#12: JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4

Starring Keanu Reeves, Donnie yen, Bill Skarsgard, Laurence Fishburne, Hiroyuki Sanada, Shamier Anderson, Lance Reddick, Rina Sawayama, Scott Adkins and Ian McShane. Written by Shay Hatten and Michael Finch and directed by Chad Stahelski. Budget $100 million. Running time 169 minutes.

In this never changing world of unrequested sequels comes this – the third and final sequel of the John Wick franchise, and the second franchise starring Keanu Reeves to reach a number #4 and it's a relief to report that this is vastly better than Matrix 4, although that's not exactly a high bar to beat.

So what is John Wick: Chapter Four about? Well, it's about one hour and forty nine minutes long. And it might help if you've watched the last three if you want to make sense of what's occurring? Although I can't imagine anyone going in to watch the fourth of something without having seen at least one of the first three.

The plot! Somehow still alive after being shot off the top of a hotel (see John Wick 3: Parabellum - oops sorry, spoiler alert) John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is back and off to a galloping start as he races across Morocco on a horse to confront the leader of the Table, that mysterious cabal of 12 unseen rulers of a secret society of assassins who seem to exist in a world where fantastically high body count acts of unbelievable violence are completely common place and no one bats an eye, even continuing to dance like banshees in nightclubs while men are literally hacked to death with axes in front of them, but I digress and I've only just started my synopsising of the film. God, if this is what happening after only five paragraphs, I dread to think what's in store for the rest!

It turns out that cos Wick's been excommunicated for his past antics (killing high ranking members of The High Table), he's now being hunted by someone called the Marquis Vincent de Gramont (Bill Skarsgard), a senior member of the High Table who has full power to do whatever he wants to make John Wick dead dead. And he's not messing about! No siree, within minutes of the film starting he's had the Continental Hotel blown up, he's excommunicated its manager Winston (Ian McShane) and killed its concierge just to prove he means business! Now he's going after anyone who's ever helped Wick since he was hoofed out the club. This puts Wick at his wit's end as he watches many friends getting killed for helping him. And things get ever worser when his bestest friend in the whole wide world, whom we've not only never meet before but haven't even heard about before, old blind buddy Caine (Donnie Yen) is press-ganged back into service to kill Wick, add to that a rising bounty and an ambitious young assassin with a dog who's waiting for Wick's bounty to rise to a high enough level before killing him and you have a overly packed film of exotic killers all vying to stake their claim on it. On the run, Wick is forced to find someone to sponsor him back into the business so that he can demand a duel with the Marquis and hopefully win back his freedom. Thankfully the Bowery King (Laurence Fishbone) is on hand to furnish Wick with new suits and guns whenever needed.

And that's it in a nutshell, seriously I doubt you go to see a John Wick film for it's Shakespearian plotting, no, you go for the unrelenting violence and bloodshed in a hyper stylised world of extreme opulence.

Directed by series director, Chad Stahelski the stunt co-ordinator and actor who once doubled for Keanu Reeves in The Matrix, this is a fantastically beautiful looking film, the relentless action is expertly choreographed and executed, and it's a delight to report that there's no hideous shaky cam editing or jump cuts, the action is shot almost locked down and in full shot and you see everything! It's also astonishing to see the cast doing so much of the action. There is one utterly superb sequence that sees the camera rise above the action and track Wick, top-down, through a building as he slaughters all the assassins inside, it's an inspired move and is deeply effective. And indeed the film is held up by three massively impressive action set pieces that take place in Tokyo, Berlin and Paris, boy that Wicky sure can move around the world with impunity when he wants to. And it's the astounding action sequels that make it all worth while, the fight up the stairs to the Sacre-Coeur is brilliant! Although the gun battle at the Arch De Truimph is just stupid. 

Sadly, however, despite all this good, the film does drag, its length doesn't help (Ooh-Eer, missus!) the relentless, lengthy shoot-outs with legions of nameless goons becomes repetitive and somewhat boring, although the choreography of each fight remains deeply impressive. The introduction of bullet proof coats pushes credulity to breaking point, and the weight of the film's own ridiculous mythology threatens to drown the whole thing. Also the kills gets very samey, Wick, or however, fires two or three bullets to the body then one or more to the head and repeat. Add to that the complete impunity in which these hordes of gun-totting assassins operate is breath-taking, despite leaving countless scores of corpses strewn across three continents and major cities, at no time do the authorities or the police ever intervene! But, luckily because there's a serious lack of blood and gore the film avoids an 18 certificate. 

And to think all this started because the son of a Russian gangster killed a retired assassin's dead wife's puppy and stole his car! Ah, simpler times.

Tom Cruise might be the King of the Sprint, but Keanu is the King of the Double-Tap! 

7/10

 

#11 RYE LANE

Starring David Jonsson, Vivian Oparah, Alice Hewkin, Munya Chawana, Simon Manyonda, Karrene Perter, Benjamin Sarpong-Broni, Poppy Allen-Quarmby and Malcolm Atobrah. Written by Nathan Bryon and Tom Melia, directed by Raine Allen-Miller. Running time 82 minutes.

What an utter delight and joy this was, what a simply charming, sweet-natured, and lovely little film directed by first time director Raine Allen-Miller.

The plot sees two young people, one newly jilted accountant Dom (David Jonsson) randomly meet up with costume designer Jas (Vivian Oparah) also recently dumped at an art gallery launch and follows them for an eventful and funny day in and around Brixton and Rye Lane. Filled with a veritable host of quirky background characters, a fantastic soundtrack and some very funny events and situations. 

There's also a very funny homage, uncredited cameo, pun – both visual and literary – all rolled into one, when our two leads stop off for a burrito bar for some lunch, which is worth the admission price alone.

A delightful rom-com, which feels vastly more grounded than the usual thanks to the pure chemistry of its leads and their backstories. Filmed with real vim and enthusiasm and utilising a strange fish-eye like lens this gives the film a real sense of energy and conveys an otherworldliness to proceedings. The ending is never in doubt and following the classic three-act structure sees our couple separated before the final act. 

That hardly matters, it's been a while since I've seen something so joyful, funny and just so British. Funded by the BBC, BFI and the Lotto. This was a wonderful little film and I thoroughly loved it. More please from everyone involved.

Whether you like it or not comes down to if you're a waver or not. And I'm definitely a waver.

9/10

#9 CREED III

 

Starring Michael B. Jordan, Tessa Thompson, Jonathan Majors and Phylicia Rashad. Written by Keenan Coogler and Zach Baylin. Directed by Michael B. Jordan. Budget $75 million. Running time 116 minutes. 

Third time around for the Adonis Creed, the son of Apollo Creed - the best friend of Rocky Balboa and major plot motivator for Rocky IV. This, the 9th film in a series first started by Sylvester Stallone back in 1976, marks the first time that Rocky does not appear in the film and he's only mentioned once in passing.

The plot sees Adonis 'Donnie' Creed (Michael B. Jordan) retire from professional boxing to concentrate on enjoying his fabulously fantastic family life with wife Bianca Taylor-Creed (Tess Thompson) and deaf daughter Amara, that is until a presence from his past resurfaces in the guise of Dame, a one-time promising young boxer and best friend of the young Donnie who's spent the last 18 years in prison and is eager for a shot at the title. 

Dame (Jonathan Majors) is so hungry for success he's not just got the eye of the tiger, he's got both its ears, its nose, damn he's got the whole kit(ty) and caboodle. 

So when the plot contrives to put the reigning champion in the ring with Dame it's inevitable that Dame emerges triumphant thanks to so truly brutal and underhand boxing tactics that forces Donnie to come out of retirement for one last fight and you have Creed III.

Michael B. Jordan directs this well, the fight scenes are good and brutal, and both Jordan and Majors devour the screen. Majors exudes so much raw talent that you can't take your eyes off him.

There to bring the much needed emotional baggage is Mary Anne Creed (Phylicia Rashad), Apollo Creed's wife and Donnie's mum, whose main role is to do a Burgess Meredith in the third act to provide the final punch of motivation Donnie needs to get into the ring again, thus triggering the obligatory training montage sequence before the main bout can take place.

If Creed II felt like a rehash of Rocky IV, then this by comparison feels like Rocky III, with Dame taking the James Clubber Lang role. Interestingly enough that idea was initially suggested as the plot of Creed II. 

Anyway, I loved the first Creed film, and enjoyed the second too. There's no great need for this bout, but while it was on it was a satisfying and entertaining enough, although I doubt I'll come back for a rematch. 

7/10 

#10: 65

Starring Adam Driver and Ariana Greenblatt. Written and directed by  Scott Beck and Bryan Woods. Produced by Sam Raimi. Budget $45-91 million dollars. Running time 93 minutes. 

So, 65 million years ago a space pilot called Mills is tasked with flying a two-year space expedition to take settlers to an unnamed planet when his space ship is hit by an asteroid and he crash lands on a mysterious blue green planet orbiting an ordinary looking yellow sun and he finds himself alone on a planet ruled by dinosaurs, a sort of Planet of the Dinosaurs if you will.

With his spaceship smashed in half, his cargo of human passengers scattered across the landscape and all dead, and with no hope of rescue, Mill's decides to end his life. However when a warning signal starts bleeping, Mills realises there's one more survivor, a young girl, and he sets out to save her. With the girl retrieved, Mills discovers Koa (Ariana Greenblatt) for that is her name, speaks no English and the pair set off on a 12 kilometre hike to the other half of the spaceship where an escape pod still works. Along the way they have the occasional run in with a series of terrible lizards, have to deal with quagmire of quicksand, a perilous spot of spelunking and an impending date with destiny and a fucking great big asteroid. 

Armed with only his fantastically powerful laser blaster and some alien tech, our hero, the grief-stricken pilot and his young charge set off for some mild shits and giggles romp offering nothing that exciting and certainly nothing original, which is a great shame. 

The idea of a pair of humanoids battling to survive on a planet of dinosaurs is a fantastic idea and if the film had had the budget to realise it properly then I think this would have been really exciting and action-packed adventure. As it is, it barely rises to the level of mild excitement, there are one or two action beats, but these are seriously hamstrung by a hero whose gun can kill with a single blast. Also, rather than a thousand different types of beasties we have four and one of those seems to have been made up, resembling more a long limbs humanoid like dinosaur creature with cunning intelligence who stalks our heroes relentlessly. 

The ending's never in doubt, the countdown with the impending asteroid is a hoot and overall this is mildly entertaining. 

Adam Driver, is great in everything he does and he has to do a lot in this carrying the film almost entirely on his shoulders. Making his costar unable to speak English was a big mistake and robs this film of having any meaningful connection, between cliched solitary words of English the girl has learned.   

The effects are passable, luckily the film makers opted for most action taking place off camera, or in the rain, at night time or in a cave complex. And that's it. 

The film is unintentionally funny and the first laugh occurred when the the main title revealed itself to also be the film's opening caption: 65 MILLION YEARS AGO.

Which is oddly enough also the score of the film, bar the odd million or so. 

6/10