History YMMV / JohnWickChapter2

** Don't take advantage of colleagues who are going through a bad time in their life. While taking advantage doesn't typically involve forcing someone into a contract killing, being insensitive to someone in grieving can still burn bridges to one's detriment. On that note, making a career out of underworld crime is [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing very hazardous to health and peace of mind]], and may lead complications if you try to leave that life. Inversely, it's sometimes just better to bite the figurative bullet and fulfill your obligations and bid your beneficiary "farewell". John blowing off Santino at the beginning of ''Chapter 2'' leads to a snowball of complications that make life even more miserable for John.
** Getting into debt with shady individuals who may breach a contract should be avoided in favor of people who at least honor agreements.
** Everyone has a limit and a breaking point. No matter who you are, who you do know and how important your standing is in the world, if you push someone hard enough they '''will''' snap eventually-- consequences be damned.

* AccidentalAesop: Don't take advantage of colleagues who are going through a bad time in their life. While taking advantage doesn't typically involve forcing someone into a contract killing, being insensitive to someone in grieving can still burn bridges to one's detriment. On that note, making a career out of underworld crime is [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing very hazardous to health and peace of mind]], and may lead complications if you try to leave that life.
** Inversely, it's sometimes just better to bite the figurative bullet and fulfill your obligations and bid your beneficiary "farewell". John blowing off Santino at the beginning of ''Chapter 2'' leads to a snowball of complications that make life even more miserable for John. Alternatively, getting into debt with shady individuals who may breach a contract should be avoided in favor of people who at least honor agreements.

** The whole [[spoiler:bounty against John could be a part of Santino's one big ThanatosGambit to lure John into a trap because he knew that John wouldn't stop until he's killed. So him setting himself up to be killed at The Continental was one final middle finger to John since he knows that John will never be at peace.]] That, or [[spoiler:Santino really didn't know when to shut his mouth, being the SmugSnake he is, and thought that John wouldn't violate The Continental rules. Santino's High Table ambitions would match this interpretation, unless Santino gaining a seat at the High Table made him TheFriendNobodyLikes with its members and he secretly wanted SuicideByCop.]]

** The whole [[spoiler:bounty against John could be a part of Santino's one big ThanatosGambit to lure John into a trap because he knew that John wouldn't stop until he's killed. So him setting himself up to be killed at The Continental was one final middle finger to John since he knows that John will never be at peace.]] That, or [[spoiler:Santino really didn't know when to shut his mouth, being the SmugSnake he is, and thought that John wouldn't violate The Continental rules.]]

* RetroactiveRecognition: Mr Akoni is played by Creator/ChukwudiIwuji, who, a few years after this film's release, would become more recongnizable for his roles in ''Series/{{Peacemaker|2022}}'' and ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxyVol3''.

* AluminumChristmasTrees: Bulletproof clothing actually [[https://miguelcaballero.com/en/i-was-shot/ exists.]] It's fashionable too!

* EvilIsSexy: Santino is a prideful SmugSnake but he's very easy on the eyes thanks to being played by Creator/RiccardoScamarcio.

* LoveToHate: Creator/RiccardoScamarcio as Santino. He's a SmugSnake of the highest order and Scamarcio really sells it in a way that get's under the audience's skin without being annoying or over-the-top. While one might have felt bad for Viggo and even Iosef to an extent, Santino almost wears his lack of sympathetic traits (or rather, sympathetic traits he doesn't immediately snatch away with his next line of dialog) with pride. Santino being attractive also helps somewhat.

** Gianna D'Antonio makes one hell of an entrance at her party, complete with backing from a band. The OST is [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPdqmM_ev5A "Coronation"].

** Gianna D'Antonio makes one hell of an entrance at her party, complete with backing from a band.

** [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/john-wick-reloading A still of Wick aggressively reloading]] [[https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/john-wick-reloading/photos his gun during the Museum Battle]] has been used as a reaction image for when ones BerserkButton is pushed.

** Frequent One-Scene-Wonder Creator/PeterStormare shows up in the first scene as the delightfully terrified mobster Abram Tasarov.

* AccidentalAesop: Don't take advantage of colleagues who are going through a bad time in their life. While taking advantage doesn't typically involve forcing someone into a contract killing, being insensitive to someone in grieving can still burn bridges to one's detriment. On that note, making a living off of underworld crime is [[DoNotDoThisCoolThing very hazardous to health and peace of mind.]]

* AscendedExtra:
** [[spoiler:The Bowery King says that the last time he met John Wick, he was left with a neck wound that inspired him to live and gain power.]] Could he have been one of the nameless mooks dispatched by John on one of his previous jobs?

** [[spoiler:The Bowery King says that the last time he met John Wick, he was left with a neck wound that inspired him to live and gain power.]] Could he have been one of the nameless mooks killed by John on one of his previous jobs?

* NightmareFuel: Bordering on ParanoiaFuel, [[spoiler:the reveal that there are ''thousands'' of assassins and hitmen employed by the [[MeaningfulName Continental]]; nearly every person is a possible threat if you have a bounty on your head as shown in the subway scene.]] Jonathan ''MOTHERFUCKING'' Wick himself is terrified at the end, since [[spoiler:he's dead meat for killing D'Antonio on Continental grounds and everywhere he looks, dozens of [[TheyLookJustLikeEveryoneElse hitmen disguised as people]] are being informed of his bounty.]] It looks like he won't be able to survive before the credits roll as he runs away with NO safe place or home to go to, [[spoiler:NO allies to help him]], and seemingly NO way to reverse his mistake.

* SpiritualAdaptation: This could be a better ''VideoGame/{{Hitman}}'' movie than any of the actual ''Hitman'' movies.

** While a nice, humorous call back to the first film, the kills with the pencil are extremely slow, unpleasant, messy and painful looking deaths to watch.

** The gun shopping scene. It's CompetencePorn of the highest level combined with SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic and OneSceneWonder. What's not to love.

** The part where John and Cassian are shooting at each other in a crowded subway with silenced pistols, missing each other completely and attracting ''zero'' attention from everyone around them. The over the top nature of the bit and the aura of seriousness between the two killers makes it hilarious.

** Gianna [[spoiler:slitting her own wrists, blood slowly dripping across her arms]] isn't exactly fun to watch either.