20 Reasons Why You Rock: John Wick 3: Parabellum

It didn’t take long for Keanu Reeves to prove he had what it took to be an action star with standout performances in 1991’s Point Break and then in 1994’s Speed.

In 1999, Keanu would star as Neo in The Matrix and after several sequels more than proved he could carry a franchise.

But for me it was 2014’s John Wick that cemented Keanu as an action star that deserved to be mentioned alongside some of the biggest names in action history. The success of John Wick snowballed into bigger and bigger sequels and from where I sit, each John Wick movie has been an instant action classic… you may even say all the John Wick movies have rocked.

After a rewatch last night I know I believe that John Wick 3: Parabellum rocked and here’s 20 reasons why…

#1. John Wick 3: Parabellum picks right up where John Wick: Chapter 2 left off. Our hero John Wick (Keanu Reeves) has been declared excommunicado after shooting Santino D’antonio on the sacred grounds of The Continental… if you’ll recall the manager of The Continental, Winston and his obvious soft spot for John Wick, gave John one hour to get as far away from The Continental as possible because when that hour is up… every assassin available is going to be looking to cash in on the $14 million dollar contract on John Wick’s head. This gives John Wick 3 an immediate sense of urgency and the pace is fast and furious from the jump.

#2. There is one assassin who decides he is not going to wait for John Wick’s hour to be up and this leads to the first fight in the movie as Wick battles Ernest in the New York Public Library. Ernest was played by professional basketball player Boban Marjanovic… and while his time on screen is short, Ernest was not and his hulking presence maximized its minutes.

#3. The violent fight scene at the antiques arms shop is one I will always remember watching John Wick 3 in the theater on opening night… the audience there was audibly reacting to the carnage and the sheer amount of dead bodies that Wick racks up in that one scene.

#4. Leave it to John Wick to not only use a horse as a means of escape, but also as a weapon!

#5. When things finally slow down we get a glimpse into John Wick’s past (or should I say Jardani Jovonovich’s past) as John makes his way to the see The Director (Anjelica Huston), who reluctantly helps get John passage to Casablanca.

#6. I am not sure I instantly hated a character in the entire history of the John Wick franchise as much as I did Asia Kate Dillon’s The Adjudicator. It is probably because she went after John Wick’s allies, Winston (Ian McShane) and Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne) so hard. Representing the all powerful High Table, The Adjudicator gives Winston and the Bowery King one week to leave their posts at The Continental and in the Bowery respectively due to the parts they played in John Wick’s murder of Santino D’antonio. In a movie filled with not so good people, you have to be a special kind o evil to stand out the way The Adjudicator did.

#7. If the John Wick movies did not already have the distinction of being the ultimate action movies for dog lovers, the introduction of Halle Berry’s Sofia Al-Azwar and her two Belgian Shepherds pretty much cemented that fact.

#8. The Adjudicator calls upon an avenging angel to assist her in punishing the friends of John Wick in the form of Zero played by Mark Dacascos. As a huge fan of Mark Dacascos for years, I was thrilled when I learned he was going to have a chance to be a part of such a high profile project like John Wick 3 and while I may be extremely biased, he turned out to be my favorite John Wick villain to date. Dacascos delivered a quirky and at times creepy performance as a man who equally admired and wanted to eliminate John Wick.

#9. I mentioned Sofia’s two Belgian Shepherds and they get in on the action when things go sideways when John and Sofia visit Sofia’s former boss Berrada (Jerome Flynn) as John is desperate to get a meeting with The Elder who presides over The High Table and he believes Berrada can help… John was half right as Berrada does help, but when he wants something in return all hell breaks loose and it is who let the dogs out time and Berrada’s groin takes the first bit of damage!

#10. If you ever wanted to see Halle Berry give Keanu Reeves a bottle containing backwash, then John Wick 3: Parabellum is the movie for you. The two have a complicated relationship to say the least.

#11. My favorite quote from the movie had to be when Bowery King tells The Adjudicator “I guess it’s time I told you to climb down off your High Table and go fuck yourself.”

#12. Things take an unexpected twist when John Wick gets to speak to The Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui) and is given an unpleasant ultimatum… John can save his own life, the excommunicado on him can be lifted and the contract on his life cancelled IF John once again vows to murder for The High Table starting with Winston… ohhh and he also has to cut off one of his fingers to prove his loyalty to The Elder. An unpleasant scene, but highly memorable for sure.

#13. Four Words: Motorcycle Chase Featuring Swords

#14. Aside from John Wick, my favorite character in the franchise is Ian McShane’s Winston. Winston is as sophisticated of a badass as I have ever seen and McShane’s performance is absolutely delightful and he really has a chance to shine in John Wick 3. He has back to back scenes that are top notch… first Winston’s meeting with the returning John Wick… a John Wick he knows is there to kill him. Then telling The Adjudicator he is refusing to leave his post at The Continental which sees The Continental deconsecrated and that means the shit is about to hit the fan… Winston also gets to say the line, “Si vis pacem, para bellum”…

#15. …And thanks to the stylized subtitles (a small detail I love about the John Wick movies) I know that means “If You Want Peace, Prepare for War”. A great line and a great tag line.

#16. Does anybody else think Charon (Lance Reddick) deserves the Employee of the Month award? Charon steps up in a major way in both assisting John Wick for the upcoming battle and fighting alongside him to serve The Continental with pride.

#17. The Continental’s forces vs. The High Table’s army is a bullet riddled action orgasm!

#18. I love everything about the final fight between John Wick and Zero… They tease a clash between the two at the train station earlier in the movie and Zero does his best to get to John Wick before he narrowly makes it to the then sacred ground of The Continental… So by the time the two meet in The Continental’s Administrative Lounge I was super amped and as an aside, the Administrative Lounge is one of the most beautiful sets I have ever seen in an action movie with its all glass, quasi-futuristic look it is a unique backdrop for the fight I had been waiting for and a fight that did not disappoint.

#19. The movie ends with the perfect set up for the next chapter in the John Wick saga that will no doubt see the war between The Continental and The High Table continue. I am counting down the days to John Wick: Chapter 4 (and its star studded cast) hitting theaters on March 24, 2023.

#20. Last but not least, I have to give Director Chad Stahelski his due. The man knows action and he knows how to film action. Along with stellar casts headlined by Keanu Reeves and the amazing 87Eleven team… Stahelski has really created something special for action fans with the John Wick franchise.