The word 'Parabellum' now denotes a certain of calibre of dedicated pistol ammunition, introducued at the turn of the 20th century, and is derived from the Latin, meaning 'Prepare for war', reputedly written by the fabulously named author Publius Flavius Vegetius Renatus as 'Si vis pacem, para bellum' in the old maxim, 'If you want peace, prepare for war', and so is a perfectly apt subtitle to John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum, which opens around the globe this week and has received a volley of strong reviews from US critics.
Starring Keanu Reeves as a legendary and formerly retired hitman, the first film, in 2014, was a sleeper hit, eventually taking $98.76m (£76.13m) worldwide on a $20m (£15.41m) budget before very strong showings on disc and ancillary, '17's Chapter 2, expanding on the background and eccentric details of the Assassin's Guild, with baroque settings and major set-pieces, doubling the budget and taking $171.33m (£132.08m) before going on to an equally successful afterlife.
Stunt co-ordinator-turned-director Chad Stahelski returns to the helmer's chair, with the film beginning where the second part ended, with Wick on the run with a $14m contract on his head. Joining the ensemble cast this time around are Halle Berry, Laurence Fishburne, Mark Ducascos and Anjelica Huston.
The Hollywood Reporter, although complaining about the liberties the film takes with New York geography in the opening sequences, acknowledged that the film is playing to it's fan base, saying 'An epic of choreographed mayhem that expands the Wickiverse in mostly pleasing ways, it is destined to satisfy fans of this surprise-hit franchise: If its ludicrous aspects bug you, what the hell are you doing here?', and also praises the film's action-stuffed climax, calling it 'much more beautiful than the last film's finale. This sequence also makes better use of the personalities in the room and, in its best moments, is as thrilling as the leaner fight scenes that got the movie started'. Vox also reflects on the imagery on screen, believing 'Anything resembling a plot in Parabellum really exists for one reason: to get us from cool-looking scene to cool-looking scene.... In its third installment, the series has grown into what would happen if the entire Travel Channel directed a movie, with Wick's story hurling him from New York to the furthest reaches of the planet and back again. The dance-like sensibility is what makes John Wick so lovely to watch. Yes, the world of the assassins is entrancing, and the cast - especially Reeves, who holds the whole thing together - is uniformly great'. IGN added 'Keanu Reeves once again owns the screen as this most sympathetic of good bad men, providing another emotionally restrained performance even while clearly giving it his all physically'.
USA Today believed 'This third movie brings both the operatic action and intriguing exposition, though misses the greatness of Chapter 2 because of a convoluted last act and underdeveloped supporting characters', but praised the leading man, saying 'At 54, the actor gives his laconic character the fitting gravitas of a life lived very dangerously, as well as all the necessary headshots, kung fu chops and other kick-butt moves that drive the franchise'.
Associated Press complained how the series seemed to be following the superhero movie model of a 'Wickian Universe', saying how the first was ' …a taut, minimalist action movie with an appeal predicated on low-expectations and leanness', but for the third film 'As the body count swells, the relentless sound of gun blasts, and the occasional knife stuck in a skull begins to pulverize. Fans will surely eat it all up, but the John Wick films have nothing to say about gun violence despite its absurd abundance'.
The AV Club spoke of the film's set-pieces as 'sequences of terrific action', which Stahelski 'directs with aplomb, making the most of Reeves 'physical commitment to the role'. They also warn 'The body count might be in the triple figures, and it involves a lot of skewered, crushed and blown-off heads'. Slash Film found 'There's so much running, chasing, punching, shooting, stabbing, and exploding in John Wick: Chapter 3 that it can be just as overwhelming and exhausting as it is thrilling - and the movie knows this. John Wick looks tired. Sure, he's still very capable at slaughtering his enemies, but he's lost the spring in his step. He's rundown and tired of running, and the movie - and Reeves' performance - lean into that'.
Polygon believed that while the film follows a standard plot formula and that the movie is lethargic in the middle of its 131 minute running time, ' the beginning and end a total blast'.
John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum opens fire on the 15th in the UK, Finland, Sweden and the Philippines, and the following day in much of Europe, Russia, Malaysia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia, Brazil and Singapore. It opens on more than 3600 screens in the US on the 17th, as well as Vietnam, Mexico, Poland and some Eastern European territories. France, Germany, Switzerland and Belgium follow the next weekend, with Spain and Norway on the 31st.