John Wick: Chapter 2

John Wick: Chapter 2
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Chad Stahelski
Produced by
  • Basil Iwanyk
  • Erica Lee
Written by Derek Kolstad
Starring
Music by
Cinematography Dan Laustsen
Edited by Evan Schiff
Production
company
Distributed by Lionsgate
Release date
  • January 30, 2017 (2017-01-30) (Arclight Hollywood)
  • February 10, 2017 (2017-02-10) (United States)
Running time
 122 minutes[1]
Country United States
Language English
Budget $40 million[2]
Box office $171.5 million[3]

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-noir[4] action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. The second installment in the John Wick film series, the plot follows hitman John Wick, who goes on the run after a bounty is placed on him. 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. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $171.5 million worldwide, over four times its $40 million budget and nearly twice the $88 million gross of the original film.[3][5] A sequel, titled John Wick 3: Parabellum, is set to be released on May 17, 2019.

Plot

Four days after the events of the first film,[6] former assassin John Wick finds his stolen 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 at 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. He then spares Tarasov under the auspices of peace, and returns home.

After Aurelio takes John's Mustang for repairs, John is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio. It is revealed that to complete his "impossible task"—which allowed him to retire and marry Helen—John asked Santino for help. As a form of contract, Santino swore John to a "Marker," an unbreakable promise symbolized by a "blood oath" medallion.[7] Santino presents the medallion to demand services from John, but John declines, claiming that he is retired. In retaliation, Santino destroys John's house with a grenade launcher.

Winston, the owner of The Continental Hotel in New York City, 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 accepts his commitment and meets with Santino, who tasks him with assassinating his sister Gianna, so he can claim her seat on the "High Table," a council of high-level crime lords. Santino sends Ares, his mute personal bodyguard, to surveil John.

In Rome, John infiltrates Gianna's coronation party and confronts her. Faced with certain death, Gianna chooses to take her own life by slitting her wrists. After Gianna dies, John shoots her in the head to ensure her death and, consequently, fulfillment of the Marker. Cassian, Gianna's bodyguard, recognizes John and, after realizing that John was sent to kill Gianna, attacks him. John escapes to the catacombs, where he is ambushed by 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 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 tense drink, Cassian vows revenge for Gianna's death.

After John returns to New York City, 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 once again in the subway. John wins the fight, but leaves Cassian alive out of professional respect. Injured and desperate, John seeks help from an underground crime lord, the Bowery King, whose subordinates treat his injuries and guide him to Santino's location. John kills Santino's bodyguards and defeats Ares in a knife fight, but Santino is able to escape to the Continental. Santino 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" from the Continental, losing all access and privileges to the Continental's 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. As John and his dog run through the park, dozens of cellphones around him ring, signaling that the global contract has been activated.

Cast

Production

Development

In February 2015, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch stated that a John Wick sequel had begun development.[17][18] 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.[19] 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.[20]

Casting

It was announced that Keanu Reeves, Leitch, and Stahelski would return, with filming set to begin in late 2015.[21][22][23][24] In October 2015, Common joined the film to play the head of security for a female crime lord,[11] 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.[25]

Filming

Principal photography on the film began on October 26, 2015, in New York City, New York, USA.[26] At the end of first week, filming had taken place in Manhattan, a New York City borough.[27] Filming moved to Rome, Italy next[10] and later resumed in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on October 28, 2015.

Music

In April 2016, it was announced that Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard would return to write and compose the film's soundtrack.[28]

Along with the return of Le Castle Vania and Ciscandra Nostalghia,[29] 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.[30]

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.[31]

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.[32]

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).[33]

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.[34][35] 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.[33]

Critical response

On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 226 reviews, and an average rating of 7.2/10. 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."[36] On Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[37] 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".[38][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."[39] 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.[40] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "the real deal" and "pure cinema".[41]

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."[42]

Both Richard Brody writing for The New Yorker and Stephen M. Colbert writing for screenrant.com 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."[43]

Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club complained that it "lacks the first film's domino-effect momentum." In part, he praised the action scenes as "entertainingly surreal".[44] 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."[45]

Home release

The movie was released on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD on June 13, 2017, from Summit Inc/Lionsgate.[46][47][48]

Sequel

In October 2016, Stahelski stated that a third film, titled John Wick 3: Parabellum, is in the works[49] and in June 2017 it was reported that Kolstad will return to write the screenplay.[50] In September 2017, Lionsgate set the sequel's release date for May 17, 2019.[51] In January 2018, it was reported that Stahelski will return to direct with Hiroyuki Sanada in talks to join the cast.[52] In February 2018, it was reported that in addition to Reeves, McShane, Rose, Common, 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.[53]

References

  1. 1 2 "John Wick: Chapter 2". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved January 27, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "'Lego Batman' Hooks $54M+, 'Fifty Shades' Rachets Up $48M+, 'John Wick 2' Targets $29M+ – Saturday Update". Deadline Hollywood.
  3. 1 2 3 "John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
  4. ↑ "'John Wick Chapter 2' brings 'Neo Noir' | The Advocate Online". www.advocate-online.net. Retrieved 2018-05-04.
  5. ↑ "John Wick (2014)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved May 7, 2017.
  6. ↑ Alexander, Julia. "John Wick: Chapter 2 Takes Place Four Days After First Film, Features..." Polygon. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Colbert, Stephen M. "John Wick's Blood Oath Explained". SCREENRANT. Retrieved 17 February 2017.
  8. ↑ 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.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Jaafar, Ali (November 9, 2015). "'John Wick 2' Fills Out Cast, Old Favorites Return". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  10. 1 2 3 Kit, Borys (October 26, 2015). "Ian McShane Returns for Keanu Reeves' 'John Wick 2' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  11. 1 2 Kit, Borys (October 26, 2015). "Common to Play Villain in Keanu Reeves' 'John Wick 2' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  12. ↑ "'John Wick: Chapter 2 Movie Update: Keanu Reeves Talks About Laurence Fishburne's Role". 2017-01-08. Retrieved 2017-01-14.
  13. ↑ "Watch John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)". Retrieved March 17, 2017.
  14. ↑ "Keanu Reeves talks John Wicks 2". cosmicbooknews. Retrieved 25 August 2016.
  15. ↑ Han, Angie (October 8, 2016). "'John Wick: Chapter 2' Trailer: Keanu Reeves Is Back in Action". /Film. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  16. ↑ Anderton, Ethan (October 5, 2016). "'John Wick: Chapter 2' Teaser Arrives Before The Full Trailer Debuts At NYCC". /Film. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  17. ↑ Guerrasio, Jason (February 4, 2015). "'John Wick' Directors Are Already Working on a Sequel (Exclusive)". Movies.com. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  18. ↑ "John Wick Sequel Already In The Works". Final Reel. February 5, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  19. ↑ "Lionsgate Planning 'John Wick' Sequel". Variety. February 6, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2015.
  20. ↑ Interview with Aol.build for John Wick 2. .
  21. ↑ Fleming, Jr., Mike (May 4, 2015). "Lionsgate Selling 'John Wick' Sequel At Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 9, 2015.
  22. ↑ Lesnick, Silas (September 22, 2015). "John Wick 2 Filming Begins This Fall!". Coming Soon.
  23. ↑ Weintraub, Steven (September 24, 2015). "Exclusive: Chad Stahelski To Direct 'John Wick 2' Solo". Collider.
  24. ↑ Foutch, Haleigh (October 5, 2015). "Exclusive: 'John Wick 2′ Story Details Revealed". Collider.
  25. ↑ McNary, Dave (2015-12-18). "Laurence Fishburne Reunites With Keanu Reeves for 'John Wick 2' Cameo". Retrieved 2016-08-03.
  26. ↑ "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.
  27. ↑ "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.
  28. ↑ "Tyler Bates & Joel J. Richard to Return for 'John Wick: Chapter Two'". Film Music Reporter. April 11, 2016. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  29. ↑ "'John Wick: Chapter 2' Soundtrack Details". Film Music Reporter. January 26, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  30. ↑ "Jerry Cantrell Shares 'A Job To Do' From 'John Wick' Sequel". Billboard. February 9, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2018.
  31. ↑ Evry, Max (February 18, 2016). "John Wick: Chapter Two Gets a Release Date". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved February 18, 2016.
  32. ↑ "John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017) - Release Info". IMDb. Retrieved 2017-05-10.
  33. 1 2 "Another Holiday Weekend Where Holdovers Reign & New Studio Releases Tank: Presidents' Day B.O." Deadline Hollywood.
  34. ↑ 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.
  35. ↑ "Box Office: Can 'Lego Batman,' 'Fifty Shades Darker' And 'John Wick 2' Outperform Their Tracking?". Forbes.
  36. ↑ "John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved April 19, 2018.
  37. ↑ "John Wick: Chapter 2 Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved February 10, 2017.
  38. ↑ CinemaScore [@CinemaScore] (11 February 2017). "Congratulations @JohnWickMovie for your A- #cinemascore grade!" (Tweet). Retrieved April 10, 2017 – via Twitter.
  39. ↑ Tobias, Scott (February 8, 2017). "'John Wick: Chapter Two' Is A Skull-Shattering Sequel Determined To Outdo The Original". Uproxx. Retrieved February 8, 2017.
  40. ↑ Rougeau, Mike (8 February 2017). "John Wick: Chapter 2 Review". IGN. Retrieved 9 February 2017.
  41. ↑ 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.
  42. ↑ "The guns of John Wick 2", By David Maccar, February 10, 2017..
  43. ↑ Stephen M. Colbert, The World of John Wick Explained 02.13.2017.
  44. ↑ Vishnevetsky, Ignatiy (February 8, 2017). "Chapter 2 gives John Wick an irresistibly surreal follow-up". The A.V. Club. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  45. ↑ Hoffman, Jordan (February 10, 2017). "John Wick: Chapter 2 is a shameful example of Hollywood gun pornography". The Guardian. Retrieved September 16, 2018.
  46. ↑ Amazon.com: John Wick: Chapter 2 (DVD). Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  47. ↑ Amazon.com: John Wick: Chapter 2 (Blu-ray) . Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  48. ↑ Amazon.com: John Wick: Chapter 2 - 4K Ultra HD (Blu-ray + Digital HD). Retrieved August 8, 2017.
  49. ↑ 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.
  50. ↑ 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.
  51. ↑ "'John Wick: Chapter Three' Targets Early Summer 2019 Date". Deadline Hollywood. September 14, 2017. Retrieved September 14, 2017.
  52. ↑ Romano, Nick. "John Wick 3 brings back Chad Stahelski to direct". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 19 January 2018.
  53. ↑ Marc, Christopher (14 February 2018). "'John Wick: Chapter 3' Begins Filming In April, Slightly Earlier Than Expected". Omega Underground. Retrieved 14 April 2018.
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