Starring: Clark Freeman, Annette O'Toole, Jay Dunn
Writer: Andy Mitton
Directors: Jesse Holland, Andy Mitton
Miles Grissom (Freeman) is a man who's so scared of there being no prospect of life after death that he offers a reward for irrefutable proof there's something on the other side. Predictably he gets his fair share of wild claims but he narrows down the field to three people - a scientist, a medium and an entrepreneur - who may be able to provide an answer in their own specific way. Of course, Miles has no idea of the strange and terrifying places his investigations will take him...
We Go On has the feel of a classic, old-fashioned, plot-driven chiller given a very modern slant and proves that no matter how many CGI monsters and jump scares can be crowbarred into the proceedings it's never a match for great writing and an unrelentingly eerie atmosphere. There's plenty of stuff to give you the heebie-jeebies here and, for me at the very least, one marvellous, show-stopping reveal.
Even so, the horror can only truly work its unsettling magic if you're invested in the characters and We Go on has the quite brilliant double act of Clark Freeman and Annette O'Toole at its core as phobic son and concerned mum respectively. Both bring their A games to the party and give smart, naturalistic, layered performances. Freeman's Miles isn't your stereotypical, panic-stricken victim and neither is O'Toole your average screen mother.
In fact, O'Toole and Freeman play so well off each other that they could be discussing the weather and it would be engaging. Their characters are immensely likeable and interesting and this obviously amps up the tension when they're inevitably put in potentially harmful situations. Freeman doesn't overplay Miles' fears and makes for a winning, vulnerable but capable hero. O'Toole is an absolute delight, dishing out her spiky, no-nonsense wisdom which clearly comes from a warm and caring place.
That level of quality extends throughout the cast, with fine supporting work from all, including John Glover as the scientist who may not be what he initially seems and Giovanna ZacarÃas as Josephina, the medium who has her own concerns about delving into otherwordly matters. When even the most minor characters feel like real, rounded people with depth and their own baggage you have to take your hat off to the writers and the actors. Top to bottom, the script and performances are excellent.
I must also mention the outstanding Jay Dunn as Nelson, who becomes more and more important to the story as it, ahem, goes on (it was going to happen at some point during the review, be thankful I only decided to do it once). Without getting too spoilery, he's one of the creepiest and most unnerving presences in any horror film I've seen for a while and there were several moments when I found myself dreading the prospect of him showing up. That's a properly scary guy. Terrific work, Mr. Dunn.
I saw this at the Celluloid Screams festival in Sheffield in October 2016 and it's a film which has stayed with me since then. At a time when so much big studio horror output tends towards the dispiritingly bland, it's great to see indie productions like this knocking it out of the park. Fans of horror films - hell, fans of films, regardless of genre - should seek this one out. It's a finely-crafted, brilliantly structured mix of chills, laughs and drama and for a movie which is so much about death it's actually a rather life-affirming experience. I can't recommend it highly enough. Go see!
Starring: Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Ian McShane
Writer: Derek Kolstad
Director: Chad Stahelski
*** GO TO THE VERY END OF THE REVIEW IF YOU WANT TO KNOW WHETHER OR NOT THE DOG DIES ***
After bumping off a shedload of bad guys in the first movie, John Wick (Reeves) is now enjoying a quiet life at home with the dog he adopted at the end of said flick. Of course, a second chapter in the generally bullet-riddled life of Mr Wick isn't going to revolve around him buying scatter cushions, looking at wallpaper swatches and deciding which renovations to make next.
No, it's not long before another bad guy - and promoter of vowel use in names - Santino D'Antonio (Scamarcio) calls in a marker which means John Wick has to tool up again to take out a target. As you'd expect, the target is protected by various layers of security, meaning our anti-hero will have his work cut out to complete his mission. Meaning that wave upon wave of disposable henchmen will almost certainly be shot, stabbed or have the crap kicked out of them. Or they'll be shot and stabbed and have the crap kicked out of them.
So, is this better or worse than the, ahem, most excellent (sorry, Keanu) original? That's a difficult question to answer because the sequel has a somewhat different feel whilst still sticking to the general rules of a sequel by seriously upping the ante in terms of mayhem. It also opens out the continuing story to include the Rome branch of the Continental Hotel, presided over by Julius (Franco Nero - great casting) while Wisdom (Ian McShane) continues to mind the shop in New York.
Upping the action quotient means that Wick's been involved in a car chase, shootout and extended scrap even before the opening titles have appeared. The gun-fu battles are also much longer this time out, with Wick's adversaries appearing from seemingly every angle. These sequences are breathless, full of startling (yet cartoony) violence and, let's be honest here, they're massively entertaining. There's absolutely no point in trying to keep track of the body count - it's bloody enormous, let's just leave it at that.
In between all of the superbly choreographed bullet ballets you're going to need some breathing space and JW2 gives the audience just enough downtime before the next bout of retina-scorching carnage to serve up a simple but serviceable plot which chucks the taciturn assassin into a situation where he becomes the most prized target of all. It's hardly the most convoluted of tales but do you want two hours of scheming and lurking in the shadows or two hours of undiluted action nirvana? If it's the former, do you realise this is John Wick 2 I'm talking about?
Naturally, the shootouts, fights and chases are all superbly marshalled but there are some pretty good performances here too. Reeves looks like he's having a ball playing John Wick and it's good to see McShane, John Leguizamo and Lance Reddick (as unflappable front of house guy Chiron) reprising their roles. The newcomers are no less impressive, chiefly Common as stone-faced, dapper fellow assassin Cassian, Ruby Rose as the mute, deadly Ares and a deadpan, hilarious Peter Serafinowicz as an unfailingly polite "sommelier" who describes an increasingly lethal selection of firearms as he would a cellar of fine wines.
John Wick 2 is that rarest of beasts, a sequel that doesn't disappoint on any level. It's funny, exciting, chock-full of incredible action and makes the prospect of a third movie an enticing one. Yes, Mr Wick is working on his retirement but don't expect him to hang up his guns just yet. And if he doesn't have access to guns, a pencil will do nicely...
To close, as promised earlier in the review, here's the answer to the following question:
Does the dog die?
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No. But the house gets it. Big time.
