evan Schiff |
Music by |
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Production companies |
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Distributed by | |
Release dates |
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Running time | 122 minutes[1] |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $40 million[2] |
Box office | $171.5 million[3] |
John Wick: Chapter 2 (also known as simply John Wick 2) is a 2017 American neo-noir action-thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. It is the second installment in the John Wick film series, and the sequel to the 2014 film John Wick. It stars Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo, and Ian McShane. The plot follows hitman John Wick (Reeves), who goes on the run after a bounty is placed on him. Principal photography began on October 26, 2015, in New York City.
The film premiered in Los Angeles on January 30, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 10, 2017. It was acclaimed by critics, with praise for the action sequences, direction, editing, visual style and the performances of the cast, particularly Reeves. The film grossed $200 million worldwide against its $40 million budget, over twice the $85 million gross of the original film.[3][4]
A sequel, titled John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, was released on May 17, 2019.
Plot
Former assassin John Wick retrieves his stolen Mustang car from a chop shop owned by Abram Tarasov, brother of Viggo and uncle of Iosef. John dispatches Tarasov's men in a violent rampage that heavily damages the Mustang but spares Tarasov under the auspices of peace and returns home, later cementing his weapons into the ground once again.
After chop-shop owner Aurelio takes John's Mustang in for repairs, John is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio, who reminds him that he was the one who helped John in his "impossible task," which allowed John to retire and marry Helen. In return, Santino swore John to a "marker," an unbreakable promise symbolized by a "blood oath" medallion. Santino presents the medallion to demand services from John, who declines, claiming that he is retired. Santino then burns John's house down.
John walks all the way to The Continental Hotel in New York City. Winston, the owner of the hotel, reminds John that if he rejects the marker, he will be violating one of the two unbreakable rules of the underworld: no blood on Continental grounds, and every marker must be honored. John reluctantly accepts his commitment and meets with Santino, who tasks him with assassinating his sister Gianna so he can claim her seat at the "High Table," a council of twelve high-level crime lords. Santino sends Ares, his mute personal bodyguard, to oversee John.
In Rome, John infiltrates Gianna's coronation party and confronts her in her dressing room. Faced with certain death, Gianna chooses to take her own life by slitting her wrists. When Gianna dies from blood loss, he shoots her in the head to complete the marker. On his way out, Cassian, Gianna's bodyguard, recognizes John and, upon realizing that John was sent to kill Gianna, attacks him. John escapes to the catacombs, where he is ambushed by Ares and Santino's henchmen, who intend to "tie up loose ends" by killing him. After killing most of the henchmen, John is pursued by Cassian. Their intense battle is halted when they crash into the reception area of the Rome Continental, which — like the New York Continental — prohibits any "business" on its grounds. As the two share a drink, John explains why he had to kill Gianna. Nevertheless, Cassian vows revenge for Gianna's death, promising to kill him quickly as a sign of professional respect.
After John returns to New York, Santino opens a $7 million contract for John's death under the guise of avenging his sister, leading numerous assassins to unsuccessfully attack John. Eventually, Cassian confronts John in the subway. John wins the fight and mortally wounds Cassian, but leaves him alive out of professional respect. Injured and desperate, John seeks help from an underground crime lord known as the Bowery King, whose subordinates treat John's injuries and guide him to an art museum where Santino is holding a gala. John dispatches Santino's henchmen and chases Santino through a mirror exhibit in the museum, where he kills the rest of Santino's men and kills Ares in a final fight. He pursues Santino, who flees to the Continental, where he smugly makes it clear that he intends to remain indefinitely in its sanctuary. Despite Winston's warnings, John shoots and kills Santino in the Continental lounge.
The next day, Winston sends for John and explains that, per the High Table, the contract on John has been doubled and offered globally. As a consequence of killing Santino on Continental grounds, Winston declares John "excommunicado," losing all access and privileges to the underworld resources. However, Winston delays announcing John's excommunication and global bounty by one hour to give him a head start and provides him with a marker for future use. Before leaving, John advises Winston to make it known that whoever tries to come after him will be killed. John walks away with his dog as Winston makes a call, announcing John's excommunicado, to be active in one hour. As the contract is activated world wide, John looks at many people around him as their phones go off, indicating John doesn't know who is an assassin and who isn't. He starts to run with his dog in an attempt to disappear in the time he has.
Cast
- Keanu Reeves as Jonathan "John" Wick, an ex-hitman[5]
- Common as Cassian, Gianna's chief bodyguard[6]
- Ian McShane as Winston, the owner and manager of the Continental Hotel in New York, a key underworld figure[7]
- Laurence Fishburne as the Bowery King, an underground crime lord[8]
- Riccardo Scamarcio as Santino D'Antonio, a Camorra boss who forces Wick to perform an assassination[9]
- Ruby Rose as Ares, an assassin and Santino's mute security enforcer[9]
- Lance Reddick as Charon, the concierge at the Continental Hotel in New York[9]
- Bridget Moynahan as Helen Wick, John's deceased wife[9]
- John Leguizamo as Aurelio, the owner of a high-end chop shop[9]
- Claudia Gerini as Gianna D'Antonio, Santino's sister
- Peter Stormare[10] as Abram Tarasov, Viggo's brother, Iosef's uncle and a deskbound Russian gangster.
- Franco Nero as Julius, the owner and manager of the Continental Hotel in Rome.
- Peter Serafinowicz as the Sommelier, a weapons supplier in Hotel Continental.
- Luca Mosca as an Italian tailor who is responsible for fashion and body armor service in Hotel Continental.
- Tobias Segal as Earl, the Bowery King's "homeless" criminal.
- Thomas Sadoski as Jimmy, a police officer who is John Wick's friend.
- Chuk Iwuji as Mr. Akoni who is in debt to or part of the High Table.
- Erik Frandsen as a coin-maker.
Production
Development
In February 2015, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch stated that a John Wick sequel had begun development.[11][12] In the same month, Jon Feltheimer, CEO of Lionsgate, stated during a conference call that "We see John Wick as a multiple-title action franchise". Additionally, it was reported that Kolstad would return to write the screenplay.[13] In May 2015, it was confirmed that a sequel was greenlit, and Lionsgate would be selling the film at the Cannes Film Festival. Reeves and Stahelski appeared in a 30-minute Aol.build interview in early February 2017 to discuss the development and casting of the film.[14]
Casting
It was announced that Keanu Reeves, Leitch, and Stahelski would return, with filming set to begin in late 2015.[15][16][17][18] In October 2015, Common joined the film to play the head of security for a female crime lord,[6] and Ian McShane was confirmed to return as Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel.[19] 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 (due to Michael Nyqvist having health problems).[9] In December 2015, it was announced that Laurence Fishburne would appear in a supporting role.[20] Reeves was trained in Brazilian jiu-jitsu by the Machado brothers for the role.[21]
Filming
Principal photography on the film began on October 26, 2015, in New York City, New York, USA.[22] At the end of first week, filming had taken place in Manhattan.[citation needed] Filming moved to Rome, Italy next[19] and later resumed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on October 28, 2015. Studios shots were in New Jersey.[23]
Music
Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard returned to write and compose the film's soundtrack.[24] Along with the return of Le Castle Vania and Ciscandra Nostalghia,[25] the soundtrack has also featured Alice in Chains' guitarist and co-lead vocalist Jerry Cantrell in the song "A Job To Do", whose lyrics were written by Cantrell from the perspective of Keanu Reeves' character.[26]
Release
John Wick: Chapter 2 premiered at Arclight Hollywood in Los Angeles on January 30, 2017 and was theatrically released in the United States on February 10, 2017 by Summit Entertainment.[27] In the United Kingdom, the film was granted a 15 certificate by the British Board of Film Classification, after 23 seconds of a bloody injury within a suicide scene were removed to avoid an 18 rating.[1] The film opened in UK cinemas on February 17, 2017 and was distributed by Warner Bros., with co-production from Lionsgate studio Summit Entertainment. Australia was one of the last major countries to receive the film, with a release on May 18.[28]
The movie was released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on June 13, 2017, from Summit Inc/Lionsgate.[29][30][31]
Reception
Box office
John Wick: Chapter 2 grossed $92 million in the United States and Canada and $79.5 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $171.5 million.[3] The film grossed $90.5 million worldwide in its first nine days of release, surpassing the entire theatrical gross of the first film ($88.8 million).[32]
In the United States and Canada, the film opened alongside two other sequels, The Lego Batman Movie and Fifty Shades Darker, and was projected to gross around $20 million in its opening weekend.[33][34] It earned $2.2 million from Thursday night previews at 2,400 theaters, an improvement over the $870,000 made by its predecessor. It made $11 million on its first day, nearly totaling the $14.4 million the first film made in its entire opening weekend. It went on to open to $30.4 million, more than double the opening weekend of the original film and finishing third at the box office behind The Lego Batman Movie ($53 million) and Fifty Shades Darker ($46.6 million).[2] In its second weekend the film grossed $16.2 million (a drop of 46.7%), finishing 4th at the box office and making more in its second weekend than the original film made in its first.[32]
Critical response
At the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 255 reviews and an average rating of 7.3/10. The website'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."[35] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on reviews from 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[36] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale, while PostTrak reported filmgoers gave it an 85% overall positive score and a 72% "definite recommend".[37][2]
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".[38] 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.[39] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "the real deal" and "pure cinema".[40]
Writing for Time magazine in February Stephanie Zacharek stated: "The pleasures of John Wick: Chapter 2 may be even greater than those of its predecessor—itself a symphonic achievement in scrappy, balls-out, action filmmaking—because in this one, there's no puppy murder to endure...it's lovers of humankind who are put to the test. John Wick: Chapter 2 asks the classic pulp question—Are human beings worth saving?—and delivers, with the right proportions of joy and sorrow, the classic pulp answer: Sometimes, no".[41]
Both Richard Brody writing for The New Yorker and Stephen M. Colbert writing for Screen Rant saw secret societies as a significant motif in the film. In his article "The World of John Wick Explained", Colbert stated: "John Wick introduced audiences to a dark, polished and sharply dressed, underground criminal society full of assassins who (mostly) abide by an unspoken code of conduct and two explicit rules. While the first movie told a more intimate story that only hinted at the larger world of this secret society, John Wick: Chapter Two takes the titular character through several of the corners of this complex underworld, revealing even more about the world of John Wick. While very few of these customs are explicitly explained, there are still enough hints about the inner functionings of the various entities presented, giving us enough puzzle pieces to put together a loose sketch of this mysterious world of assassins".[42]
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club wrote that it "lacks the first film's domino-effect momentum". In part, he praised the action scenes as "entertainingly surreal".[43] In an opinion piece, Jordan Hoffman of The Guardian called the film "a shameful example of Hollywood gun pornography" with a "hyperactive, blood-soaked, corpse-strewn video game aesthetic" but "only trace elements of a plot" and wondered "where the line of decency is as audience bloodlust continues to get chummed".[44]
Sequel
In October 2016, Stahelski stated that a third film, titled John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum, is in the works[45] and in June 2017 it was reported that Kolstad will return to write the screenplay.[46] In September 2017, Lionsgate set the sequel's release date for May 17, 2019.[47] In January 2018, it was reported that Stahelski will return to direct with Hiroyuki Sanada in talks to join the cast.[48] In February 2018, it was reported that in addition to Reeves, McShane, Fishburne and Reddick would each reprise their roles from the film, with filming set to commence April 26, 2018, in New York City and Montreal.[49]
References
- ^ a b "John Wick: Chapter 2". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ a b c "'Lego Batman' Hooks $54M+, 'Fifty Shades' Rachets Up $48M+, 'John Wick 2' Targets $29M+ – Saturday Update". Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ a b c "John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ "John Wick (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 25, 2019.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Kit, Borys (October 26, 2015). "Ian McShane Returns for Keanu Reeves' 'John Wick 2' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ "'John Wick: Chapter 2 Movie Update: Keanu Reeves Talks About Laurence Fishburne's Role". January 8, 2017. Archived from the original on January 8, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f Jaafar, Ali (November 9, 2015). "'John Wick 2' Fills Out Cast, Old Favorites Return". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Jaafar, Ali (November 9, 2015). "'John Wick 2' Fills Out Cast, Old Favorites Return". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Guerrasio, Jason (February 4, 2015). "'John Wick' Directors Are Already Working on a Sequel (Exclusive)". Movies.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ "John Wick Sequel Already In The Works". Final Reel. February 5, 2015. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ "Lionsgate Planning 'John Wick' Sequel". Variety. February 6, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ Interview with Aol.build for John Wick 2. [1].
- ^ Fleming, Jr., Mike (May 4, 2015). "Lionsgate Selling 'John Wick' Sequel At Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
- ^ Lesnick, Silas (September 22, 2015). "John Wick 2 Filming Begins This Fall!". Coming Soon.
- ^ Weintraub, Steven (September 24, 2015). "Exclusive: Chad Stahelski To Direct 'John Wick 2' Solo". Collider.
- ^ Foutch, Haleigh (October 5, 2015). "Exclusive: 'John Wick 2′ Story Details Revealed". Collider.
- ^ a b Kit, Borys (October 26, 2015). "Ian McShane Returns for Keanu Reeves' 'John Wick 2' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
- ^ McNary, Dave (December 18, 2015). "Laurence Fishburne Reunites With Keanu Reeves for 'John Wick 2' Cameo". Retrieved August 3, 2016.
- ^ Keanu Reeves Trains BJJ with the Machado Brothers Jiujitsu Times
- ^ "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. Archived from the original on November 1, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
- ^ "Where was John Wick Chapter 2 filmed? Complete Filming Locations Guide". Atlas of Wonders.
- ^ "Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard to Return for 'John Wick: Chapter Two'". Film Music Reporter. April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ^ "'John Wick: Chapter 2' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. January 26, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ^ "Jerry Cantrell Shares 'A Job To Do' From 'John Wick' Sequel". Billboard. February 9, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
- ^ Evry, Max (February 18, 2016). "John Wick: Chapter Two Gets a Release Date". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
- ^ "John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) - Release Info". IMDb. Retrieved May 10, 2017.
- ^ Amazon.com: John Wick: Chapter 2 (DVD). Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ Amazon.com: John Wick: Chapter 2 (Blu-ray) . Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ Amazon.com: John Wick: Chapter 2 - 4K Ultra HD (Blu-ray + Digital HD). Retrieved August 8, 2017.
- ^ a b "Another Holiday Weekend Where Holdovers Reign & New Studio Releases Tank: Presidents' Day B.O." Deadline Hollywood.
- ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (January 26, 2017). "'Fifty Shades Darker' Poised To Submit To 'Lego Batman': Pre-Valentine's Day Weekend B.O. Forecast". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
- ^ "Box Office: Can 'Lego Batman,' 'Fifty Shades Darker' And 'John Wick 2' Outperform Their Tracking?". Forbes.
- ^ "John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
- ^ "John Wick: Chapter 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
- ^ CinemaScore [@CinemaScore] (February 11, 2017). "Congratulations @JohnWickMovie for your A- #cinemascore grade!" (Tweet). Retrieved April 10, 2017 – via Twitter.
- ^ Tobias, Scott (February 8, 2017). "'John Wick: Chapter Two' Is A Skull-Shattering Sequel Determined To Outdo The Original". Uproxx. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
- ^ Rougeau, Mike (February 8, 2017). "John Wick: Chapter 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The guns of John Wick 2", By David Maccar, February 10, 2017.[2].
- ^ Stephen M. Colbert, The World of John Wick Explained February 13, 2017.
- ^ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (February 8, 2017). "Chapter 2 gives John Wick an irresistibly surreal follow-up". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
- ^ Hoffman, Jordan (February 10, 2017). "John Wick: Chapter 2 is a shameful example of Hollywood gun pornography". The Guardian. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
- ^ Page, Aubrey (October 10, 2016). "'John Wick 3' Already in the Works, Reveals Director Chad Stahelski; 'Chapter 2' Details Teased". Collider. Archived from the original on October 10, 2016. Retrieved October 10, 2016.
- ^ Kit, Borys (June 1, 2017). "'John Wick 3' Brings Back Writer Derek Kolstad (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved June 1, 2017.
- ^ "'John Wick: Chapter Three' Targets Early Summer 2019 Date". Deadline Hollywood. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
- ^ Romano, Nick. "John Wick 3 brings back Chad Stahelski to direct". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved January 19, 2018.
- ^ Marc, Christopher (February 14, 2018). "'John Wick: Chapter 3' Begins Filming In April, Slightly Earlier Than Expected". Omega Underground. Archived from the original on February 14, 2018. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
External links
- 2017 films
- 2010s action thriller films
- American films
- American action thriller films
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- English-language films
- Films about contract killing
- Films directed by Chad Stahelski
- Films scored by Tyler Bates
- Films set in New Jersey
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- Films set in Rome
- Films shot in New York City
- Films shot in New Jersey
- Gun fu films
- Heroic bloodshed films
- American neo-noir films
- Lions Gate Entertainment films
- Summit Entertainment films
- Films shot in Montreal
- Films with screenplays by Derek Kolstad
- John Wick (franchise)