The big question going into John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum was, given how blistering the action was in the previous films, how on earth was the team going to beat their own stratospheric standards? The answer for Chad Stahelski (Director) and his stunt team was simple: more, more, more!
In an era of seductively unreal digital effects, part of the John Wick ethos has been to entirely buck the trend. In John Wick’s world, the thrills are primal and always based around practical, if high-wire, stunts. In this world, jump-cuts never interrupt a fight. Rather than zoom in to create illusions, the camera instead always pans out, the better to show the audience every precarious detail.
“Keanu has so developed his fighting and stunt skills that he doesn’t have to do any acting to come off as a fighter, which means he can bring that much more to the character,” Scott Rogers says (stunt coordinator). “I've never seen anybody who puts more effort into it.”
As Keanu Reeves prepared for his at times bone-crushing combat and chase sequences, he worked closely with Jackson Spidell, who is both one of his trainers and doubles for him when it’s absolutely necessary. Spidell notes that Reeves does all the on-screen fighting. He only steps in if there is highly technical or bruising stunt, such as being struck by a car, a not uncommon occurrence in John Wick’s life.
Spidell has watched Reeves evolve along with the character. “With each film, the action has leveled up, but Keanu has gotten better and better,” he says. “Along with Chad, he is creating an original language within the action film genre.”
They also switched things up while packing in the greatest number of meticulously constructed set pieces yet seen in a John Wick chapter.
The movie is slated to release in India on 17th May 2019
