John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum Review: 8 Ups & 2 Downs

2. The Darkly Comedic Tone

Right from the beginning, the John Wick series has always spiced its brutality with a sprinkling of dark comedy, be it the memorable "Oh" from the first movie or John and Cassian's covert battle with silenced pistols in the second movie.

And true to form, the third film bolsters this expertly-balanced tone, generously peppering solid laughs in-between the wanton violence.

These gags generally draw attention to the inherent absurdity of the premise and the characters therein, yet never detract from the tension of any individual sequence.

In many ways it's an approach the MCU could learn a lesson or two from: keep the quips droll and self-aware, but not too witty or keen to wink at the audience.

Here, the brief spurts of comedy almost always service the characters, tone or even the action itself.