Directed by: Len Wiseman
Written by: Shay Hatten
Starring: Ana de Armas, Ian McShane, Gabriel Byrne, Angelica Huston, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, and Keanu Reeves
Runtime: 125 minutes
‘Ballerina’ may not take many complicated steps, but the movie and de Armas hit their action-film marks. Encore!
“What a pleasure to see you again.” - Winston Scott (Ian McShane)
Winston, the longtime manager of New York City’s The Continental Hotel, welcomes Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) to his opulent, urban lodge. He last saw Eve, perhaps 12 or 15 years ago, when she lost her dad to a vicious firefight in their home.
Eve travels to New York and visits Winston for a favor. She wants to find the mob-like organization that murdered her father and take vengeance.
If the names Winston and The Continental ring a bell, yes, that’s right, they both live in the “John Wick” movies. In addition to Eve, it’s a pleasure to see Winston, his hotel, and the John Wick Universe again.
“Ballerina” stars de Armas in the title role. Eve is a trained assassin, a one-woman killing machine on a singular mission to find the mercenaries that she only knows by a scar-marked “X” on their wrists. The leader of this “cult,” as Winston speaks of it, is The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), in a delightfully violent and entertaining John Wick spinoff that includes Angelica Huston and the late Lance Reddick, and Wick newcomers Norman Reedus (“The Walking Dead” (2010 – 2022)) and Catalina Sandino Moreno (“Maria Full of Grace” (2004)).
And yes, John Wick fans, Keanu Reeves plays a small supporting role in the de Armas-led action picture.
Director Len Wiseman’s (“Underworld” (2003), “Live Free or Die Hard” (2007), “Total Recall” (2012)) “Ballerina” plays into the related themes and tone as the “Wick” flicks, such as imaginative and jaw-dropping/arm-breaking close combat choreography and the protagonist’s singular, Terminator-esque focus on claiming retribution, no matter the legions of daunting, faceless hit men and hit women throwing punches and firing bullets in Eve’s path.
In the original “John Wick” (2014), our lead begins his revenge after a Russian crime syndicate kills his dog. Similarly, Eve is set on her merciless path after the same fate befalls her dad.
Suddenly orphaned, a preteen Eve meets Winston, and he whisks her off to The Director (Huston), the devilish, intimidating force who runs the Ruska Roma, a Russian crime society where kids and young adults vie in rigorous preparation to become killers for hire, an idea employed by other recent action movies, like “Red Sparrow” (2018), “Anna” (2019), and “Black Widow” (2021). Used as a cover, the executioner candidates, including Eve, also partake in ballerina training. Eve’s dad gave her a ballerina music box encased in glass, and these are the only pure references to the movie’s title.
While Eve learns the pirouette, plie, and port de bras for a brief montage or two, she readily studies martial arts, loading and firing pistols, and breaking and entering. These are real dance steps for her upcoming hired-gun career.
She is soon thrown into the blender for her first assignment, and before you can say, “It’s go time,” the movie is set two months later, with Eve gaining murderous experience in the field. She soon diverts her attention away from her 9-to-5 job to a side hustle: tracking down the X-marks-the-spot cult despite objections from The Director and warnings from Winston. However, verbal counsel won’t sidestep Eve!
Furthermore, de Armas – who had action-picture training in Daniel Craig’s last 007 flick, “No Time to Die” (2021) - is convincing as Eve. She fires firearms and dispatches hand-to-hand pugilism with resolute purpose and masters nimble movements when danger arises, like in a crowded club with a floor constructed of ice and an unassuming coffee shop with plenty of unassuming serving plates that could be used as weapons.
Ana, 5’ 6”, has an athletic, svelte build, but Wiseman and de Armas don’t portray Eve as an unstoppable, indestructible killing machine. Eve suffers horrific knocks, jolts, and swipes along the way. Larger adversaries throw her around like a muppet and into concrete walls or through glass on occasion, which helps build a realistic portrayal of this newbie contract killer who is also a 120-pound woman. She’s not overpowering 300-pound men with the greatest of ease. Eve is vulnerable but awfully capable.
However, the audience doesn’t gain much insight into Eve’s character, as Wiseman, screenwriter Shay Hatten, and de Armas don’t delve deeply into our leads’ thoughts and feelings other than lethal retaliation. Then again, John Wick received the same treatment, especially in his first film.
The script also randomly introduces a new family member (to Eve), which feels forced and a bit unnecessary. The breathtaking third-act small village location is a wonder, but we don’t learn much about the locals or The Chancellor, and no, the main plot never really rises into intricate nuances.
“Ballerina” is a straight-up, simple revenge picture, but Wiseman, Hatten, and the stunt and visual effects teams dream up some flat-out astounding action-packed sequences and kills – including creative uses of a television’s remote control and various grenades - that caused this critic to verbally curse and take the Lord’s name in vain a few times during the frequently compelling 125-minute runtime. That’s a good thing, by the way.
It's also a good thing that the John Wick Universe has room for another assassin, and it will be a pleasure to see Eve again. “Ballerina” may not take many complicated steps, but the movie and de Armas hit their action-film marks. Encore!
Jeff’s ranking
2.5/4 stars
