'John Wick: Chapter Two' is action catharsis for Trump era trauma

If you liked the first John Wick -- and I definitely did -- its sequel is bigger, bloodier and even more audacious than its predecessor.

It may be one of the most violent movies I've ever seen, and it helped me get out a lot of aggression I've been feeling since -- oh, well -- November.

Just like the first film, it's patently absurd. And yet it contains so much gritty, gruesome and most importantly, practical, action (it was directed by a veteran stunt man, and it shows), I found it pretty damn irresistible.

It also expands on the world established by the original John Wick, a shadowy society of assassins who check in and out of high-end international hotels known as the Continental, where the patrons are treated like high rollers and killing on the premises is strictly forbidden.

The films' running joke is that Wick is like the LeBron James of this game -- everyone knows him and respects his prodigious skills. Like any haunted action movie hero, he desperately wants to stop doing what he does best -- kill -- but circumstances keep dragging him back into the fight.

Keanu Reeves is uniquely suited to this role, easily his best since The Matrix. Even though he is in his early 50s now, he is still an impressive actor physically, and the minimalist dialogue his character delivers is perfect for his laconic range as an actor. He gets a lot of grief -- and he should never attempt an accent ever again -- but Reeves has been a solid star for years, and a totally credible action hero to boot.

In John Wick: Chapter Two he is really put through an incredible workout and in this age where slow motion CGI acrobatics have replaced bare fisted brutality, it was refreshing to see a genre film anchored by real stunts and authentic action.

Reeves as Wick

Ironically, prior to see this sequel -- which I watched with a packed, raucous and vocal crowd -- a trailer for the new Fast & Furious film came on. Now, don't get me wrong, barring terrible reviews -- I will most likely see that movie too. But I was disappointed to see how much that series has veered into more and more insane pyrotechnics. This one has a submarine in it.

John Wick: Chapter Two's pleasures are more old fashioned. The plot, as threadbare as it is, is your straightforward revenge epic, with a few exciting fresh twists baked in. Besides the upped cameo quotient (Common and Laurence Fishburne have supporting turns in this one), the movie makes no bones about the fact that it's bucking for a subsequent installment.

And I can't wait for more of the guns blazing and fast cars smashing. I have long been a sucker for a good, trashy, mindless action film. It's one of things that America does best. And right now, with much less than half the country suggesting we've regained something we never lost, it's nice to have visceral, cinematic proof of that.

If you would have told me ten years ago that a 50-something Keanu Reeves and 60-something Liam Neeson would be the premier action stars of the last decade, I would tell you that you were insane. But then again, who would have thought a 70-something reality star with no government experience would be elected president?