Bonus Features: ‘John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum’ Special Features Breakdown

Tick tock, Mr. Wick.
Back in May, Keanu Reeves once again proved why he’s the baddest man in Hollywood right now with “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.” “Chapter 3” is a high-speed, action-packed slugfest that dives even deeper into the mythology introduced in the series’ first two films. Now, the Baba Yaga is heading home on Digital, 4K UHD, Blu-Ray and DVD, and he’s bringing a ton of special features with him.
Here’s a look at all the bonus content available!
“Parabellum: Legacy of the High Table” Featurette
This 10-minute featurette includes interviews with director Chad Stahelski, producer Erica Lee and the full cast of “Chapter 3.” It essentially serves as an introduction to the rest of the bonus features, briefly touching on subjects that are explored in greater depth in the other videos, like the High Table and the Continental. If you’re looking for more explanations about John’s origins at the ballet school run by The Director (Anjelica Huston), the idea of the “ticket,” or maybe some more information about The Adjudicator (Asia Kate Dillon), be sure to check this one out. Plus, Lee gives a little tease about the upcoming TV series revolving around Los Angeles’ version of The Continental.

“Excommincado” Featurette
At the end of “John Wick: Chapter Two,” John commits an act of violence on Continental grounds, breaking the cardinal rule of the assassin world. As a result he becomes “excommunicado” – losing his ability to utilize all the resources provided to assassins under the High Table and instantly becoming a target with a $14 million bounty on his head.
In this featurette, Stahelski explores all of the other organizations and freelance assassins trying to take John out during “Chapter 3,” particularly the Shinobi ninja warriors led by Zero (Mark Dacascos). Find out how Dacascos joined the cast, where the idea of ninjas originated, and why Zero is so infatuated with John Wick. Plus, “Excommunicado” dives into the ballet choreography and its similarities to stunt choreography, and explains more about the Bowery King’s (Laurence Fishburne) world, the High Table’s special forces team and Casablanca’s Arabic roots.
“Check Your Sights” Featurette*
If the John Wick franchise is known for one thing, it’s action. Get the inside scoop on the countless hours of combat choreography, stunt practice and weapons training with behind the scenes looks at Keanu Reeves and Halle Berry in action.
As Stahelski says, in a great action film, there should be no difference between story and action. Just because an action sequence begins doesn’t mean the story should be put on pause, and the director explains how he manages to continue telling the story through the action in “Chapter 3.”
Plus, learn how Berry basically demanded Stahelski cast her as Sofia, and the work she had to put in to reach Reeves’ level of combat.

“Saddle Up Wick” Featurette*
John Wick may be famous for killing someone “with a pencil,” but getting a horse to rear kick a bad guy in the skull has to be a close second. Not only does he use the horse as a weapon itself, but it’s the getaway vehicle, too. So how do you get a horse to gallop through the streets of Brooklyn?
Find out with Stahelski, Reeves and stunts/horsemaster Tad Griffith. From the contraption itself to digitally recreating the roads, no part of this was easy.
“Bikes, Blades, Bridges, and Bits” Featurette*
Ninjas? Motorcycles? Ninjas on motorcycles?! Find out the inspiration behind the high-speed chase sequence and how Stahelski and Co. actually managed to pull it off.
“Continental in the Desert” Featurette*
The John Wick universe is filled with mythology. In “Chapter 2” we saw Rome’s version of the Continental, and this time around we visit Casablanca in Morocco. Dive into the history behind the High Table and The Elder (Saïd Taghmaoui), learn how Stahelski came up with the idea to shoot in the Sahara desert, and hear about all the inclement weather the team had to work around.

“Dog Fu” Featurette*
This all started with a dog, so it only makes sense that “Chapter 3” is full of them. They may look ferocious on screen, but Sofia’s pups are just some good boys behind the scenes. Learn how the dogs were trained from birth for the film and the challenges the team faced with choreographing scenes with live animals.
“House of Transparency” Featurette*
“Chapter 3” culminates in one of the series’ most impressive showdowns yet, the final battle between John and Zero in a setting made entirely of glass. As awesome as that sounds, and is, it also presents a ton of problems.
Just think of all the reflections you have to remove? How much of the glass can you break and how much is VFX? How many times can you break it? The answers to all those questions and more in this breakdown.

“Shot by Shot” Featurette*
In order for an action movie to truly feel real, the editing has to be top notch. Go shot by shot with the film’s editors as they break down the final shots audiences see and compare them to the original versions, explaining what they cut and why.
Bonus features also include both of the film’s theatrical trailers, a trailer for the game “John Wick Hex,” and a behind the scenes featurette about “John Wick Hex.”
“John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” is now available on Digital, 4K UHD, Blu-Ray and DVD.
*Only included on Digital, 4K UHD or Blu-Ray
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Zach Goins View All
Zach Goins is a member of the North Carolina Film Critics Association based in Raleigh, N.C. Zach co-founded Inside The Film Room in 2018 and serves as Editor-in-Chief of the website and co-host of the podcast. Zach also serves as a film critic for CLTure.org.
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