The world of the John Wick movies is one that works so well because of the way it builds backstory by refusing to explain things. John Wick moves in a world in which one can summon extraordinary assassins with special coins, communicate via archaic telephone systems and gain sanctuary under a set of simple rules. It shows, rather than tells, this arcane world, providing a framework for set pieces featuring incredible violence.
The Continental: From the World of John Wick is the surprising prequel. Ignoring the rather cumbersome title for a moment, this is a three-part TV show (available on Prime Video) set in New York during the 1970s, in which we learn the super secret origins of Winston Scott and Charon, the Manager and Concierge of The Continental New York, the chain of save havens for murderers that feature heavily in the John Wick movies.
The big surprise is that it’s rather fun. Colin Woodell plays the young Winston Scott (the character who will grow up to be played by Ian McShane in the movies), who is both earnest and menacing as a savvy con man and mastermind. Ben Robson is Frankie, Winston’s tougher and John Wick-like brother, and the pair work well, in a classic sort of way. One is brutal, the other cunning. It’s textbook stuff, but it works. Nhung Kate joins them as the character Yen, a skilled and dexterous assassin who brings that touch of heavily choreographed violence that makes the Wick movies so memorable.
The plot itself is okay; we know roughly how it ends, and there are plenty of moments where the weirdness of the franchise shines through – the show’s ending is especially fun. There’s a bit too much set-up in places and some entirely superfluous b-plots, but it’s still quite strong.
Three parts are pretty much the perfect length for this sort of thing, with part two sagging a little bit in the middle as the narrative gorges itself on gritty New York drama and backstory. Some of the scenes do feel a little like place-holders for future action scenes, and then, of course, there’s the entirely pointless Mel Gibson.
Gibson is the show’s principal villain, playing the incompetent and cruel owner of The Continental, a role we know Winston is destined to take over. The former Mad Max is very good at playing an arrogant, talentless, over-the-hill egomaniac; Gibson clearly must have studied very hard to make this work. He is very much the weakest part of the entire series, and the action grinds to a halt every time he comes near the plot. He chews every single bit of scenery, and at some points, it feels like he’s about to declare that Christmas is cancelled. This breaks the flow of the story, which is a pity because the rest of the casting is great.
For example, Ayomide Adegun, who plays the young Charon, brings a touch of class to every scene that he’s in, is delightful throughout and does much to salvage the presence of Gibson. Other characters feel remarkably under-used. Katie McGrath oozes terror as the Adjudicator, and for some reason, they’ve put her in a porcelain half-mask, which means we don’t see the actor’s incredibly expressive and striking face. Despite these weird choices, the look and feel of the show is solid, with a good mix of ”70s-style action movie grime and modern sinister oddness.
The Continental: From the World of John Wick is fun and loud, somehow avoiding turning the entire franchise into yet another katanas and trenchcoats snooze-fest by having a light touch with the backstory. Epic.
