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Keanu Reeves

SF Radio 9.19: Reading into JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4

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The legend of John Wick has grown with each chapter of his story. Though, while he may be beloved for his crazy gun-fu choreography, there’s something about the Broken Babayaga that resonates on a deeper level. This week, David Peck (Face2Face Live) and Adam Kline (Behind the Screens) return to talk about why we love Wick, the celebration of mystery and life’s purpose in the Wick-verse.

You can stream on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify, iHeart Radio or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can downoad the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ?Fishing for More? ? some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

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John Wick: Chapter 4 – Pageantry and Pistols

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On the surface, the John Wick franchise feels like a throwback. 

Back in the heyday of action films, the hero was [usually] a man with nothing to lose who creates his own brand of justice. Just like Wick, this genre often included increasingly creative violence (and phallic-sized weaponry) designed to decimate anyone who stands in his way. Standing up against ‘the forces of evil’, these men were usually the ones who were most cold and brutal.

After all, they were only ‘doing what had to be done.’

But, despite its graphic violence, there’s something different about the world of Wick. There’s a sensitivity about this broken Boogeyman that would make Schwarzenegger and Stallone’s films blush. While he may be a cold-blooded killer, there’s a warm heart that beats underneath. Somehow, Wick’s emotional journey feels almost relatable as he yearns for inner peace and freedom. 

Chad Stahelski – Director and Bill Skarsgård as Marquis in John Wick: Chapter 4. Photo Credit: Murray Close

Even though he won’t hesitate to kill a man with a pencil, a book or even a horse, the Wick franchise has become a celebration of dance, rather than the violence itself. In previous entries, Stahelski has made references to the physical comedy of Modern Times and the elegance of ballet. To him, action scenes are an art form and he and Reeves are at their creative height. Reeves’ insistence on pushing the boundaries of choreography has created a unique style to this franchise that is almost awe-inspiring. From samurai films to westerns, the Wick films have been influenced by some of the great action styles of cinematic history, giving them an elegance to their physical movement that few other franchises have been able to capture.

And certainly, all of these things apply in Chapter 4, a film that is bigger, bolder and (maybe) even better than its previous entries. In the latest entry, Wick embarks upon his path to get revenge against the High Table in an effort to earn his freedom. However, the hunter has also become the hunted as the Table has hired an old friend of equal skill to stop John before he can achieve his goal.

With Chapter 4, Reeves truly takes the action to the next level. As the film progresses, each battle grows in scale and difficulty. Part of the effectiveness of the film stems from the inclusion of franchise newcomer Donnie Yen. Throughout his career, Yen has set himself apart as one of this generations’ great action stars. From the IP Man franchise to Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Yen’s speed and precision makes him one of the best martial artists in modern filmmaking and those skills are fully on display here. (In fact, there are moments where Yen’s skills actually make Reeves look slow by comparison.) 

Donnie Yen as Caine in John Wick: Chapter 4. Photo Credit: Murray Close

What’s more, the inclusion of Shamier Anderson as Nobody (and, of course, his ‘puppy’) also becomes a fun add-on to the cast. While he may show more brute force then ballet, Anderson’s involvement creates a fascinating trifecta of styles as the three men face-off against one another. With these new additions, set pieces somehow feel even more elaborate and impressive than in previous entries. Battles in the Osaka Continental, a pulse-pounding German party, and, most impressively, the Arc de Triomphe are a treat for the senses as they make brutality seem beautiful. 

As is often true for this series, Chapter 4 reminds us that John continues to be haunted by ghosts from his past. Somewhat surprisingly though, Wick’s journey here is as much about family as it is about mayhem. Wick has always defined himself by his relationships, especially that of his wife. In fact, one of the things that make makes John so endearing is that, while others wish to identify him as Babayaga, he views himself as a ‘loving husband’. His identity lies outside the world of assassins, even though it continues to drag him back in. John may be an expert killer, yet he has become lost. Every bullet fired and punch thrown is merely an echo of a heart that aches to be free. 

Amidst the wildness of the world around him, John’s soul yearns for peace. 

Keanu Reeves as John Wick in John Wick: Chapter 4. Photo Credit: Murray Close

Without giving any spoilers, Chapter 4 may dwell more within Wick’s soul than previous films. (And that’s saying a lot.) With the High Table firmly in his sights, Wick’s motivation begins with revenge but becomes a search for solace. But can John truly exist without the thrill of the kill? Chapter 4 delves deeply within his manner of purpose and whether or not his life still matters when it’s time to put down his weapon of choice.

With pageantry and pistols, John Wick: Chapter 4 is a bombastic blast that elevates the series to new heights. But, as always, the reason this franchise hits the target is the man himself and his quest for inner peace. 

John Wick: Chapter 4 is available in theatres on Friday, March 24th, 2023.

SF Radio 8.14 Re-Entering THE MATRIX RESURRECTIONS

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Why use old code to make something new? After nearly 20 years, The Matrix Resurrections re-enters the digital world to explore the tension between man and machine. But something has changed. Whether its Neo?s struggle to break free or the role of Trinity, Resurrections shows that it can be hard to update a franchise so embedded in its time and place. This week, film analyst Chris Utley and YouTuber Steve Mah return to talk about how the changes in technology changes the world?s philosophy and whether our culture clings to truth or feelings.

You can watch the episode on YouTube and stream on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify, iHeart Radio or Amazon Podcasts! Or, you can downoad the ep on Apple Podcasts!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ?Fishing for More? ? some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

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The Matrix Resurrections: Rebooting the Old Code (MINOR SPOILERS)

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“Why use old code to make something new?”

Asked in the opening scene of?The Matrix Resurrections, there’s little doubt that this question is meant as a meta-look at the franchise. And it’s a fair question. After 18 years,?The Matrix?films have long lay dormant in pop culture. So why bother revisiting the ?old code???

The answer is simple: Redemption.

Resurrections is an apt title for a film seeking to bring life to a franchise that has been dead for almost 20 years. After sequels failed to live up to expectations, the Matrix franchise has been a series long overdue for a proper follow-up. Filled with nostalgia, action and the franchise?s trademark innovative special effects, Resurrections is a return to form for the Wachowskis? legacy. While it may not reach the heights of the original film, it is easily the most entertaining of the sequels and serves as a solid refresh for the series.

In The Matrix Resurrections, Thomas Anderson (Keanu Reeves) is man who feels like his life is somewhat stable. The founder of a lucrative video game company, Anderson has achieved success yet still struggles with his mental health. Meeting regularly with his therapist, Anderson is working hard to process his repeated nightmares and flashbacks that plague him. However, when a visitor from his past appears, Anderson must once again decide whether or not to follow the white rabbit into the digital construct of the Matrix and rediscover his persona as the ever-powerful Neo.

Unlike other recent cinematic revivals, Resurrections doesn?t ?ignore? the events that happened in lesser films but chooses to build upon them. Old characters and new faces (and some old characters with new faces) help bring the reboot the world without betraying what came before. Anchored by fun performances by Reeves and Moss, the film?s cast seem genuinely engaged with the new direction and show that they still have the necessary chemistry to keep the franchise moving forward. Often stealing the film though is newcomer Neil Patrick Harris who proves to be an incredibly welcome addition to the cast. Although he?s not exactly an action star, Harris is an absolute joy to watch as the mysterious Analyst who twists Neo?s mind with his boyish but maniacal grin.

There?s little question that Resurrections is acutely self-aware of the assignment at hand: help the audience to feel the chills they once did without becoming slavish to the nostalgia. While it sounds simple, this is a very delicate line to walk. Other franchises have attempted to do so yet have been less successful. The Force Awakens essentially rewrote the entire first Star Wars film in order to please the fans. Indiana Jones, Jurassic World, Ghostbusters and more have all attempted to revive stale properties by leaning into the past. (Even the latest Spider-Man film earns much of its marks based on the nostalgic use of its older characters.) 

Certainly, Resurrections leans heavily into its history, however it does so in a very different manner than the aforementioned properties. Whereas some of these other reboots try to hide their similarities to the original, Resurrections fully leans into the moments that are intentionally retreaded. Using film clips as memories and engaging meta-conversations about the importance of the Matrix itself, Wachowski uses the film?s legacy as a launch point for its latest chapter. (After all, Morpheus states, ?what brings more comfort than a little nostalgia??) Conversations about fate, duality and purpose fit very neatly into the franchise?s vernacular. Action sequences recognize the need to update the famed ?bullet time? style which left its cultural mark. To her credit, Wachowski knows that the fans have certain expectations and she?s more than willing to offer them yet still manages to remain self-aware.

At the same time though, Resurrections also takes the franchise in a new direction. In every aspect of the film, the rules have been changed. For example, while the machine world still remains a threat, the lines of that threat have been blurred. Rather than fighting for human survival, this generation?s war has more to do with individual freedom than it does about freedom from one particular entity. Despite the war that raged in the original trilogy, this film never spits in the face of technology but suggests that there?s a necessary relationship between the two forces so long as both sides feel validated. Whereas once this was a battle between man and machine, Resurrections is much more about man versus control. 

However, the greatest change lies in the story?s use of Neo himself. Once fueled by learning what?s ?real?, Neo has found a certain complacency within the Matrix that makes it more difficult for him to leave. He is comfortable in his new life and (almost) appears to care little about such things. Although he absolutely still asks bigger questions, he is more willing to accept his dream world as truth because it feels authentic.

In Resurrections, truth has been replaced by feelings.

When he finally does ?take the red pill?, the true terror of the Matrix is being separated from the one he loves. Community and relationships have become the most valuable commodity in a world of digital separation. As a result, instead of ?being the One?, Neo appears more interested in ?saving one?. In doing so, Wachowski refocuses the film?s understanding of hope away from one man sacrificing himself for the world. Instead, Resurrections is about finding hope in rebuilding the world together. 

Although there will undoubtedly be those who won?t be interested in revisiting this version of the?Matrix,?Resurrections?remains a welcome return for the franchise. Featuring the series? trademark wild special effects and action, Wachowski has managed to reboot the old code into something new that?s still enjoyable and engaging. However, most amazingly, she also has created a film that feels like a necessary next chapter of our relationship to our evolving digital world.?

So, pass the red pill. I?m ready to go back to The Matrix.

The Matrix: Resurrections?landed in theatres on Wednesday, December 22nd, 2021.

Bill and Ted Face the Music: Part of the Tapestry

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“We may be old, but we still know how to use a phone book!”

In 1989, theatergoers were treated to a goofy yet fun film called Bill and Ted?s Excellent Adventure. It involved a pair of high school students (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves, whose vocabulary mainly consisted of ?whoa, ?dude,? and ?totally?) who tried to save their grade in history by bringing major characters from history into class via time machine disguised as a phone booth. The sequel, Bill and Ted?s Bogus Journey, wasn?t as well received by audiences, but still kept the quirkiness as Bill and Ted adding bass guitar-playing Death to their band and married a pair of 14th century princesses as they worked on a song to unite humanity.

Thankfully, the phone booth has arrived in the form of Bill and Ted Face the Music! It?s just as fun and madcap as the two previous movies yet adds even more craziness to the fray.  Despite a number of issues, it manages to succeed because, at its heart, the story always comes back to Bill and Ted.

In this third installment, we get to see Bill Preston (Winter) and Ted Logan (Reeves) still in search of that perfect song for their band, Wyld Stallyns. Unfortunately, time has worn on and the boys have been reduced from being part of a worldwide TV spectacular to performing at weddings using trumpets, steel pan drums, bagpipes, and a theremin.  They are still married to the princesses but have a frightening inability of using the word ?I? to declare their love to their wives, using ?we? instead.  They also have grown daughters named Billie (Brigette Lundy-Paine) and Thea (Samantha Weaving) who are in search of the perfect musical collection and have an almost encyclopedic knowledge of bands, right down to key changes in songs. They spend the first portion of the film listening to music and eating Cheetos (more on that later).

When an egg-shaped item appears in their San Dimas cul-de-sac and Kelly (Kristen Schaal) appears, we learn that something bad is about to happen. Called ‘the Great Unraveling’, it was set in motion by Bill and Ted?s history project of 1989; famous characters are shifting positions in time and if not fixed, the world will end.  They have to simply create that song?and they only have a few hours to do it!  No pressure. They?re given a stern reprimand by the Great Leader (Holland Taylor), who thinks they can?t do it and later sends an android to kill them.

Bill and Ted then begin a spiral into a time travel sequence that is dizzying in its scope as they discover their future, what they can do about it, and themselves. Their kids see the issue and recreate, to some extent, their fathers? original journey, this time grabbing famous musicians to create a band for Bill and Ted to play behind. A fun scene is watching Jimi Hendrix getting in the mind of a famous composer. Before this film is over, they?ll travel thousands of years, have a brush with Death (who cheats at hopscotch), and stand alongside their fathers for a final stand.

Billie, Thea, and . . . Cudi?

Some of the Bill and Ted purists might be upset that they had daughters instead of boys (as was alluded to in the last film), but Reeves and Winter use ?Little Bill? and ?Little Ted? to refer to Billie and Thea, so that?s not too much of an issue.? For me, the bigger issue involves some rather obvious and obnoxious product placement?see if you can count the major brands represented! In addition, there?s some serious deus ex machina going on to tidy the film at the end, which makes the ending feel unearned. But perhaps that doesn?t matter in the end . . .

One line from the film that stuck with me involved a pocketwatch Bill and Ted are given by Kelly.? It belonged to her late father Rufus (George Carlin, who director Dean Parisot honors with a nice holographic cameo) and when opened, contained this quote: ?Sometimes things don?t make sense until the end of the story.?? There are many days where I would just like to see?even for an instant?the effect of my life years from now. ?What did this action do?? How did that 20 second conversation with someone make an impact in their life?? What we see in reality is the back of a needlepoint project ? there are lots of colors and string, but there seems to be no real rhyme or reason to any of it. That?s where God enters the picture.? He?s got it all figured out–even in the middle of a global pandemic or those days when we?re struggling to make it through the next hour–and we will one day see the tapestry flip over to reveal why things happened the way they did.? (As a Christian, I can’t help but be reminded of Paul, who put it this way: ?I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us? [Romans 8:18].)

Is Bill and Ted Face the Music going to win any Academy Awards?? Nope. ?

Is it going to provide viewers a ninety-minute break from a world ravaged by a pandemic, besieged with protests, and deteriorating before our very eyes? It very well might!

Bill and Ted Face the Music is available in theatres and on PVOD now.

Comfort Films #6 – A Walk in the [STEEL MAGNOLIAS]

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When times are tough, what stories do you turn to? Our new series, Comfort Films, is designed to look at the stories that are important to us and why they help bring us up with everything feels down. This week, Amanda Jane Smith and Miriam Ibrahim return to chat about the catharsis and nostalgia in Steel Magnolias, the simple romance of A Walk in the Clouds and undeniable charm of My Date with Drew.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Toy Story 4 – Old Friends, but…

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After nine years, the beloved Disney-Pixar Toy Story franchise continues in Toy Story 4. It brings back the characters that we have enjoyed and even loved in the previous films. For that reason alone, I?m sure that many people will be enthralled with the newest part of the story and love this film as much as the previous three. And everyone I have heard talk about the film has had glowing opinions. But for me the glow is a bit dimmer. Encountering Woody and Buzz (and some new characters) is enjoyable, but for me the film doesn?t reach the same heights as the other Toy Story films.

When the story left off nine years ago, Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz (Tim Allen), and the rest of Andy?s toys had been taken to Bonnie (Madeleine McGraw). (Nine years hasn?t passed in the Toy Story universe, but there is a prologue of something in that universe nine years ago). Things are different for Woody. Bonnie doesn?t play with him as much as the other toys. She even takes his sheriff?s badge and pins it on Jessie (Joan Cussack). But Woody is determined to keep Bonnie happy. When she is apprehensive about a kindergarten orientation, Woody sneaks into her backpack in case she needs him.

?2019 Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

When Bonnie ends up at a table alone with nothing to do, Woody gets things out of a trash can that the inventive little girl uses to craft a toy out of a spork, marker, pipe cleaner, and glue-on eyes. Thus, Forky (Tony Hale) is born. But Forky can?t grasp being a toy. He assumes he is trash, having been used already. As he keeps trying to get back into the trash can, Woody tries to educate him about the purpose of being a toy.

When Bonnie and her parents set off on a road trip, Forky tries one more time to escape being a toy by jumping out of the moving RV. Woody follows and as they work their way back to Bonnie (who is distraught at not finding Forky), the adventures begin.

?2019 Disney?Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

On the way through town Woody sees a lamp in the Second Chance Antique store window that reminds him of his friend Bo Peep who was in Andy?s sister?s room. Sneaking into the shop, Woody and Forky encounter other toys, but the toys in the shop are ruled by Gabby Gabby (Christina Hendricks) and her band of ventriloquist dummy henchmen. Like Woody, Gabby understands the role a toy can play in a child?s life, but she has never had that because her voice box was defective. So she has been on a shelf for 60 years, hoping for a chance. In Woody, she believes stealing his voice box will give her that chance.

As the adventure plays out, Woody is reunited with Bo Peep (Annie Potts) who is running a gang of lost toys, but for them that status has brought a sense of freedom, not the fear that Woody has always understood that to mean. Bo Peep and the others help to bring all the trials and dangers to an emotional ending.

?2019 Dinsey/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

And that ending will be satisfying for most viewers. But for me, it came up short. My first reaction was that this film stripped part of the humanity away from the characters. The value of the past films was not that we were watching toys, but that we sensed that we were watching ourselves. Woody has to deal with jealousy, with loss, with a midlife crisis. Buzz is constantly dealing with his hubris. This time around, there’s much more problem solving than personal growth–even though the story has ample opportunity to deal with personal issues. For example, Woody is reaching something akin to retirement. What is his role going to be if he?s not played with? Because he has spent his life doing the job he was built for, he must feel a bit of being lost at the prospect of being put out to pasture.

The film also raises an issue about disabilities that doesn?t quite fulfill its promise. Gabby Gabby was made with a defect. That defect has relegated her to a world without love. Her story line has a happy ending, but only after her disability is fixed. Another character, Duke Caboom (Keanu Reeves), a posable action figure of Canada?s greatest stunt rider, was discarded when he couldn?t do the jumps that were in commercials. Are people?s value dependent upon their abilities or could these toys (and people like them) have been loved for other qualities they have? I wonder how someone born with a disability or deformity would find themselves in this story. Are they lovable only after being fixed?

?2019 Dinsey/Pixar. All Rights Reserved.

This is a story that had the possibilities of greatness that the other Toy Story films reached. I don?t think my problem is that I?ve outgrown my love for these toys, or that I?ve moved on to flashier toys. But I think this time around they just aren?t quite the same friends that I found in the past.

5.17 Lighting Up JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3

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Keanu Reeves stars as ‘John Wick’ in JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 3 – PARABELLUM.

John Wick Chapter 3: Parabellum reintroduces us to the fatally flawed titular hero who has been thrust out into the night due to his actions in the previous film. Desperate to find any form of shelter, he finds himself without allies as he attempts to escape with his life from the cutthroat streets of New York City. As always, Keanu Reeves? franchise delivers unbelievable stuntwork and ?gun fu? but also wrestles with the dark night of his soul. This week on the show, authors Troy Kinney and Jason Norton return to grapple with Wick?s choices and why we love him so much.

You can also stream the episode above on podomatic, Alexa (via Stitcher), Spotify or Soundcloud! Or, you can download the ep on Apple Podcasts or Google Play!

Want to continue to conversation at home?  Click the link below to download ?Fishing for More? ? some small group questions for you to bring to those in your area.

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Thanks Troy and Jason for joining us!

Destination Wedding: New One Sheet Released!

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Destination Wedding reunites two of Hollywood’s most adored stars, Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder, as the socially awkward Frank and Lindsay. When they?meet on their way to a destination wedding, they soon discover they have a lot in common: they both hate the bride, the groom, the wedding, themselves, and most especially each other. As the weekend’s events continually force them together – and their cheerlessness immediately isolates them from the other guests – Frank and Lindsay find that if you verbally spar with someone long enough, anything can happen. When debate gives way to desire they must decide which is stronger: their hearts or their common sense.

With the release of their new one-sheet,?Destination Wedding?begins to officially ramp up their promotion of the film in anticipation of their late August release.?Here, the art wisely focuses its attention on the connection (or tension) between its two stars, Keanu Reeves and Winona Ryder. There’s a playful space between the iconic actors as the two leads share eye contact yet, at the same time, we see the distance between them in the form of the wine country.

Featured between them, the film’s tag line ‘check your baggage’ draws attention to their journey and potential issues along the way. More importantly, however, the phrase offers indication that their relationship brings their personal histories as well. Often, as we build relationships with others (romantic or otherwise), we fall prey to the damage that we have experienced in the past in ways that prevent us from connecting with others in the future.

In other words, it is our hurt keeps us divided.

The manner in which we deal with our past, whether through forgiveness of others or ourselves, often is a predictor of what we allow ourselves to experience moving forward. In this brief example, Reeves and Ryder have an undeniable connection–but will they be able to overcome their histories?

 

Destination Wedding will be released on August 31st, 2018.

John Wick: Chapter 2 – The Soul of the Soldier

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NOTE:? The following article contains major?spoilers for John Wick: Chapter 2.

John Wick: Chapter 2 continues the story of ?retired? hitman, John Wick (Keanu Reeves).? Set a mere two weeks after the events of first film, Wick has successfully finished his manic vengeance and settles in at home for his new life? for about 10 minutes.? Soon after, he is met by Santino D?Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio), a former associate who reminds him of an old debt that needs to be repaid.? Despite his protests, Wick is forced back to work to fulfill his obligation?after all, there are rules to be followed?and he finds himself in the middle of a global turf war.

In the most surprising mash-up of the year, John Wick: Chapter 2 opens with a clip of Buster Keaton projected on a nearby wall as the action takes place below.? The immediate imagery is clear:? This is a film that will emphasize the visuals and physical performances.? In essence, this means that, like Keaton, Reeves?s character will show you through the story with his actions, as opposed to his words.? By utilizing a unique style of violence that some have dubbed ?gun-fu?, the appeal of the Wick films seems to lie with its almost dance-like action sequences, combining the use of martial arts and firearms. ?Whereas the majority of actioners now make use of the infamous ?shaky-cam? style of filmmaking (I blame you, Paul Greengrass), the Wick series follows the violent acts in ways that develops genuine intensity.? Although extremely violent, it remains both visceral and stunning visually.

Still, there is far more to the film than choreography and headshots.? Whereas the first film follows Wick?s grief-filled heart, Chapter 2 focuses entirely on his soul.? As the film builds to its climax, he seems to straddle two different worlds.? With the final battle taking place in an art gallery featuring an exhibit entitled ?Reflections on the Soul?, John Wick has no time to do so. By literally making his descent into the underworld that he is caught between heaven?s gates and hell?s flames.? Through the director?s ingenious choice to place the final battle in a hall of mirrors, we see that Wick is actually two men ? one seeking redemption and the other forever damned.? (Admittedly, this reflective setting is hardly new to the action genre, but the subtext keeps the moment fresh.)

What?s more, in John Wick: Chapter 2, justice is swift and vengeful. ?In an ?eye for an eye? world, Wick is reminded that he is ?still Old Testament?. ?We see this evidenced in the penultimate moment of the film where, in a scene reminiscent of Genesis 4, John literally kills his ?blood brother? in the Continental?s dining hall.? However, in doing so, he also breaks one of the key rules of his profession and thus, destroys the only place of Edenic shalom that he has enjoyed.? As a result, such an act causes him to be thrown out into the night.? Yet, even so, the Continental?s benevolent and ever-present manager, Winston (Ian McShane), continues to care for him.? In a moment reminiscent of Cain?s exchange with God after the murder of Abel, Winston informs John that the only reason he remains alive is ?because he wills it?.? (What?s more, to deepen the comparison with this moment, Winston even hands John a marker as he departs.) As the film closes, he is cast out into the night with nowhere to wander.? Through Winston?s act of grace, he takes on a God-like persona as he watches over Wick, yet because of his actions, there must be consequences.? John is a man who has sinned against Winston and, although there remains the desire to forgive, Winston cannot erase the actions that have already taken place. As a result, he is now the target of everyone yet protected by none.

This is a film that explores the moment where one is forced to decide who they shall be. ?While on his way to meet underground crime boss, Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne), Wick?is met with a sign that says ?Jesus saves?, yet he walks right past it.? It is a reminder that the justice of the Old Testament can appear dark without the light inherent to the New Testament.? Wick is a man who needs salvation yet finds no absolution in anything.? Near the end of the film, he sits in his burnt down home, clutching his wife?s rosary and reflecting on the events that have just taken place.? Although he is clearly repentant, he refuses to?or, more accurately, is unable to?move beyond his past.

After all is said and done, what people will most likely remember about John Wick: Chapter 2 is its stylized violence and spectacular battle scenes.? Still, the deeper story within the film reveals a man who wishes to take steps into a world of freedom but remains a lost soul, running from his past and leaning into an empty future.? (?Am I free?,? he asks as he is reminded that he ?never will be?.)? Though called ?the Boogeyman? by those who fear him, Wick is, in fact, more of a ghost, floating through life without any firm spiritual grounding.

One only hopes that, in the inevitable (and likely, final) Chapter 3, Wick finally finds some shred of light in the darkness that continues to swallow him whole.