Black_Belt_-_October-November_2019

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THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE between

John Wick 3 and the rage-and-blade

films that star, for example, Iko Uwais

and Tony Jaa is the intent that under-

lies the brutality. Both highlight

violent fights, blood-and-guts gore

and spurting-artery visuals, but the

movies of Uwais and Jaa seem more

disturbing because they’re meant to

be taken seriously.

In contrast, John Wick 3 conveys

no sense of atrocity or fear during its

hero-vs.-thug duels because they’re

comical. As they progress, the slicing

and dicing gets more humorous — it

shouldn’t be that way, but it is. The

manner in which Wick tosses an ax

across the room and whacks stunt-

man Roger Yuan is entertaining and

furiously funny. It’s not bloody for

the sake of being bloody but for the

imperative for the ballistic-ballet
and pugilistic-pounding duo to
look like they’d learned the same
skill set while growing up and
plying their assassin trade together.
Berry’s seven months of training
were designed so she would be able
to fight like Reeves and perform
side by side with him when they
take on dozens of thugs in the
desert compound.
Their shooting and grappling
battles were filmed with long takes
and wide angles. Berry is mesmer-
izing. She was candid about her role
and its deeper meaning: “I wanted
to shatter some stereotypes here.
There’s nothing I wanted to do
more than to prove that women of
my age can do exactly what we want
to do. Age doesn’t define us.”

absurdity of it. The scene shows that

although Wick is a morose, scary,

impending-doom-and-gloom sort of

fellow, he’s also a likeable dude.

The way Stahelski balances the

action between fight and camera

choreography is superb. It’s not about

opposition involving two adversaries;

it’s about the rhythmic partnership of

a waltz involving two choreographies

with each contributing to the result-

ing battle. It’s a dance adage brought

to life: It takes two to tango. Perhaps

more appropriate in this instance, it

takes two to tangle.

Dr. Craig D. Reid’s book The Ultimate

Guide to Martial Arts Movies of

the 1970s: 500+ Films Loaded With

Action, Weapons and Warriors is

available at blackbeltmag.com/store.

34 BLACKBELTMAG.COM ƒ OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2019