GUFFEN HOTELLDIREKTØR: Mel Gibson i «The Continental: From The World Of John Wick». Foto: James Dimmock / Prime Video
Now the “John Wick” lemon must be squeezed. Sigh.
«The Continental: From The World Of John Wick»
American action drama in three parts
Premiere at Prime Video Friday 22 September
Manus: Greg Coolidge, Shawn Simmons, Kirk Ward, Ken Kristensen
Director: Albert Hughes, Charlotte Brändström
With: Mel Gibson, Colin Woodell, Ben Robson, Michelle Prada, Jessica Allain, Adam Shapiro, Ayomide Adegun
The film series about the melancholic killing machine John Wick, sullenly portrayed by Keanu Reeves, went out with a bang in the form of the monomaniacal masterpiece “John Wick: Chapter 4” this spring.
It was a rounding off beyond all expectations, an action film for the history books. It would be nice if the “John Wick” industry could leave it at that.
But that’s not how the film and series industry works. No one is willing to give up while the game is good. Now the secondary products are starting to trickle out. In 2024, the stage is set for the “sister film” “Ballerina” with Ana de Armas in the title role. Until then, we have to make do with “The Continental: From The World Of John Wick”.
TRAINEE I HOTELLBRANSJEN: Colin Woodell som den unge Winston Scott i «The Continental: From The World Of John Wick». Foto: James Dimmock / Prime Video
It has become a daff TV series in three long, slow parts. An “origin story” about how Winston Scott (Ian McShane in the movies, here: Colin Woodell) became the boss of The Continental: The mysterious hotel that serves as an oasis for assassins who need a breather between the shots and the battles.
WE learn that Scott and his brother Frankie (Ben Robson) were petty crime lads in the 1950s who took on assignments for The Continental’s then head, the psychopathic Cormac (Mel Gibson). When the arm of the law grabbed them by the collar, the big brother took all the responsibility. Winston emigrated to England, where he became a successful con artist.
“The Continental: From The World Of John Wick” takes place 20 years later, in the 1970s. Winston and Frankie haven’t seen each other in years. But fate arranges to reunite them. Both want revenge on the all-powerful crime kingpin who ruined their childhood.
THE LOST BROTHER: Ben Robson as Frankie Scott in “The Continental: From The World Of John Wick.” Nhung Kate on the left. Photo: Katalin Vermes / Prime Video
“The Continental” is a half-hearted by-product. Another example of how wrong it can go when a series has more producers on the script than it has creative forces behind the scenes. Pedantic in its eagerness to please the already convinced fanboys with hints, hints and “Easter eggs”. Predictable and uninteresting to everyone else.
Everything is noticeably weaker than in the cinema films. The action scenes are cheated, and also quite few. The visual style and scenography, which the people behind make a big deal of, strike you as fake, especially in the exteriors. The poverty and garbage floating in the streets outside The Continental’s walls is a luxury goods designer’s idea of what slums and hard times look like.
None of the actors have an iota of Keanu Reeves’ weird, captivating movie star charisma. The game is a blast, with one near exception: Gibson. He can to a certain extent float on old radiance, as well as the suspicion that he may be almost just as uncomfortable in real life.
VELKLEDD PSYKOPAT: Mel Gibson i «The Continental: From The World Of John Wick». Foto: Katalin Vermes / Starz Entertainment / Prime Video
The dialogue script could advantageously have been posted to ChatGPT. The characters we are introduced to from the criminal underworld are all generic stereotypes, ripped from other, far better productions. An eccentric assassin with a Playmo hairstyle? Haven’t we seen that before somewhere?
The feeling that no one has had any need to tell this story hangs over the whole stupefied stasis. “The Continental” exists because someone has been willing to pay for it, and only because of that.
FRIENDS OR FEMIES?: Jessica Allain and Hubert Point-Du Jour in “The Continental: From The World Of John Wick”. Photo: Katalin Vermes / Prime Video
Good things can come from commissioned works. But not here. There is something disheartening about seeing such great resources, monetary and human, being pumped into something so uninspiring. (The cinematography, with which there is absolutely nothing wrong with in isolation, is in two of the episodes by the Norwegian Pål Ulvik Roseth).
Only one thing stands out about this soulless assembly-line product, and that’s the huge amount of soul, rock and R&B hits from the 1960s and 70s that cover the soundtrack. As if someone wanted to cover up the weaknesses with unassailable music. “The Continental: From The World Of John Wick” is as much a Spotify playlist as it is a TV drama.
Published:
Published: 22.09.23 at 16:00
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2023-09-22 14:00:00
#TVanmeldelse #Continental #World #John #Wick #Sjelløs
