‘THE CONTINENTAL: FROM THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK’ ON PEACOCK

Fans of “John Wick” are most likely to be drawn to the prequel miniseries “The Continental: From the World of John Wick,” if not to experience an origin story, but at least because the fourth chapter of “John Wick” seemed to signal an end to the franchise.

However, because the timeline is set in the gritty New York of the 1970s, there’s no place for Keanu Reeves’ fraught hit man, for the obvious reason that Wick himself was probably in grade school at the time.

The connective tissue is the presence of Colin Woodell as young con man Winston Scott, who will be later, in the person of Ian McShane, the owner of The Continental hotel in the movie series.

In his youthful incarnation, Winston’s unbridled ambition is to replace the current proprietor, Cormac O’Connor (Mel Gibson, more grumpy old man than true menace).

As any fan of the movies would know, the Continental is a neutral ground for assassins and assorted underworld figures who labor under the umbrella of The High Table, a council of criminal overlords.

With its standing policy of a place where no business may be conducted, any breach of the hotel’s sanctuary protocol results in a bounty placed on the head of an offender.

This three-episode series of ninety minutes apiece begins as the tale of two brothers, the younger being Winston, and the older one Frankie (Ben Robson). Winston is based in London where he’s trying to con a wealthy real estate developer.

Meanwhile in New York, Frankie is bent on breaking the sacrosanct rules of The High Table. But first he visits the hotel for a New Year’s Eve party that hosts the top criminal element.

After exchanging pleasantries with Cormac who trained him to be an assassin, Frankie makes his way to the nearby subway station, meeting up with an associate to hatch a heist.

In what is not only bad form but an unforgivable breach, Frankie burrows into the Continental’s vault to purloin an ancient coin press that manufactures the currency used by global assassins.

Of course, Frankie goes into hiding with his Vietnamese wife Yen (Nhung Kate), who proves as brutal as any assassin. While Winston has been estranged from his big brother, he’s inevitably drawn to help Frankie and Yen to elude Cormac’s henchmen.

Some of the interesting characters include Ayomide Adegun as the young Charon, who becomes the hotel’s concierge played so brilliantly by the late Lance Reddick in the films.

Most amusing are twin killers Hansel (Mark Musashi) and Gretal (Marina Mazepa) in their matching Prince Valiant hairstyles. The High Table’s Adjudicator (Katie McGrath) sports a distorted porcelain mask as if emulating an ersatz Phantom of the Opera.

Curiously, Mel Gibson gets a top billing, and other than the fact that he’s the best-known name in the cast, his Cormac is more cartoonishly malevolent than truly dark and foreboding.

Since Gibson’s appearances are more limited at least in the first episode, being the weak link doesn’t undermine the story as long as his ham-handed performance remains overshadowed by his co-stars.

Even though a prequel holds little surprise in a buildup to the “John Wick” series, “The Continental: From the World of John Wick” has more than sufficient plot twists to be an engaging entertainment worth a look.



‘THE CAINE MUTINY COURT-MARTIAL’ ON SHOWTIME

On the heels of its Venice Film Festival premiere, Showtime brings to the small screen “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial,” written and directed by Academy Award celebrated filmmaker William Friedkin and based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Herman Wouk of the same name.

The captivating film follows a U.S. naval first officer who’s standing for trial for orchestrating a mutiny after his captain shows signs of becoming unhinged and jeopardizes the lives of his crew.

At the start of the naval court-martial, Barney Greenwald (Jason Clark), a skeptical Navy lawyer, reluctantly agrees to defend Lt. Steve Maryk (Jake Lacy), a first officer who took control of the U.S.S. Caine.

In the center of controversy is Lieutenant Commander Philip Francis Queeg (Kiefer Sutherland), who appeared wobbly during a violent sea storm in unfriendly waters.

As the trial progresses, Greenwald becomes increasingly concerned and questions if the events aboard the Caine were a true mutiny or simply the courageous acts of a group of sailors who did not trust their unstable leader.

The late Lance Reddick, a popular figure for his role as Charon in the “John Wick” franchise, plays the part of Captain Luther Blakely. Other members of the ensemble cast include Monica Raymund as Commander Challee, Jay Duplass as Lieutenant Bird, and Lewis Pullman as Lieutenant Keefer.

After its festival premiere, “The Caine Mutiny Court-Martial” will stream exclusively on Paramount+ on Friday, Oct. 6, before making its linear debut on Showtime on Sunday, Oct. 8.

The film was completed prior to William Friedkin’s passing on Aug. 7, 2023. Friedkin will remain best remembered for classics like “The French Connection” and “The Exorcist.”

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.