I never get tired about talking about how much I love John Wick, and thankfully there's a new pair of promo videos to give me an excuse to do just that. Keanu Reeves' ultimate gun-slinging badass returns in John Wick: Chapter 2 next month, and everything we've seen so far teases the best kind of action sequel -- one that's bigger, richer, and respects the world the first film built. John Wick is a rare treat in that it's an action film treated with the kind of world-building usually reserved for fantasy and sci-fi, so it will be fun to see what returning director Chad Stahelski does with that world and its deadly inhabitants now that Wick is going international.
The wait is almost over, but for now we've got two new videos to tide us over until then. First up is a clip, showcasing where Wick's sartorial skill meets his tactical brilliance. Leave it to John Wick to make a tailoring session badass. Lionsgate has also released a behind-the-scenes featurette showcasing Reeve's stunt training for the film, which is extensive, and as you might imagine, gun heavy. The video breaks down the recipe for what Stahelski calls "Gun Fu" -- a combination of Japanese jiu jitsu, Brazillian jiu jitsu, 3-gun, and standing judo. And Reeves sells it all. Sure, we all love to revel in Wick's inhuman badassery, but it's easy to forget how impressive Reeves is in the role. The movie, the strength of it's style, and the bananas action sequences don't work without an actor who can pull off in-camera stunts that are utterly convincing. Check it out in the videos below.
John Wick 2 also stars John Leguizamo, Lance Reddick, Bridget Moynahan, Ian McShane, Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, Common, Peter Stormare, and Riccardo Scamarcio. The film arrives in U.S. theaters February 10, 2017, and it can't get here soon enough. Here's the official John Wick: Chapter 2 Synopsis:
In this next chapter following the 2014 hit, legendary hitman John Wick [Keanu Reeves] is forced back out of retirement by a former associate plotting to seize control of a shadowy international assassins’ guild. Bound by a blood oath to help him, John travels to Rome where he squares off against some of the world’s deadliest killers.
