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JOHN WICK 3: PARABELLUM ***
Dir: Chad Stahelski (15, 91 mins)
Keanu Reeves’ unstoppable assassin returns in a third slice of B-movie action with extra star wattage and body count. Wick now has a $14 million price tag on his head after his previous antics make him a target for every hitman and hitwoman from around the globe. He’s also killed a high-ranking member of the Assassin’s Guild, making him persona non grata and potentially bereft of any help – though of course, that’s not entirely true as Ian McSianhane’s Winston and Laurence Fishburne’s Bowery King return to aid the grizzled action hero on his way. Joining the cast are Halle Berry as one of Wick’s old associates Sofia, with trained German Shepherds biting for her on command and Anjelica Houston as the mysterious Director of the High Table. All that really matters is the hyperkinetic stylized violence, as over the top and unnecessary as ever. Wick kills people whilst on horseback, has a swordfight on motorcycles (lifted from South Korean flick The Villainess) and stabs and headshots his way blithely through an army of willing stuntmen. The violence is all there is to it and although well-staged it is a little quease-inducing in its glamourisation. More of the shooty same, if you want it. Opens May 17
words Kieron Self