1. The third movement of the "Fast" series - the return of fast preparations
What is about to attack the audience through the screen is a large number of enjoyable action scenes. The guns see blood, and the visual impact of the knife (mouth) to the flesh expresses the film's respect for action, and perfectly interprets what is the aesthetics of violence and pain.
Two years later, the third movement of the "Fast" series finally pulled the audience back to New York City, where the five major criminal forces gathered. The Continental Hotel is still the familiar Winston, the nooks and crannies are still the familiar "King", the high table is still high... The only difference is that John Wick is no longer the daunting "Night Demon". He violated the express rules of the High Table, shot his nemesis at the Continental Hotel in New York, and was expelled from the church. Now, with a $15 million bounty on his head, John Wick is about to meet the madness of various killers.
2. Aesthetics of violence and pain
The story unfolds rapidly in New York on a rainy night, and goes straight to the theme - a man soaked in water appears in the rapid music, ready to break out of the siege and start his escape journey. There's no such thing as "breaking the calm" because it's never been possible to be calm with John Wick.
The first battle came quickly, and the unarmed John broke his opponent's neck with a hard-cover book he took out. Later, John also showed a handsome horse control technique, and let the two horses each come with two flying kicks to solve the opponent. One side is the beauty of horse power, and the other side is the classic Jackie Chan-style resource utilization, which makes people laugh.
As an action blockbuster to rave reviews, the visuals in the action are certainly impeccable. The long knives, short blades, and daggers fluttered, and the cold light flashing melee fights between the killers made people's heart beat faster, and the battle of firearms made people blood boil.
In addition to the classic elements of bunkers, running, and shooting in traditional shootout films, in the hotel guard battle, in the face of the opponent's enhanced armor, John put the gun on the opponent's forehead. a passion; two ferocious hounds added to the spectator’s battle between John and Sophia (the lovable dogs added to the enemy’s howls of pain). lots of protein).
"Art is suffering, life is suffering." Chad Stalski, who is well versed in the aesthetics of violence, seems to have made up his mind to let the audience experience the visual pain. After John retrieved his family, the iron scorched his back was a small case. When he swore allegiance to the elder, he branded a bloody cross-section of his finger that he had cut off in the last second.
During the battle, John used his fist to smash the knife into the enemy's head, which made people grin. Vegetarian gift package. (Friendly reminder: Audiences who are not used to such pictures can skip it with their eyes closed. The director is very considerate to prepare a few seconds of buffer time for you before such pictures appear.)
The visual impact not only comes from John's suffocating offensive, but also from the strong contrasts in the film. Before facing the first battle after the open contract order came into effect, John performed a live loading of guns; It is a classical theater and a romantic ballet; the audience was watching John walking through the boundless desert one second, and the next second was overlooking the bustling and gorgeous New York City, and the executive lounge of the Continental Hotel was full of screens. The sense of future technology; the religious hymn-style music that appeared several times in the film, not only did not slow down the plot, but made people's nerves more tense.
3. A lone wolf who is wounded but full of revenge - John
Unlike before, John no longer appears as a ruthless killer in "Quick Preparation". When the beliefs he bears are different, there are other temperaments in him - at this time, he is more like a lone wolf who is wounded but full of revenge.
But the strength of the opponent made the "Killing God" feel a little flustered. In the torrential rain, John stood on the criss-crossed streets of New York and frequently looked at his watch, and his nervousness naturally smeared out.
This made the audience realize that in their own eyes, he, who had an explosive force value, did not have an inextinguishable body like the "Terminator", and he would hesitate and be confused in order to survive. John had been wounded long before the start of the escape, and every battle since then would have given him an extra mark on his body. The old wounds were not healed, and the new ones were frequently added. The physical pain continued to squeeze his will as time went on, until he surrendered to the elder in order to continue to recall the past with his deceased wife, offered one of his own fingers, and Promise to kill Winston. "Mother-in-law Jakarta" has since stepped down from the throne.
Of course, John, who stitches himself without anesthesia, is still a strong tough guy, and he is still the strongest killer in the world. But in the battle with the strongest killers under Zero, his opponent said he "slowed down"; in the escape, John fell into death several times; in the final battle, he even used the trick of clenching his teeth. . When John pierced Zero's chest with a knife, the former "Killing God" lay on the ground exhausted, which made the character more real.
From "God" to "Man" is not only reflected in his exhaustion. With only 20 minutes left before the contract takes effect, John rushed to the library in the rain to get his life-saving supplies, and then naturally waited in line; at the station, he was about to start a decisive battle with Zero, just when the two faced each other. At the same time, the killer who killed countless people stopped because of the children who passed by. "That's what sets you apart from others." Only one's opponents know him best. On the opposite side of the crowd, Zero gave John such an evaluation, making John the killer even more attractive.
In order to survive, John found Sophia's former boss Bellada, who has two such lines in the film. He commented on Sophia's dog: "So docile, yet so fierce." He asked John: "Do you know the origin of the word 'killer'? Killer, that is, a person who is loyal to his job and keeps his faith." These two sentences Both are John's character labels. He was faithful to his office, but more faithful to his faith—his memory of his deceased wife was unparalleled. As long as the bottom line is not violated, John is undoubtedly docile; but if anyone dares to try, the rules of the high table will not keep him safe.
"Think about why God created you. He didn't want you to live like a beast, but to pursue virtue and knowledge." For John, the virtue he pursued was his strong belief in love, a belief that It will help him swing a knife to the enemy in the future-aside from the explosiveness of the action, this kind of "knight-errant love" of loneliness and pleasure and revenge is also one of the important reasons why "Quick Preparation" attracts audiences.
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