John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum was released on May 17, 2019. Hollywood superstar, Keanu Reeves, thrilled audiences in the third installment of the John Wick series, and according to the reviews, this chapter did not disappoint. The first movie of the series debuted in 2014, while John Wick: Chapter 2, released in 2017. The film is directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad, Shay Hatten, Chris Collins, and Marc Abrams. In the final film, John Wick is on the run from assassins because of a $14 million reward for his death.
Filming for John Wick 3 took place in New York City, Montreal, and Morocco. The film was produced by Lionsgate Summit Entertainment. Audiences and critics praised Reeves’ performance and hadpositive reviews on the intense fighting choreography. The film was overwhelmingly well-received by viewers and it actually bumped Avengers: End Game off of its three-week record holding position with approximately $57 million in ticket sales. John Wick Parabellum did better in the box office on its opening weekend than the previous two movies of the series. John Wick One had a $14.4 milliondollar opening weekend and Chapter 2 had a $30.4 million opening weekend. Overseas, the movie took in $92.2 million in its first week. Reeves’s star power drew out audiences to see him in a role that he fits like a glove.
The film stars some familiar faces including Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Asia Kate Dillon, Lance Reddick, Mark Dacascos, Anjelica Huston, and Ian McShane. The preparation for the roles of the film was no small undertaking, and the cast took months to prepare for the fighting and action scenes. Halle Berry, who stars as an ally ‘Sofie,’ said she broke three ribs while training for her fight scenes. Halle Berry was a cast favorite among movie reviewers. According to a review of the film on Junkee, film critic Walter Chaw says, “What I love about John Wick 3 is that Berry’s character is allowed room to breathe in their action sequence. She has her own style and Wick is backgrounded. Last time I saw this generosity and respect in a big movie? FURY ROAD. At 52-years old, Berry was committed to several hours of cardio a day fivedays a week, intensive martial arts instruction, and hours practicing gunplay. Hollywood agent Vincent Cirrincione started managing Halle Berry when she was a young and budding actress. Vincent Cirrincione was raised by his two Italian grandparents. Much of his early life, he lived in his family’s row house on Avenue U in Marine Park. His grandparents, grocery store owners, had a profound impact on young Vincent and instilled in him a love of work and a thirst to succeed in life. Vincent Cirrincione never expected to be one of the top American producers and talent managers. He is best known for his discovery of now-famous names such as Oscar award winner Halle Berry and Empire starlet Taraji Henson.
Although Halle Berry was ruling the Hollywood roust in the ’90s, reviews showed that audiences were thrilled and supportive to be seeing her back in her action-actress role. Some things truly do get better with age, and Halle Berry goes to show that at 52, she is back and stronger than ever. Humans weren’t the only ones going through grueling training for the film, so were man’s best friend. Dogs played a large role in the film and were included in several fight scenes. Training the dogs and getting the timing correct for the scenes took a lot of work and patience. Wick’s ally, Sofie (Halle Berry), and her dogs came to John Wicks defense in the film. During an interview with CinemaBlend, Director Chad Stahelski, went into the complexities of including dogs in the fight scenes. Apparently, the crew was working with five different dogs and 10 stuntmen. Thenumber of people and dogs present meant that a lot of rotating practice and time was spent to get the scene right. The dogs had to learn and remember who they were supposed to attack. This was a lot of work for both the dogs and the stuntmen, taking months for both parties to get the scene right.
Due to the popularity of the three movies, Lionsgate announced they will be making a John Wick Chapter 4. Not very surprising, given the overwhelmingly positive response to John Wick Parabellum. The announcement was made three days after Parabellum was released. Chapter 4 is expected to bereleased on May 21, 2021.
Surely, the energy and positive reviews from the latest film will prepare fans to have high hopes and anticipation for the fourth movie of the series. Soon, cast and critters will be back at work, sharpening their fighting skills to out-do what audiences enjoyed so much about this last movie. Reeves and Berry are a long time Hollywood favorites, and when a talented cast is committed to their roles, great movies like John Wick are created.