John Wick: Chapter Two parents guide

John Wick: Chapter Two Parent Guide

The cinematography is as polished as action movies get, but the violence is pretty graphic.

Overall D+

Former hitman John Wick (Keanu Reeves) finds himself in trouble again. After being compelled to participate in an assassination, he's got to watch his own back.

Release date February 10, 2017

Violence D
Sexual Content C
Profanity D
Substance Use C+

Why is John Wick: Chapter Two rated R? The MPAA rated John Wick: Chapter Two R for strong violence throughout, some language and brief nudity.

Run Time: 123 minutes

Parent Movie Review

Following his murderous rampage against the Tarasov family, John Wick (Keanu Reeves) plans to return to his peaceful retirement. But having returned to the underworld, he soon realizes that it might be impossible to leave again…

The unscrupulous crime boss Santino D’Antonio (Riccardo Scamarcio) owns a “marker” from John – a blood-oath which John is required to fulfill on pain of death. Despite warnings from John and others, Santino calls in the marker, forcing John to travel to Rome to kill Santino’s sister, Gianna D’Antonio (Claudia Gerini). Santino is infuriated that their father left his empire to Gianna, and plans to usurp her position, but that means he’ll also have to clean up loose ends.

One of those loose ends is John Wick and Santino soon learns that shooting the devil in the back is a fraught proposition. What if he doesn’t die? What will you do when he comes back for you? Desperate to shield himself, Santino puts an open bounty on John worth $7 million…but that won’t be nearly enough to stop the Boogeyman.

Fans of the original film won’t be disappointed by this sequel. The action is punchier, the fights are longer, and there are some quality car chases featuring classic American muscle cars. Petrol-heads should be warned that they’re going to see some grisly damage to Wick’s classic Mustang Mach 1, and the squeamish should be warned that they’re going to see considerably more damage to any of the people foolish enough to stand in John’s way.

The fight choreography in this franchise is one of the big draws, and Reeves’ commitment to doing as many of his own stunts as possible really sells the scenes. This film includes an incredible sequence in a heavily mirrored art exhibit, and even in the long takes, I didn’t see a camera reflection once. This is as polished as movie action gets.

This film also toned down the profanity of the previous film, but I think that has more to do with how much they cut the dialogue. John shoots first and asks questions…well, never, in most cases. They also tried to focus the plot more on the stylized criminal underworld we were introduced to in the first film, and I think that is where the movie struggles the most. It’s an interesting world, but much less personally driven than the original story, and that moves some of the focus off the titular antihero. Even with those failings, this is still one of the most high-octane action flicks I’ve ever seen, and a perfect choice for the adult adrenaline junkie in your life – provided they aren’t squeamish about seeing people murdered with pencils.

Directed by Chad Stahelski. Starring Keanu Reeves, Ruby Rose, Ian McShane. Running time: 123 minutes. Theatrical release February 10, 2017. Updated

Watch the trailer for John Wick: Chapter Two

John Wick: Chapter Two
Rating & Content Info

Why is John Wick: Chapter Two rated R? John Wick: Chapter Two is rated R by the MPAA for strong violence throughout, some language and brief nudity.

Violence: Dozens of individuals are shot, stabbed, hit by cars, and strangled to death. Two individuals are murdered with a pencil. A character is shown committing suicide.
Sexual Content: A woman is briefly seen nude in the bath.
Profanity: There are six sexual expletives and one scatological curse, along with a handful of mild profanities and terms of deity.
Alcohol / Drug Use: Drugs are briefly seen being shipped but not used. Adults are seen drinking socially and smoking tobacco.

Page last updated

John Wick: Chapter Two Parents' Guide

Why do you think movies with high levels of violence remain popular? How do characters justify their violent behavior? How do viewers justify or rationalize it?

Home Video

The most recent home video release of John Wick: Chapter Two movie is June 13, 2017. Here are some details…

John Wick: Chapter 2 releases to home video on June 13, 2017.

Related home video titles:

Fans will obviously also appreciate the other films in the series, John Wick Chapter One and John Wick Chapter Three: Parabellum. They will likely also enjoy well-choreographed action flicks like Nobody, Gunpowder Milkshake, Atomic Blonde, and The Equalizer. You should also try the Bourne franchise, consisting of The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, and The Bourne Ultimatum.