The Continental: From the World of John Wick: Review

In some ways, The Continental faces a major dramatic dilemma.

In a miniseries that follows the ascent of a young Winston (Colin Woodell) destined to be the man in charge of the hotel made famous in the John Wick film franchise and portrayed by Ian McShane in his later years, the show is robbed of any tension it may hold around its charge.

Equally, it faces the prospect of undoing much of the goodwill and fervent love of its fans by fleshing out a mythology that possibly works better as unknown.

And finally, the show faces the unenviable prospect of how to top the fight and action sequences that have become synonymous with the franchise and its central star Keanu Reeves.

So it's no surprise that with all that crushing weight of expectation on its shoulders, The Continental: From the world of John Wick yields extremely mixed results - and some very limited pleasures.

Set in a parallel New York City in the 1970s, Woodell's Winston is drawn into the conflict between Mel Gibson's chaotic Cormac and his own brother Frankie. Initially choosing to not be part of it, Winston's hand is forced - and his ascent to the top of the Continental begins.

Running over three nights, and with two different directors, The Continental: From the world of John Wick has distinctive flavours as its action DNA merges with a more verbose and character-led show. Its opening and closing chapter, helmed by Albert Brooks, bookends much of the proceedings with action, while episode two's Charlotte Brandstrom's more character-led piece still brings the action but provides more of the meat of the dramatic sandwich.

Spoiler restrictions prevent revealing too much about the show, but suffice it to say fans of the John Wick world will likely get plenty of vicarious kicks from the kick-ass action moments, a pair of Matrix-styled near mute twins that echo Reeves' own monosyllabic edges and from seeing the world expanded.

But the drama feels muted and cliche in parts, with much of the brash American stylings of Mel Gibson's Cormac feeling more like someone chowing down on the scenery and revelling in the cheese rather than feeling like a more rounded menace. He stands out viciously in proceedings - and not in a good way.

Everyone has something to gain and lose in The Continental, and it's perhaps to the writers and creators' credit that each of the initially outlier characters proffer much to proceedings as they orbit Winston's world. 

Credit has to go to the diversity of this cast as well. Without revealing too much, this is a series that gives everyone their moment to shine - and usually via action sequences as well. Tightly choreographed work that appears visually inventive at times combines with a gritty action ethos that's as rewarding on the small screen as it is on the big.

With expert needle drops throughout, an incredible sense of style in the production, and runtimes that edge over 90 minutes per episode, a lot of craft and behind the scenes work has gone into The Continental's visual flourishes and vistas. It's evocative, grimy and desperate in places, even if the outcome does feel a little inevitable.

Early character moments for Woodell channel the cheesiness of James Bond and with lines like Gibson's Cormac remarking how it should be named The Incontinental, the occasional low-bearing fruit feels like slim and unwarranted pickings. 

Much more successful is the way this Wick-ipedia is expanded and built on - and certainly, the last episode makes a bold claim for one of the best action finales of any show or film on screen in 2023, with satisfaction guaranteed where it has been found left wanting earlier on.

Ultimately, The Continental: From the World of John Wick requires a bit of patience and a fair degree of investment to build to gain a slight reward for its concluding episode - the journey's admittedly a slog in places, but the ultimate destination if you're a fights and action movie nerd is just about worth it.

The Continental: From the world of John Wick begins streaming on Prime Video from Friday September 22.