JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3
John Wick is back for even more mayhem — and this time, he’s not horsing around
Skylarking and horseplay is frowned upon at Empire. But we’ll let Keanu Reeves off, not least because his involves an actual horse.
SO FAR, THE John Wick movies have given us all kinds of fu. Kung-fu. Gun-fu. Car-fu. Now, with the grandly titled sequel John Wick 3: Parabellum, Keanu Reeves and his director, Chad Stahelski, are introducing the latest, and possibly, greatest yet: horse-fu. “I thought it would be cool if John Wick escaped on a horse,” explains Reeves casually. “So we have John Wick riding on some horses. And fighting on some horses. So that’s fun.”
This image, and concept, doesn’t even scratch the surface of the madness that lies in store for the world’s greatest hitman this time around. For starters, this horse-bike interface is how the movie picks up, after Chapter 2 left off with Wick on the run, escaping a huge price on his head. Cue a checklist of mayhem that includes, according to Stahelski, “Horses, dogs, cats, a raven, a bunch of pigeons, a motorcycle chase, car chase, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Ian Mcshane, Lance Reddick, shotguns and ninjas.” It wouldn’t surprise us if Wick ended up fighting an assassin called The Kitchen Sink.
The first John Wick was a slick, sharp, visually stunning action movie that proved Reeves could still kick ass in his fifties. Chapter 2 expanded the mythology of its strange world, improved the action, and doubled down on its unique, hardcore tone. Stahelski, who directed both movies (the first with David Leitch), knows the expectations for the third chapter, but he’s in bullish mood. “[This film is] probably the craziest thing I’ve done in my career,” says the stuntman-turneddirector. “Same with Keanu. This is our ‘fuck you’ to everybody. We’re going to do a lot of everything, and better than everyone. I’m throwing down the gauntlet.” Saddle up.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 IS IN CINEMAS FROM 17 MAY 2019