Movies

John Wick Is Officially Relit

By  · Published on January 16th, 2017

At least according to the new poster, photos, and TV spot.

I’m not sure what it is about unstoppable, cool, mysterious action heroes that is so appealing, but the genre has found its newest classic badass in John Wick. 2014’s John Wick is a gracefully choreographed and exciting neo-noir, and it became a surprise hit, finding both critical acclaim and box office success. It seems that audiences love protagonists who seem like everyday people, but actually have a “special set of skills” that allow them to be stone-cold killers. In February 2015, directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch revealed that they would be directing a sequel.

John Wick: Chapter 2 is at the very top of FSR’s Most Anticipated Films of 2017 list, so we are always on the lookout for any news regarding the film. A few days ago, Lionsgate released a very visually appealing new poster for the film:

If this poster doesn’t get you excited for the movie, then I’m not sure what will. “Relit” signifies Mr. Wick’s return to his career of obliterating bad guys ‐ gangsters, criminals, and those who have hurt him and his loved ones. The image of John Wick walking away from a crime scene holding a smoking gun is quickly becoming iconic (in the world of quirky action movies, at least). The Playlist also noted that Keanu Reeves’ career has been relit by films such as this one, and more eccentric projects such as The Neon Demon and The Bad Batch.

The official synopsis for John Wick: Chapter 2 is as follows:

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.

Of course, as we know, those deadly killers will be no match for the ultra-strong, ultra-smart John Wick. The film is also set to star Common, Laurence Fishburne, Ruby Rose, Bridget Moynahan, and Riccardo Scamarcio. Lionsgate has also released new images from the film, which show off its grey and blue-tinged, neon-lit cinematography, carried over from the first film:

The film is set to be released on February 10th ‐ only a few more weeks away. Make sure if you haven’t seen it yet, you watch the first John Wick, and then head out to your local cinema to support to second installment. And now, I leave you with this, a 30-second TV spot also released a few days ago:

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Actual film school graduate from Toronto. Always thinking and writing about queerness, feminism, camp, melodrama, and popular culture.