JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 2

Title : John Wick: Chapter 2

Language : English

Release Date : January 30, 2017 (Arclight Hollywood)

February 10, 2017 (United States)

Directed By : Chad Stahelski

Distributed By : Summit Entertainment

John Wick: Chapter 2 is a 2017 American neo-noir action thriller film directed by Chad Stahelski and written by Derek Kolstad. The second installment in the John Wick film series, the plot follows hitman John Wick, who goes on the run after a bounty is placed on his head. It stars Keanu Reeves, Common, Laurence Fishburne, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ruby Rose, John Leguizamo and Ian McShane, and marks the first collaboration between Reeves and Fishburne since appearing together in The Matrix trilogy.

Principal photography began on October 26, 2015, in New York City. The film premiered in Los Angeles on January 30, 2017, and was theatrically released in the United States on February 10, 2017. It received positive reviews from critics and grossed $171.5 million worldwide, over four times its $40 million budget and nearly twice the $88 million gross of the original film. A sequel, titled John Wick: Chapter 3, is set to be released in May 2019.

Plot

Four days after the events of the first film, former assassin John Wick tracks down his stolen 1969 Ford Mustang Mach 1 at a chop shop owned by Abram Tarasov, brother of Viggo and uncle of Iosef. John dispatches Tarasov's men in a violent fight that heavily damages the Mustang. He then spares Tarasov under the auspices of peace and returns home.

After Aurelio takes John's Mustang for repairs, John is visited by Italian crime lord Santino D'Antonio. It is revealed that to complete his "impossible task"—which allowed him to retire and marry Helen—John asked Santino for help. As a form of contract, Santino swore John to a "Marker," an unbreakable promise symbolized by a "blood oath" medallion. Santino presents the medallion to demand services from John, but John refuses, claiming that he is retired. In retaliation, Santino destroys John's house with a grenade launcher.

Winston, the owner of the Continental hotel in New York City, reminds John that if he rejects the Marker, he will be violating one of the two unbreakable rules of the underworld: no killing on Continental grounds, and Markers must be honored. John accepts his commitment and meets with Santino, who tasks him with assassinating his sister Gianna so he can claim her seat on the "High Table," a council of high-level crime lords. Santino sends Ares (Ruby Rose), his personal bodyguard, to surveil John.

In Rome, John infiltrates Gianna's coronation party and confronts her. Faced with certain death, Gianna slashes her wrists. Before she dies, John kills her, fulfilling his commitment to Santino. While retreating, John is ambushed by Santino's men, who intend to "tie up loose ends" by killing him. After killing most of them, John is pursued by Gianna's bodyguard Cassian. Their brutal fight is halted when they crash into the reception area of the Rome Continental, which—like the New York Continental—prohibits any "business" on its grounds. As the two share a tense drink, Cassian vows revenge for Gianna's death.

After John returns to New York City, Santino opens a $7 million contract for John's death under the guise of avenging his sister, leading numerous assassins to attack John. Cassian confronts John once again in the subway. John wins the ensuing fight, but leaves Cassian alive out of professional respect. Injured and desperate, John seeks help from the underground crime lord The Bowery King, whose subordinates treat his injuries and guide him to Santino's location. John kills Santino's bodyguards and mortally wounds Ares, but Santino is able to escape to the Continental. Santino smugly makes it clear that he intends to remain in its sanctuary indefinitely. Despite Winston's warnings, John shoots and kills Santino in the Continental lounge.

The next day, Winston sends for John and explains that, per the High Table, the contract on John has been doubled and offered globally. Winston declares John "excommunicado" from the Continental, losing all access and privileges to underworld resources. However, Winston delays announcing John's excommunication and global bounty by one hour to give him a head start, and provides him with a Marker for future use. Before leaving, John says to Winston: "Tell them... tell them all... whoever comes, whoever it is, I'll kill them. I'll kill them all." Suspecting hitmen all around him, John runs into the night with his dog.