John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)
Film and Plot Synopsis
Picking up immediately after the events of John Wick, the legendary assassin is approached by an Italian crime lord named Santino D’Antonio. Santino holds a marker that requires John to follow through with Santino’s request. Santino wishes for John to kill his sister who is being elevated to the High Table, the controlling members of the criminal underworld. After initially refusing, John complies with the request, but he soon finds the entirety of the assassin world on his tail when Santino betrays him and takes a contract out on John’s life to cover up his involvement in the murder of his own sister.
‘John Wick: Chapter 2’ Movie Summary
The film opens immediately after the events of the first film. John Wick (Keanu Reeves) is fighting with Russian gangsters to recover his stolen Ford Mustang Mach 1 that was stolen by the now deceased Iosef Tarasov (Alfie Allen) in the first film. Viggo Tarasov’s (Michael Myqvist) brother, Abram Tarasov (Peter Stormare), possesses the car. John kills Abram’s men and then confronts the Russian gangster. John promises peace and explains that it is over before heading home with his damaged car. The next day, John is visited by his friend Aurelio (John Leguizamo) who promises him that he can repair the extensive damage to the car.
Not long after, John is visited by Camorra crime boss Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scarmarcio) who has come to ask John for a favor. Santino reminds John that he helped John with his “impossible task” that allowed John to retire and marry his deceased wife Helen (Bridget Moynahan). In return, John gave Santino a marker, an unbreakable vow contained in a medallion. Santino presents John with the marker and demands services from the “Boogeyman.” John politely declines. Santino leaves but has John’s house destroyed with a grenade launcher a brief time later.
John survives the attack along with his new dog. He walks into New York City and visits the Continental Hotel. John meets with the hotel’s manager, Winston (Ian McShane), who politely reminds John that if he rejects the request associated with a marker his life will be forfeit. Reluctantly, John accepts his fate and meets with Santino at a New York art museum. Santino requests that John kill Santino’s sister Gianna D’Antonio (Claudia Gerini) who is about to be promoted to the “High Table,” a council of twelve high-level crime bosses who control the entirety of the criminal world. Santino wishes to take his sister’s place at the High Table. Santino dispatches his mute bodyguard Ares (Ruby Rose) to monitor John’s progress.
Winston… tell them… Tell them all… Whoever comes, whoever it is… I’ll kill them. I’ll kill them all. John Wick (Keanu Reeves)
John heads to Rome, Italy where the celebration for Gianna’s coronation is to take place. John infiltrates Gianna’s dressing room where Gianna is alone without her bodyguards. John apologizes to his friend but explains to Gianna that he is there to kill her at her brother’s request. Gianna chooses to take her own life rather than be killed by John. She slits her wrists in a warm bath. However, John shoots her in the head to ensure her death and to fulfill the marker.
As John is leaving the coronation, he encounters Gianna’s bodyguard, Cassian (Common), who recognizes John. Cassian learns that John is “working,” and that John was sent to kill Gianna. Cassian and Gianna’s other bodyguards attempt to kill John as he flees through the underground catacombs. John also encounters Ares and Santino’s other hitmen who double cross John and try to kill him so that no one will know that Santino ordered the hit on his own sister. John kills almost all of the hitmen, but he is pursued by Cassian all the way into the lobby of the Rome branch of the Continental Hotel. The two gunmen respect the rules of the hotel and follow the canon that no business will be conducted on hotel grounds. Over a drink, John explains his reason for killing Gianna to Cassian who tells John that he understands John’s reason. Nevertheless, Cassian promises John that he will still kill him for what he has done. John also notes that Ares is waiting in the hotel as well.
The next day, John returns to New York City knowing that the world of assassins is likely looking for him, and he is not wrong. Santino opens a contract worth $7 million on John’s life under the ruse of avenging his sister’s death. Upon arriving in New York, John is repeatedly attacked by several assassins, but John manages to survive. Cassian locates John and the two fight each other on a subway car. John stabs Cassian in the heart with a knife. John warns Cassian that if he moves or removes the knife that he will die before leaving the former bodyguard sitting on the train.
The injured John seeks help from a homeless man (Tobias Segal) and requests that he take him to see the Bowery King (Laurence Fishburne). The King has his people treat John’s injuries despite John attempting to kill the King many years before. John asks for the King’s assistance to kill Santino, and the King is intrigued by John’s quest to kill a member of the High Table. The King gives John a handgun with seven bullets, one bullet for each million on the contract for John’s life. The King directs John to the art museum where Santino is holding a gala.
Once at the museum, John goes on another killing spree, wiping out all of Santino’s bodyguards. Santino and John play a game of cat and mouse throughout the museum. Ares arrives and shepherds Santino away before heading into the museum to hunt John. Santino runs to the safety of the Continental while John kills Ares. John follows Santino to the Continental with the intent of killing Santino despite the Continental’s rules. Santino tells John that he intends to stay indefinitely at the Continental, and Winston warns John about breaking the rule of no business. A frustrated John kills Santino and then walks out of the hotel. He says goodbye to Charon (Lance Reddick), the concierge, who spent most of the movie watching John’s new dog. John returns to the remains of his home.
The next day, Charon retrieves John and brings him to Central Park for a meeting with Winston. The hotel manager informs John that the High Table has doubled the contract on John and sent it global. Winston informs John that he has been declared “excommunicado” from Continental grounds as a consequence for killing Santino in violation of the hotel’s rules. Winston gives John a one-hour head start and a marker for future use. John tells Winston to tell all the assassins that will be hunting him that he will kill them all. John then goes on the run with his dog while Winston calls in the “excommunicado” order to begin in one hour. As John runs through the park, cell phones begin to ring all around him informing the criminal world of the bounty on John.
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Lionsgate released John Wick: Chapter 2 on February 10, 2017. Chad Stahelski directed the film starring Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, and Ian McShane.