If you’ve ever wondered, “How many ways are there to kill someone?” that question gets answered in this film. There’s fighting, and then there’s fighting in this movie. Between this and The Phoenician Scheme, I’m expecting every film for the rest of the year to feature grenades in either a humorous or vengeful capacity.
Directed by Len Wiseman, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina takes place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. The film follows the life of Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), beginning with her tragic backstory before she ultimately joins the Ruska Roma, a highly trained group of assassins. Everything seems to be going as planned until a failed attempt on her life exposes her to an organization linked to her father’s death. After getting the first lead since her father died, now she’ll stop at nothing to find his killer and quench her thirst for revenge.
I expected there to be violence, but I didn’t expect violence on this grand a scale. Axes to the face, mouths stuffed with grenades, and a fight sequence that’s pushed me away from ice skating anytime soon.
The cast was perfect. I’m grateful for the sprinkle of nostalgia with the sight of Charon. Lance Reddick filmed scenes for the film years ago before he ultimately passed in 2023. Victoria Comte portrayed Young Eve and gave a masterful performance at such a young age, as did Ava Joyce McCarthy. Ian McShane is impossible to hate, and having Norman Reedus for the short time we did was just awesome. The film also features Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, David Castañeda, and Catalina Sandino Moreno.
Wiseman was, well, “wise” in not infusing the entire film with Keanu Reeves. The trailer spoiled his presence in the film, but thankfully, he doesn’t outshine Eve. The film presents her as a regular girl who trains with other skilled assassins and becomes good, but not great. I appreciate the genuine presentation since we’d usually get a character that would be near perfect after such a short time honing their skills.
I cannot say this enough: the film is action-packed. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the John Wick Universe, you’ll enjoy this film if you’re a fan of action. The action delivered in Ballerina makes the latest Mission: Impossible film look like a trip to Walmart.
As intense and exciting as it is, the film does have its shortcomings. First off, I feel they could’ve found a better fit than Ana de Armas. She wasn’t bad, she just wasn’t excellent. Secondly, with lots of fire comes double the safety. With so many safety measures to consider, there were bound to be blips. Multiple times, I caught the stunt doubles instead of the principal characters and their safety gear. That wouldn’t have happened had they not spent so much time emphasizing the flamethrowers. Lastly, Eve’s injuries were short-lived, as was the blood on her face. Having a fresh set of makeup after getting thrown through a glass table and stabbed multiple times was a bit far-fetched. Outside of these little things, the film is still awesome.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina gets a 9.5 out of 10. There are knives, explosions, and a boatload of Tchaikovsky; everything a film should have. I cannot stress how extremely violent this film is. It is not for the weak, so the R rating is appropriate. It’s worth seeing in theaters, and you deserve to treat yourself if an IMAX screening is available. The only thing that would’ve made this better is if John Wick hadn’t been included in the marketing and just appeared as a surprise. But the film is still magnificent by all counts.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina premieres Friday, June 6.
-Jon Jones
Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate
Genre: Action
Rating: R
Runtime: 2 hrs 5 mins
Trailer: Watch
U.S. Release Date: June 6
[…] and violence got increasingly worse. When I say the film is intense, I mean the violence made Ballerina look like a Blues Clues […]