John Wick: Chapter 2

Everything was settled for the former contract killer John Wick ( Keanu Reeves ): The murder of his dog was avenged, and he also has his stolen car back. But that didn’t make his life much easier. Because now it is the gangster boss Santino D’Antonio ( Riccardo Scamarcio ) who reports to him and demands an old debt. And so Wick has no choice but to dig up his mothballed arsenal of weapons and put his murderous skills to the test. But that’s where the real trouble begins: Cassian ( Common ), his target’s bodyguard, then follows him, as does Ares ( Ruby Rose) and dozens of other killers. Because now the hunter was declared fair game.

It’s been a little over two years since Keanu Reeves landed an unexpected action comeback with John Wick: Chapter 2. Not only did the 50-year-old cut an extremely good figure in the very physical fights – in contrast to his directorial debut Man of Tai Chi – the extremely stylish staging and the humorously exaggerated revenge plot were also a lot of fun. And so the mime, who previously bathed in flops, delighted the critics, but above all the audience, which made the ripper a considerable success. It didn’t take long before a second part was announced, which continues the killer’s adventures against his will.

What has changed in John Wick: Chapter 2 compared to the debut? Not much at first glance. So much was taken over from the predecessor without major changes that Wick’s second appearance is almost superfluous. But two points push the successor in a slightly different direction – with better and worse results. It is very unfortunate that the completely nonsensical reason for the revenge plot in John Wick – dog murder and car theft – had to give way to a much more conventional and equally thin story. While the first encounter was so mischievously exaggerated that the film could easily have passed as a parody of the usual B-movie revenge thrillers, this time it’s somehow meant much more seriously. And that’s kind of boring for a genre representative in which the protagonist doesn’t even have to make an effort to kill dozens of people at the same time.

• John Wick: Chapter 2