John Wick: Chapter 2
John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. A sequel to the 2014 film John Wick , the plot follows hitman John Wick, who goes on the run after a bounty is placed on his head. 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.
Contents
Plot
Shortly after the events of John Wick , former assassin John Wick ( Keanu Reeves ) tracks down his stolen 1969 Boss 429 Mustang at a chop shop owned by Abram Tarasov ( Peter Stormare ), brother of Viggo and uncle of Iosef. John dispatches Tarasov's men in a violent fight that heavily damages his car. He then spares Tarasov under the auspices of "peace" and returns home.
After Aurelio ( John Leguizamo ) takes John's Mustang for repairs, John is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio ( Riccardo Scamarcio ). It is revealed that, years ago, to complete his "impossible task" - allowing him to retire and marry Helen - John asked D'Antonio for help. As a form of contract, D'Antonio swore John to a "Marker", an unbreakable promise symbolized by a "blood oath" medallion. [4] D'Antonio presents the medallion to demand services from John, but John refuses, claiming that he is "retired". In retaliation, D'Antonio destroys John's house with a grenade launcher.
Winston ( Ian McShane ), 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 killing on Continental ground, and Markers must be honored. John accepts his duty and meets with D'Antonio, who tasks him with assassinating his sister Gianna D'Antonio ( Claudia Gerini ) so he can claim her seat on the "High Table," a council of high-level crime lords. D'Antonio sends Ares ( Ruby Rose ), his personal bodyguard, to follow and keep an eye on John.
In Rome , John infiltrates Gianna's celebratory party and confronts her. Faced with certain death, Gianna chooses to commit suicide. While retreating, John is ambushed by D'Antonio's men, who intend to tie up "loose ends" by killing him. After killing most of them, John is pursued by Gianna's bodyguard Cassian ( Common ). Their brutal fight is halted when they crash into the reception area of the Rome Continental. As the two reluctantly share a drink, Cassian vows revenge for Gianna's death.
After John returns to New York City, D'Antonio opens a $7 million contract for John's death, leading to multiple attacks on him by other members of the secret society. Cassian confronts John once again at the subway. John wins the ensuing fight, but spares Cassian's life out of professional respect. Injured and desperate, John seeks help from the underground crime lord Bowery King ( Laurence Fishburne ), whose subordinates treat his injuries and guide him to D'Antonio's location. John kills D'Antonio's men, including Ares, but D'Antonio is able to escape to the Continental. D'Antonio makes it clear that he intends to seek indefinite refuge there, and John, despite Winston's warning, shoots and kills D'Antonio.
The next day, Winston tells John that, per the High Table, the contract on John has been doubled and offered globally. Thanks to Winston's influence, instead of being executed for killing on Continental ground, John is "excommunicado" and loses all access and privileges to underworld resources. Winston delays announcing John's excommunication by one hour to give him a head start, and provides him with a Marker for future use. Before leaving, John asks Winston to send a message that he will kill anyone who comes after him. John, suspicious of everyone, flees on foot with his dog.
Cast
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Keanu Reeves as Jonathan "John" Wick, an ex-hitman [5] [6]
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Riccardo Scamarcio as Santino D’Antonio, a powerful Italian crime lord who forces Wick to perform an assassination [7]
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Common as Cassian, Gianna’s chief bodyguard [8]
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Laurence Fishburne as The Bowery King, an underground crime lord [9]
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Ruby Rose as Ares, an assassin and Santino’s mute security enforcer [7]
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John Leguizamo as Aurelio, the owner of a high-end chop shop [7]
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Ian McShane as Winston, the manager of the Continental Hotel in New York [10]
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Bridget Moynahan as Helen Wick, John's deceased wife [7]
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Lance Reddick as Charon, the concierge at the Continental Hotel in New York [7]
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Thomas Sadoski as Jimmy, a police officer and friend of John's [7]
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David Patrick Kelly as Charlie, the cleaner [11]
- Peter Stormare [7] as Abram Tarasov, Viggo’s brother, Iosef’s uncle and a desk-bound Russian gangster.
- Franco Nero [12] as Julius, the manager of the Continental Hotel in Rome
- Peter Serafinowicz [13] as the Sommelier
- Claudia Gerini as Gianna D'Antonio, Santino’s sister
Production
Development
In February 2015, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch stated that a John Wick sequel had began development. [14] [15] The same month, CEO of Lionsgate , Jon Feltheimer , made an announcement during a conference call, stating "We see John Wick as a multiple-title action franchise". Additionally, it was reported that Kolstad would return to write the screenplay. [16] In May 2015, it was confirmed that a sequel was greenlit, and Lionsgate would be selling the film at the Cannes Film Festival .
Casting
It was announced that Keanu Reeves , Leitch, and Stahelski would return, with filming set to begin in late 2015. [5] [17] [18] [19] In October 2015, Common joined the film to play the head of security for a female crime lord, [8] 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. [7] In December 2015, it was announced that Laurence Fishburne would appear in a supporting role. [20]
Filming
Principal photography on the film began on October 26, 2015, in New York City . [21] At the end of first week, filming had taken place in Manhattan . [22] Filming moved to Italy next, [10] and later resumed in Montreal , Canada on October 27, 2016.
Music
In 2016, it was announced that Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard would return to write and compose the film's soundtrack.
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 . [23]
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 is one of the last major countries to receive the film on April 20. [24]
Box office
As of February 14, 2017, John Wick: Chapter 2 has grossed $42.2 million in the United States and Canada and $11.4 million in other territories for a worldwide gross of $53.6 million. [3]
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. [25] [26] 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]
Critical response
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , the film has an approval rating of 89% based on 161 reviews, and an average rating of 7.2/10. The site'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." [27] On Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating, the film has a score of 75 out of 100, based on 43 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". [28] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale. [29]
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." [30] 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. [31] Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called it "the real deal" and "pure cinema". [32]
Ignatiy Vishnevetsky of The A.V. Club complained that it "lacks the first film’s domino-effect momentum", though overall he reacted positively. In part, he praised the action scenes as "entertainingly surreal". [33]
Sequel
In October 2016, Stahelski stated that a third film is in the works. [34]
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wick:_Chapter_2
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I don't know how many members of this site are as big of fans of the original "John Wick" film as I am and have been eagerly awaiting it's sequel, but to hear that it is not only out, but that a third movie is in the works is incredible news! My wife loved the first film (as did I!), but she said it was too violent. What she failed to see was the incredible choreography of the fight scenes. The artistry! Reeves trained for the first film for more then a year with the LAPD SWAT Team and the Navy SEALS. He learned Brazilian jiu-jitsu and Korean jiu-jitsu, doing nothing else, no other films, for more then a year just to prepare for the first film. Watching the artistry of the fight sequences was like watching Fred Astaire dance.