Ranking the Franchise - John Wick

I didn’t think I would like “John Wick” when I saw the trailer of the first film. Let alone would I expect to need a full trilogy. I ended up loving “John Wick” and the sequels as well. I rewatched them all over the weekend, so the perfect time to rank the three films in “John Wick” franchise.

3. John Wick (2014)
A good old-fashioned revenge film in which former assassin John Wick goes to war when a bunch of Russian gangsters steal his card and kill his dog. Just after her buried his wife. Stylishly choreographed action scenes are alternated with the necessary cynical humor. But what remains above all is the dreamy New York in which the film takes place: a universe like that of a graphic novel, with a hotel at the center where the entire clientele consists of professional criminals.

2. John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019)
The sequel to the critic’s remarkably well-received “John Wick: Chapter 2” and it means even more life and death battles for assassin John Wick. So even more stabbing, fist fighting and gun fighting. You’d think that it would get old, but director and former stuntman Chad Stahelski keeps up the pace, the battle original and provides occasional dry comedy for relief. And Keanu Reeves (who is in his fifties, whut?) continues to convince as the constantly hunted but indestructible Wick. In this case, bigger is better.

1. John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
A few days after the events in the first “John Wick” film, the title character wants to take it easy, but is then forced to travel to Rome to commit an assassination attempt on a mob leader. After which all hell breaks loose. Just like in the first film, the violence is exuberant and baroque, tightly choregraphed, with classical architecture in the background, beautifully lit catacombs and other photographic gems. Hardly ever is a sequel better then the original, let alone the second film in a trilogy being the best.