I had missed the original John Wick (2014) until seeing it on DVD recently.  I was surprised how slick and entertaining it was, but then was not surprised to learn of an upcoming sequel (and yet another in the planning stages).  The role of an ultra-assassin seems like a good fit for reticent star Keanu Reeves; he’s like Clint Eastwood in his prime: intensely focused, saying little, incredibly lethal.

Chad Strahelski’s film (John Wick, Chapter 2) is much the same as its predecessor, and thus is not nearly as surprising or fresh.  It continues Wick’s destructive path through the underworld as certain criminals are stupid enough to collect the bounty that has been placed on his head.  The action is slick, stylized, ultra-violent and fierce; the trick is that it isn’t necessarily repellent.  Strahelski and his crew make every beating that Wick bears and every dynamic shootout from which he emerges choreographed and filmed with an eye toward suavity and grace.  It’s like a James Bond adventure on steroids, incredibly violent but kind of fun to watch.

The violence is amoral but the story’s conceits are not.  The “John Wick” world is like that of The Godfather, and, perhaps, GoodFellas.  There are rules and customs to be followed, and woe to the rogue who flaunts them.  The idea of Ian McShane’s hotel where villains converge but no action is all0wed is fascinating.  The assassins who populate this world are generally so polite and considerate (until the bullets start flying) that irony is inevitable, and much of the movie’s charm depends on how well it balances its prim propriety against its aggressive action.

Unlike the first film, I felt that this one went overboard in its aggression, particularly in the Rome sequence.  It’s impossible to believe that not one of these trained killers can take out Wick with a head shot, while he disposes of dozens of people that way.  It’s ridiculous to believe that his lethal skills are so advanced that he can survive when everyone is against him.  The movie simply pits too much against John Wick for him to reasonably function, much less survive.  But that’s what these movies do, and this one does it with more style and panache than its subject deserves.  The first one is better, but this one isn’t bad.  ☆ ☆ 1/2.  10 March 2017.