John Wick: Chapter 2

John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is back! After avenging the death of his dog, the hitman still recovers his beloved 1969 Mustang from the Russian gangsters. Now he can finally return to the retirement from which he was violently torn. But no sooner has he reburied his weapons than Italian gangster Santino D`Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) shows up at his house to collect on an old debt. When Wick refuses, the gangster makes it clear to him in truly explosive fashion that this is impossible. And so John Wick reluctantly agrees to kill D`Antonio`s sister Gianna (Claudia Gerini) in Rome. But D`Antonio wants to eliminate any trace by which Gianna`s death could be traced back to him. And so Wick himself is suddenly targeted by hit men who leave no stone unturned to kill him. Time for him to show why he was once considered the best hitman in the world.

With John Wick: Chapter 2, the highly anticipated sequel to 2015's surprise hit comes to our cinemas. Directed once again by former stuntman Chad Stahelski, who has once again made a point of ensuring that the stunts and the fights are all real and - with the exception of a lot of blood - no CGI effects are used. Once again, he sends the suitably stoic Keanu Reeves on a bloody mission into the underworld - this time not just of New York, but of Rome as well. The secret world that was sketched out in rudimentary fashion in the first installment is expanded upon much further here, which prevents the sequel from being a mere knock-off of the first film. Rather, the story is consistently carried forward and whipped to a dramatic turning point that makes you very much want to see a third installment where nothing would ever be the same again.

The action and fight sequences are once again top notch. Admittedly, with the countless headshots Wick dishes out here, some signs of fatigue eventually set in. In addition, the surprise effect, with which part 1 could come up with, is missing. At that time you just didn't expect such an uncompromising and entertaining action thriller. With Chapter 2, there is admittedly a certain expectation that is perhaps too high for some viewers to be fulfilled.

No question, Stahelski has once again directed a stylish and extremely entertaining action film with some dry humor and quite a bit of handmade action. The fact that he overshoots the mark in a few scenes is perfectly tolerable given the many well-done moments - from the initial chase in Wick's '69 Mustang to a fight in a mirror maze. And the finale, which shuffles the cards completely new, is then so successful that you like to overlook some lengths anyway. Therefore: If you liked Keanu Reeves in his new parade role already the first time, you will be extremely well entertained again. A solid action flick of the old school - for this there is clearly one: Absolutely worth seeing

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp