Reeves, always a pleasing, wry, meditative presence on screen, gives increasingly impressive physical performances over the series with this installment particularly so however the emotional journey of the character started strong but has diminished to non-existence. The character motivation and dimension are what made the original unique and unfortunately that part of the story has been lost in the increasingly elaborate action sequences and borderline absurd world building. This installment introduces some interesting supporting characters- Mark Dacascos who plays at deliciously broad as Zero a killer and Wick superfan, Asia Kate Dillon as the reserved, polite, single-minded Adjudicator, Halle Berry as Sofia a former assassin friend of Wick's who has her own striking fight sequence accompanied by two attack dogs- among others. But no real time is spent with any of them, aside from John Wick trying to stay alive there is no real plot, no real weight to any of the action especially as the fight scenes get increasingly involved and graphic.
The production elements are impeccable- propulsive score, beautiful and inspired set design, elaborate and at times elegant and thrilling choreography- but there is no narrative to speak of. It could be summed up as John Wick fights and flees but gets no where. Character development is sacrificed for building out the underground-assassin world with debt markers, gold coins, high tables, and a camel-riding desert-bound monarch but those elements are sped through so quickly and are so underdeveloped they don't hold any particular weight. And the increasing stack of shells and bodies Wick leaves in his wake creates an increasing numbness rather than a thrill.
There is something intriguing and magnetic about Reeves as John Wick but the franchise seems to have misunderstood what that is. It's not the blood and the bullets, it's the grief and the rage.
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