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Later, John is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio ([[Riccardo Scamarcio]]), who has come to enlist John to assassinate his sister Gianna ([[Claudia Gerini]]) so he can take her seat on the "High Table," a council of high-level crime lords. John is obligated to accept after returning from retirement 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 [[rocket-propelled grenades]]. Winston ([[Ian McShane]]), the owner of the Continental hotel in [[New York City]], warns John that if he refuses to accept the marker, his life will be forfeited. John reluctantly accepts the mission.
Later, John is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio ([[Riccardo Scamarcio]]), who has come to enlist John to assassinate his sister Gianna ([[Claudia Gerini]]) so he can take her seat on the "High Table," a council of high-level crime lords. John is obligated to accept after returning from retirement 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 [[rocket-propelled grenades]]. Winston ([[Ian McShane]]), the owner of the Continental hotel in [[New York City]], warns John that if he refuses to accept the marker, his life will be forfeited. John reluctantly accepts the mission.


In [[Rome]], John infiltrates a party where, confronted with her assassination, Gianna chooses to commit suicide rather than allow herself to be assassinated. After a firefight with Gianna's bodyguard Cassian ([[Common (rapper)|Common]]), John is ambushed by D'Antonio's men in an apparent double-cross to tie up "loose ends." John escapes and again encounters Cassian. Their brutal fight is halted when the two crash through a window of the Rome Continental, where no "business" or bloodshed is permitted. Cassian vows revenge for Gianna's death regardless because John was "working" at the time.
In [[Rome]], John infiltrates a party where, confronted with her assassination, Gianna chooses to commit suicide rather than allow herself to be assassinated. After a firefight with Gianna's bodyguard Cassian ([[Common (rapper)|Common]]), John is ambushed by D'Antonio's men in an apparent double-cross to tie up "loose ends." John escapes and again encounters Cassian. Their brutal fight is halted when the two crash through a window of the Rome Continental, where no "business" or bloodshed is permitted. Cassian vows revenge for Gianna's death regardless of the fact that John was "working" at the time.


After John returns to New York City, D'Antonio opens a $7 million [[Contract killing|contract]] for John's death. John is repeatedly attacked by assassins once the existence of this contract becomes known. Cassian spots and confronts John once again at the subway but he is subdued quickly. John decides to spare his life out of professional respect. In desperation, John seeks help from the underground crime lord Bowery King ([[Laurence Fishburne]]), who permits John safe passage to D'Antonio's location at his museum.
After John returns to New York City, D'Antonio opens a $7 million [[Contract killing|contract]] for John's death. John is repeatedly attacked by assassins once the existence of this contract becomes known. Cassian spots and confronts John once again at the subway but he is subdued quickly. John decides to spare his life out of professional respect. In desperation, John seeks help from the underground crime lord Bowery King ([[Laurence Fishburne]]), who permits John safe passage to D'Antonio's location at his museum.

Revision as of 06:09, 12 February 2017

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
Budget$40 million[2]
Box office$11 million[3]

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 plot follows hitman John Wick, who goes on the run after a bounty is placed on his head. It stars Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo and Ian McShane, and marks the first collaboration between Reeves and Fishburne since appearing together in the Matrix trilogy.

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.[4]

Plot

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

Later, John is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), who has come to enlist John to assassinate his sister Gianna (Claudia Gerini) so he can take her seat on the "High Table," a council of high-level crime lords. John is obligated to accept after returning from retirement 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 rocket-propelled grenades. Winston (Ian McShane), the owner of the Continental hotel in New York City, warns John that if he refuses to accept the marker, his life will be forfeited. John reluctantly accepts the mission.

In Rome, John infiltrates a party where, confronted with her assassination, Gianna chooses to commit suicide rather than allow herself to be assassinated. After a firefight with Gianna's bodyguard Cassian (Common), John is ambushed by D'Antonio's men in an apparent double-cross to tie up "loose ends." John escapes and again encounters Cassian. Their brutal fight is halted when the two crash through a window of the Rome Continental, where no "business" or bloodshed is permitted. Cassian vows revenge for Gianna's death regardless of the fact that John was "working" at the time.

After John returns to New York City, D'Antonio opens a $7 million contract for John's death. John is repeatedly attacked by assassins once the existence of this contract becomes known. Cassian spots and confronts John once again at the subway but he is subdued quickly. John decides to spare his life out of professional respect. In desperation, John seeks help from the underground crime lord Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), who permits John safe passage to D'Antonio's location at his museum.

John wages an assault on the museum and kills all of D'Antonio's men but leaves Ares alive (presumably to bleed out), but D'Antonio is able to escape to the Continental. D'Antonio makes it clear that he intends to seek indefinite refuge there, knowing its rules preclude killing on Continental grounds. Despite Winston's attempts to calm him, John kills D'Antonio, breaking Continental rules. The next day, Winston reveals that due to John's actions he is excommunicated, with the contract doubled & gone international. However, Winston delays John's contract one hour to give him a head start. Before leaving, John tells Winston to warn everyone who comes after him that he will "kill them all." As the clock starts, John flees past the watchful eyes of New York's assassins, the film ending with John and his dog on the run.

Cast

Production

In February 2015, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch stated that a John Wick sequel had began development.[14][15] 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 would return to write the screenplay.[16] In May 2015, it was confirmed that a sequel was greenlit, and Lionsgate would be selling the film at the Cannes Film Festival. It was announced that Keanu Reeves, Leitch, and Stahelski would return, with filming set to begin in late 2015.[5][17][18][19] In October 2015, Common joined the film to play the head of security for a female crime lord,[7] and Ian McShane was confirmed to return as Winston, the owner of the Continental Hotel.[10] 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.[9] In December 2015, it was announced that Laurence Fishburne would appear in a supporting role.[20]

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on October 26, 2015 in New York City.[21] At the end of first week, filming had taken place in Manhattan.[22] Filming moved to Italy next,[10] and later resumed in Montreal, Canada on October 27, 2016. Scenes were shot in the downtown area and at the MELS Studios. Montreal served as a setting for scenes that take place in Moscow in the film.[23]

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.[4]

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]

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.[24][25] 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.[2]

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."[26] 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".[27] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[28]

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."[29] 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.[30] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "the real deal" and "pure cinema".[31]

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".[32]

Sequel

In October 2016, Stahelski stated that a third film is in the works.[33]

References

  1. ^ a b "John Wick: Chapter 2". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  2. ^ a b "'Lego Batman' Hooks $54M+, 'Fifty Shades' Rachets Up $48M+, 'John Wick 2' Targets $29M+ – Saturday Update". Deadline.com.
  3. ^ "John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved February 11, 2017.
  4. ^ a b Evry, Max (February 18, 2016). "John Wick: Chapter Two Gets a Release Date". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Fleming, Jr., Mike (May 4, 2015). "Lionsgate Selling 'John Wick' Sequel At Cannes". Deadline. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  6. ^ 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.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "'John Wick: Chapter 2 Movie Update: Keanu Reeves Talks About Laurence Fishburne's Role". 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ "Keanu Reeves talks John Wicks 2". cosmicbooknews. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  12. ^ Han, Angie (October 8, 2016). "'John Wick: Chapter 2' Trailer: Keanu Reeves Is Back in Action". /Film. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  13. ^ Anderton, Ethan (October 5, 2016). "'John Wick: Chapter 2' Teaser Arrives Before The Full Trailer Debuts At NYCC". /Film. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  14. ^ Guerrasio, Jason (February 4, 2015). "'John Wick' Directors Are Already Working on a Sequel (Exclusive)". Movies.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  15. ^ "John Wick Sequel Already In The Works". Final Reel. February 5, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  16. ^ "Lionsgate Planning 'John Wick' Sequel". Variety. February 6, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  17. ^ Lesnick, Silas (September 22, 2015). "John Wick 2 Filming Begins This Fall!". Coming Soon.
  18. ^ Wwintraub, Steven (September 24, 2015). "Exclusive: Chad Stahelski To Direct 'John Wick 2' Solo". Collider.
  19. ^ Foutch, Haleigh (October 5, 2015). "Exclusive: 'John Wick 2′ Story Details Revealed". Collider.
  20. ^ McNary, Dave (2015-12-18). "Laurence Fishburne Reunites With Keanu Reeves for 'John Wick 2' Cameo". Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  21. ^ "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.
  22. ^ "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.
  23. ^ Demers, Maxime. "Keanu Reeves est à Montréal". Le Journal de Montréal. Retrieved 2016-11-19.
  24. ^ 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)
  25. ^ "Box Office: Can 'Lego Batman,' 'Fifty Shades Darker' And 'John Wick 2' Outperform Their Tracking?". Forbes.
  26. ^ "John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  27. ^ "John Wick: Chapter 2 reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  28. ^ "CinemaScore". cinemascore.com.
  29. ^ Tobias, Scott (February 8, 2017). "'John Wick: Chapter Two' Is A Skull-Shattering Sequel Determined To Outdo The Original". Uproxx. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  30. ^ Rougeau, Mike (8 February 2017). "John Wick: Chapter 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (February 8, 2017). "John Wick: Chapter 2". The A.V. Club. Retrieved February 9, 2017.
  33. ^ 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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