This movie dances with joy in the established John Wick universe.
A young girl is brought into an assassin syndicate after her father is killed. Now she willing to defy everyone around her for revenge.
Ballerina, also known as the mouthful “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” is a blast. Directed by Len Wiseman, and written by Shay Hatten and Derek Kolstad, this new entry in the franchise is absolutely no slouch. Starring Ana de Armas (No Time to Die, Knives Out) Gabriel Byrne and Norman Reedus, it is safe to say we have a successful spin-off series on our hands.
Eve, a young girl who witnessed her father’s execution by mysterious men, is recruited by the Ruska Roma syndicate. Hoping to nurture her pain and anger into one of their weapons, to kill and defend. But she risks being cast out by her new family when she defies orders to seek out her father’s killers.
We’ve had a lot of femme fatales, female-lead assassin movies, from Luc Besson’s La Femme Nikita in 1990, to Atomic Blonde in 2017. We’ve also had some pretty disastrous spin-offs with female-led casts (Ghostbusters 2016, Ocean’s Eight). But it is very safe to say that Ballerina rises above all of these. The formers, because Ballerina can utilize a vast world carved by the last four John Wick movies. Which is a great canvas to work with. The latter… well, this one is actually good.
Which if you look at director Len Wiseman’s filmography, might be surprising. The Total Recall remake no one remembers? But this could be identifying his talent as an action director, and its prequel-sequel nature. Along with the writers behind Wick and 2021’s Nobody. But we cannot ignore Ana de Armas in the lead role. In case anyone has forgotten, de Armas has been a formidable action star before. Easily one of the most competent Bond girls in No Time to Die. Ever since that film, I’ve been hoping she’s find her way into an action role. The John Wick universe couldn’t have been a better choice.
This is a lot of praise. But Ballerina has an insane amount of action stamina. This is similar to John Wick: Chapter 2, where the film refuses to slow down. There is always someone around the next corner (or several people) intent on killing our protagonist. Everyone in the world has a handgun or a shotgun. This pace might exhaust some audiences. After a point, it simply doesn’t stop. You will find yourself saying “Okay, this is the moment to breath?” and be denied. Multiple times. Does it help that John Wick: Chapter 2 is my favourite in the series? Quite likely.
But how is the moment-to-moment action? After all, we have a lithe girl in place of a Reeves or Donnie Yen. The film makes pains to establish itself as different. We see Eve’s training as a bloody, difficult affair. Not only the rigorous perfectionism of ballet, but the physical requirements of close-quarter-combat. Eve balks at this: “He’s too strong.” Her teacher explains: “Change the rules. Cheat. Improvise. Fight like a girl.” Eve then wins the bout by kicking him in the balls.
Pretty funny, but more importantly the film does excel at the “improvisation”. Goodness me. The Wick films are famous for improved weapons and combat, and Ballerina is no exception. Even now, these choreographers and writers can still come up with new things. You won’t look at grenades the same way again, that’s for sure.
De Armas gets beaten up a lot too. Something else Wick films are good at; the heroes are never invulnerable. Eve is no exception. She’s thrown into walls, hurled into tables, stabbed multiple times. But there isn’t quips. She just looks exhausted, sharing a wide-eyed “WTF” with the audience. This action star isn’t being carried by her male counterparts; she’s doing everything herself.
All our favourites return as well. Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, and the late Lance Reddick, which was bittersweet to see. This being his last role before his sudden passing. Of course, Keanu Reeves is here too, that isn’t hugely surprising. But he doesn’t steal the show from de Armas. Intentional or not, Ballerina is set in-between Wick movies, so his involvement is limited.
Overall, the film is excellent. A really solid, bloody, bombastic action movie that doesn’t spare its female lead from the expected cuts and bruises. All the thumping music, glamour, and violence you would expect is here in spades. Perhaps it is too much for some audiences, but for me it was just a mad rollercoaster with wildly imaginative fight scenes.
Bring on more of this, I say.
