John Wick 3: Parabellum

Image credit: Wikipedia

Sometimes you have those nights where you just want to watch mindless, popcorn action. One would think that films like that would be plentiful on all of the streaming services we have today, but one would be wrong (at least I think so). However, I was recently rewarded with a cold winter night of curling up with partner for dinner and a good ‘ol mindless action movie, as a new arrival hit Netflix: John Wick 3!

Parabellum has the simplest plot in the world: John Wick (Keanu Reeves) broke the rules of the Continental Hotel, so now every thug, assassin, and badass in the world is after him and the $14 million bounty on his head. It’s the ultimate one-man war!

While the first John Wick movie was certainly fun and fresh, did it really warrant sequels? I do feel that there’s only so many fight scenes that a person can watch before the sighs and eye-rolls hit them.

Parabellum is basically nothing but fight scenes…some occasionally with dialogue. There really isn’t much more to say than that. There’s no narrative to speak of, most of the acting consists of grunting or screaming, and even the characters are starting to wear thin.

Image credit: Film School Rejects

Keanu delivers a great performance, all things considered, he’s gruff, badass, and sometimes delivers a one-liner with a little bite of humour. Pretty good considering that there’s not much story for him to work with.

Other big names like Ian McShane and Lawrence Fishbourne reprise their roles pretty effortlessly, while new and recognisable faces that pop up –including Halle Berry and Anjelica Huston- beg the question ‘why?’ I guess a job’s a job, a paycheque’s a paycheque.

Parabellum is certainly not a film that I particularly needed, but I did want on that cold winter night with a hot dinner and cuddles. It has to be said that bad films can still make for decent film experiences.

Director: Chad Stahelski, 2019

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Halle Berry, Asia Kate Dillon, Said Taghmaoui, Jerome Flynn, Lance Reddick, and Lawrence Fisbourne