John Wick: Chapters 1- 3
Directed by Chad Stahleski.
Starring Keanu Reeves, Michael Nyqvist, Alfie Allen, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Willem Dafoe, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, Lance Reddick, Peter Stormare, Franco Nero, Halle Berry, Mark Dacascos, and Asia Kate Dillon.
SYNOPSIS:
Lionsgate has gone back to the well with the John Wick Stash Book Collection, a set of SteelBooks for the first three Wick films, housed in a box meant to evoke the main character’s “stash book” from the third film. Each SteelBook contains a 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray platter; all the extras were ported over from past editions. There’s also a code to redeem digital copies of all three films.
I always try to meet movies where they are. I may not always enjoy them, but I try to see the merits in what the screenwriter(s) and director tried to accomplish. In the case of the first three John Wick films, the desire was clearly to make the most over-the-top action movies of all time.
Did director Chad Stahleski and screenwriter Derek Kolstad (with some writing help on the third one) succeed in what they set out to do? Yes, and if you’re a fan of stylish action films with basic plots, minimal character development, and tons of creative ways for people to die, then I imagine you’ve already seen this series, and this special Stash Book Collection is for you.
This new collection is housed in a box designed to look like an oversized book, specifically Wick’s killer “stash book” from the third film. Each of the first three films in the series (the fourth film is about to be released theatrically as I type this) is housed in a very nice SteelBook containing Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD discs. An included slip of paper contains a code to redeem digital copies of the films, along with their bonus features.
Personally, I hadn’t seen the films before now, and I came away feeling a bit underwhelmed by them. They’re well-made, of course, and boast a great cast that includes Keanu Reeves in the title role, Ian McShane, Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Willem Dafoe, John Leguizamo, and Anjelica Huston.
In the end, though, they felt more like video games than movies to me, with each film featuring multiple lengthy sequences in which Wick (sometimes accompanied by someone else) shoots his way through a parade of opponents. Each movie also seems to inflict even more damage on Wick than the last one, with the end of the third one hurting him so badly that he must be dead, right? No, since a sequel is on the way.
To be fair, yes, the movies look dazzling in 4K. Given their recent vintage, I assume very little work had to be done to present them in the best quality available in home video right now. They’re movies with muted, noir-ish color palettes, so there aren’t a lot of vibrant hues that will pop off the screen, but I don’t think I’m going out on a limb by assuming that the original theatrical experience has been well-preserved here.
The first film, simply titled John Wick, introduces the titular character as a man who has retired from the life of being an assassin but is haunted by the untimely death of his wife. When he receives a posthumous gift from her in the form of a puppy, he begins feeling happy again, but when a group of thugs break into his house to steal his car and kill his dog in the process, he goes on the warpath.
The thugs work for the Russian mafia, and one of them is the son of their leader, who knows all too well who John Wick is and what he’s capable of. Wick is unhappy about the theft of his car, but he’s furious about what happened to his beloved dog, and he goes on a rampage against those who wronged him. But can he go back to the retired life?
The extras for this film seem to have all been ported over from the previous 4K Ultra HD and Blu-ray editions, which is true for the two sequels too. A commentary track with director Chad Stahelski and producer David Leitch digs into the technical details of making the movie while a smattering of featurettes give a look at how the film came into existence and other topics. I’d imagine that once this series is done, someone will make a nice long documentary that covers the making of all the films.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
John Wick: Chapter 2 finds our hero trying to enjoy the retired life with a new dog that he saved from being euthanized. However, he’s visited by the brother of one of the High Table’s leaders, who reminds John of a blood oath he sweared a long time ago. He wants John to carry out a hit for him.
John tries to resist the assignment, but his former associate won’t take “No” for an answer, and soon he’s back in action, headed to Rome to fulfill his mission. The second movie reveals more about the High Table, but in the end, the action is mostly a repeat of the first installment. The movie concludes with John having broken one of the High Table’s most important rules and having a price put on his head.
This one has more than the first in the bonus features department, starting with a commentary that brings back Stahelski but pairs him with Reeves this time. The two engage in a scene-specific discussion that looks back at the making of the film and relates a lot of memories from the production, although there are some of the dreaded gaps of silence where neither of them can think of something to say.
There’s also a batch of deleted scenes along with a healthy batch of featurettes that have a longer combined running time than the ones for the first movie.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
John Wick: Chapter 3 — Parabellum opens literally moments after the second film ended, with our hero on the run from dozens of assassins who have been alerted to the $14 million price put on his head. You won’t be shocked to learn that he dispatches all of them, although passersby don’t seem to react to all the violence. I get that you don’t watch these films for their strict adherence to realism, but between that and what happens at the end, I found myself having a very hard time suspending my disbelief.
The ending sets up the fourth entry in the series, which will apparently set up a fifth (and final?) film. There are also some spin-offs in the works, including a TV series set at The Continental, which is essentially a High Table hotel chain in major cities. It’s where assassins can gather but are not allowed to try to kill each other; it’s kind of like “home base” when you played tag as a kid. In fact, the bottom step on the stairway out front is apparently a sanctuary too, as long as you have any part of your body touching it.
There’s no commentary track found here, but there is another solid batch of featurettes that take a pretty comprehensive look at the making of the film.
Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★ ★
Brad Cook
