John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

There is so much beautiful killing that the movie refuses to look away, yet it maintains a thrilling discipline in its long, choreographed action sequences. It is a connoisseur’s delight, a B-picture with an A-picture soul that showcases Reeves at his most watchable.

This elegantly choreographed sequel elevates brutal confrontations to a dazzling form of modern dance, succeeding on the elegance of its action rather than story. It improves on the original with no animals harmed and a reunion with Laurence Fishburne, achieving something akin to ballet in its violence.

It expands the criminal underworld mythology and delivers stunning, stylish action sequences with sly humour, while Reeves fits the taciturn hitman role perfectly; a brutal, bruising bullet ballet of a sequel that builds on the original.

The film settles into a bleak, ritualized bloodbath that is crazy-violent yet beautiful, with breathtaking long-take choreography and a mythic, rule-bound underworld.

The film improves on the original's cartoonish mayhem with confident style and exuberant sequences while sticking to the franchise's simple, satisfying rhythms.

The sequel ups the conceptual abstraction into a gothic, mythic journey through a stylized criminal underworld, with surreal action and visual gags taking precedence over pure momentum.

The critic finds the sequel less svelte than the original due to franchise expansion but praises Stahelski's assured handling of fluid, inventive action sequences and compositional flair.

The critic calls it a wildly enjoyable and ridiculous action flick that is a stupendously entertaining ride, highlighting the director's craft in staging punches and gunshots, the neon-lit style, and Keanu Reeves' cool performance.

The sequel ambitiously expands the underworld to a global scale with relentless stunts and Reeves' focused performance, though some plot developments dilute the central conflict.

The sequel ramps up the action and carnage in an imaginatively designed way but is let down by excessive world-building and a video-gamey feel.

Keanu Reeves's trigger-happy sequel gets the job done with solid action sequences.

The film is even more stylised than the first, with slick visuals and fight sequences shot like destructive ballet, but the plotting is far-fetched and the hero's near-indestructibility removes any real sense of threat.

The film is a mere technical exercise serving mainly as a trailer for its own making-of documentary, with no real stakes or emotional depth beyond the assassins' world. It offers a wilder ride than the first with more emphasis on the killer code and a paranoia-inducing twist, but remains a soulless display of violence.

The sequel is a more solemn and excessive affair than the original, with less of the first film's lightness and wit. It doubles the body count to showcase spectacular fight sequences in Roman locations, where the camera lingers on weaponry with more interest than on the human characters.

This gore-splattered sequel has no attempt at a plot and is bully-bore cinema at its worst, tedious despite the violence.

The critic calls it superior to the predecessor in almost every way, with gorgeous visuals, expanded surreal world-building and jaw-dropping action sequences. Singles out the extended neon-lit house-of-mirrors chase for particular visual praise.

The critic says the sequel offers similar thrills on a grander scale with dazzling action choreographed with gruesome elegance. Singles out the tense and unpredictable moments amid the killing sprees for praise.

The critic praises the film as a worthy sequel with spectacular, vital gunplay choreography that rivals The Raid films and highlights the colorful supporting characters and world-building.

The critic praises the film as even better than the first, with fantastic choreography and realistic carnage in the action scenes, plus a strong supporting cast and welcome humour. Singles out Keanu Reeves' committed physical performance for praise.

The critic calls it a near-perfect follow-up that combines the original's ingredients with self-awareness about its ridiculousness, making the grander action sequences feel smarter and funnier while perfecting the gun fu style.

The critic praises the film's unrelenting high-octane action and the artistry of its choreographed fight sequences, particularly the street brawl with Common. Some repetitiveness and length in the middle are noted, but the stylish, visceral experience stands out overall.

The critic describes the film as delivering brutal, beautiful violence that expands the hidden criminal world order and heightens the sense of danger and spontaneity in the action scenes.

The critic praises the expertly choreographed action sequences and long takes of gun-fu, while noting that the sequel lacks the original's sense of surprise but still delivers thrilling mayhem.

The critic calls the film an escalation of the original that expands the assassin world with new rules and characters while delivering familiar stylish action, but notes the long fight scenes and lack of discomfort around the violence.

The critic calls it a bullet-riddled blast that expands the mythology and delivers relentless, well-choreographed gunplay and hand-to-hand fights. A clumsy opening prologue is critiqued, but the fun action and anticipation for the next chapter are praised.

The critic emphasizes the film's extreme violence and body count, positioning John Wick as a cool icon of modern action cinema in the vein of The Matrix. The relentless, stylized killing and memorable lines are highlighted as making it iconic entertainment.