From the stylish, gun-fu fueled world of John Wick comes Ballerina, a brutal new chapter that promises to expand the universe with even more beautifully choreographed carnage. This isn’t your grandma’s ballet recital; this is pirouettes with pistols and fouettés with flamethrowers!
Prepare yourself for a tale of vengeance, loss, and the unlikely grace of a highly trained assassin named Eve Macarro. If you thought the John Wick films were over the top, then strap in, because this one promises to turn the volume up to eleven. Will our protagonist find the justice she craves, or will she simply become another casualty in the high-stakes world of assassins?
Review by Ben Dover
Alright, you whippersnappers, settle down and listen up. Another John Wick movie, only this time it ain’t John Wick, it’s some dame named Eve. Ballerina, they call it. And let me tell you, if you like watching pretty people get the living snot kicked out of them in incredibly inventive ways, then you’re in for a treat. But don’t expect Shakespeare, or even a coherent plot, for that matter. This movie is about as deep as a puddle after a light drizzle.
So, this Eve character, played by Ana de Armas, she’s an assassin who’s also a ballerina. Because, of course, that’s a perfectly logical combination. She’s out for revenge because her family got rubbed out. You know, the usual. The Director, played by Anjelica Huston (who clearly just shows up for a paycheck and to deliver a few menacing lines), takes her in and trains her at this assassin-ballet school. What, no tap dancing with shurikens? Missed opportunity, I tell ya. Then, years later, she finds a clue and decides to go rogue, much to the chagrin of the “rules” of this “world” they keep yammering about.
Now, where this movie shines, and I mean really shines, is the action. Good Lord, the stunts in this thing are insane. Flamethrowers, ice skates, grenades taped to bad guys’ necks – it’s like a blood-soaked Rube Goldberg machine of mayhem. They even got Keanu Reeves to pop in for a bit, probably just to make sure everyone remembers this is a John Wick spin-off and not, you know, a good movie on its own. He still mumbles, bless his heart. The plot, as I said, is thinner than my patience with these TikTok trends, but who cares when you’re watching someone get set on fire in slow motion?
However, and this is where my crankiness really kicks in, they spend way too much time on the “story.” This movie has an identity crisis. It wants to be a character study about revenge and fate, but then it just devolves into another mindless shootout. Pick a lane, Hollywood! And some of the dialogue? Oy vey. It’s like a bad fortune cookie wrote it. But then again, these young folks nowadays eat that stuff up. “Empowering!” they’ll scream, while completely missing the point that it’s just a lot of punching and kicking.
Overall, if you’re a fan of the John Wick universe and just want more of the same, albeit with a slightly different flavor of pain, you’ll probably get a kick out of Ballerina. Just leave your brain at the door and enjoy the fireworks. And seriously, what’s with all the glowing wrist tattoos? Is that a new fad I’m too old to understand?
Starring
- Ana de Armas as Eve Macarro: Our titular ballerina-turned-assassin seeking vengeance. She certainly can kick and punch with the best of them, even if her character’s motivations are a bit… flimsy. She previously showed she could handle action in No Time to Die.
- Anjelica Huston as The Director: The formidable head of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate/ballet school. She’s got that menacing matriarch vibe down cold, even if her screen time is limited.
- Gabriel Byrne as The Chancellor: The “chief villain,” leading a cult of assassins. He brings a certain gravitas, even when the plot goes off the rails.
- Lance Reddick as Charon: The ever-dignified concierge of the Continental Hotel. A bittersweet final appearance for the late actor.
- Ian McShane as Winston Scott: The enigmatic owner of the New York Continental. Still as charmingly aloof as ever, doling out cryptic advice.
- Keanu Reeves as John Wick: The man himself, making a cameo to remind us whose universe this really is. He’s still got it, even if his role here is more of a glorified cameo.
- Norman Reedus as Daniel Pine
- Catalina Sandino Moreno as Lena
- Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Nogi
Special Effects
The special effects in Ballerina are mostly practical, which is a breath of fresh air in an age of green screens and CGI mush. When someone gets set on fire, they look like they actually got set on fire! The stunt work is phenomenal, truly a highlight. The flamethrower sequences, in particular, are incredibly well-executed and look genuinely dangerous, which is saying something. They really went all out to make the action feel real and visceral. They even apparently had Ana de Armas setting stuntmen on fire herself, which is… certainly a choice. The “grenade-fu” sequence in a gun shop also deserves a shout-out for its inventiveness. This is where the film earns its stripes.
Music
The score, composed by Joel J. Richard and Tyler Bates (who worked on previous John Wick films), is exactly what you’d expect: thumping, propulsive, and designed to get your heart racing during the action sequences. It’s good, but nothing particularly memorable outside of the immediate moment. There’s also a song called “Hand That Feeds” by Halsey and Amy Lee, which I’m sure the kids will love. It fits the “angry female assassin” vibe, I suppose. It serves its purpose, but I won’t be adding it to my record collection, that’s for sure.
Rating
4 out of 5 Hot Ass-assins
Synopsis and Plot Breakdown
Ballerina follows Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), a highly trained assassin who is also a dancer within the Ruska Roma, a criminal organization that doubles as a ballet school. The film is set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4.
Plot Breakdown:
The story begins with a young Eve witnessing the brutal murder of her family, specifically her father, by a group of assailants marked with a distinctive “X” shaped scar. Orphaned and traumatized, she is eventually brought to the Ruska Roma by Winston Scott (Ian McShane), the owner of the New York Continental Hotel. Under the stern tutelage of The Director (Anjelica Huston) and Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), Eve is rigorously trained in both ballet and the art of assassination, becoming a “Kikimora,” a protector/assassin. During her training, she even has a brief encounter with John Wick (Keanu Reeves), who advises her to abandon her path of violence, though she ultimately disregards his warning.
Years later, now a formidable assassin, Eve discovers information that leads her to believe the same group responsible for her family’s death, a cult led by The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), is still active. Disobeying the rules of the Ruska Roma and The Director, Eve embarks on a personal quest for vengeance. Her investigation leads her to various dangerous encounters, including a gun shop in Prague where she uses grenades in incredibly inventive ways to fight off assailants. She also connects with Charon (Lance Reddick) at the New York Continental for information.
Eve eventually tracks down Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus), a former member of the cult, who has escaped with his daughter, Ella. Pine provides Eve with crucial intelligence about The Chancellor and his operations. However, the cultists, led by Lena (Catalina Sandino Moreno), attack them at a Continental hotel, and Ella is kidnapped.
Eve’s pursuit leads her to a remote, snow-covered town in Austria, revealed to be a stronghold for The Chancellor’s cult, where every adult is a trained killer. She faces a relentless onslaught of assassins, culminating in a series of brutal, highly choreographed fights, including an ice skating rink brawl. During her confrontation with The Chancellor, it’s revealed that Pine is his son and Ella his granddaughter, and also that Lena is Eve’s older sister.
The Chancellor, infuriated by Eve’s actions, contacts The Director, leading to a declaration of war between their factions. To appease the Chancellor, The Director sends John Wick to eliminate Eve. John finds Eve in Hallstatt, and after a fierce battle where he repeatedly spares her, he gives her a short window to finish her revenge before he continues his contract. With John providing cover from a distance, Eve battles through the cult’s remaining forces, eventually cornering The Chancellor. Despite his attempts to reason with her, Eve executes him and rescues Ella.
The film concludes with Eve bringing Ella to the New York Continental to reunite her with a recovering Pine. With The Chancellor dead, a new bounty is placed on Eve, making her the next target in the dangerous underworld. She leaves the ballet performance of her friend Tatiana, ready to face the consequences of her choices.
Famous Quotes from the Movie
- “Did you think you could just walk away?”
- “Those men from your past, don’t let them steal your future.”
- “I’m you in ten years.”
- “Better to be inside the tent wizzing out rather than to be outside wizzing in.”
- “Cool.”
Notes from the Movie
- The film takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4, providing a deeper look into the interconnected assassin underworld.
- Ana de Armas reportedly performed many of her own stunts and even had to set stuntmen on fire for the flamethrower sequences, which she found emotionally challenging at first.
- Lance Reddick’s appearance as Charon marks one of his final screen performances before his passing.
- The stunt team for Ballerina created a new fireproof gel to protect stunt people during the extensive flamethrower scenes, allowing for nearly 200 full or partial burns in just eight days of shooting without incident.
- The movie deliberately subverts the common phrase “fight like a girl,” turning it into a motto for fighting smarter and with adaptability, as demonstrated by Eve’s unique combat style.
Trailer
Wallpaper
