Ballerina is a high-octane, action-packed thriller full of plenty of bloody suspense, guts and edge-of-your-seat killer action we have come to expect from the storied John Wick action thriller franchise. That takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4 and even with the female lead perspective story of Eve Macarro, who is so brilliantly played with such strength, prowess and realistic sensibilities by Oscar-nominated actress, Ana de Armas. Definitely lives up to most of that same high-octane, action-packed thriller bloody suspense and edge-of-your-seat killer action we have come to expect in the Keanu Reeves-starring series. With Reeves reprising his role as Wick, as well as Academy Award-winning actress, Angelica Huston, reprising her role as, “the Director”, Lance Reddick in his final ever film appearance reprising his role of Charon and legendary acclaimed actor, Ian McShane, as the very beloved, Winston. The film also starring in supporting roles Gabriel Byrne as The Chancellor and Norman Reedus as the very mysterious, Daniel Pine.
The story opens with a young Eve, seeing her father killed before she is then sent off to an orphanage. This isn’t just your normal orphanage though and the Ruska Roma, which is a shadowy institution that uses its very rigorous training in ballet as a cover to mask its true curriculum of contract killing. The Ruska Roma, along with Winston, who helps recruit her to the school also trying to hide from a young Eve the origins of her father’s death that will later on play a factor in her defying orders from them to try to avenge her father’s murder. 10-15 years later, a now adult Eve, who has gone through vigorous training from “the Director” in ballet and also perfectly mentored in the ways of an assassin by Nogi, who is so brilliantly played by Sharon Duncan-Brewster, as the thoughtful, yet strict and no-holds-barred tell you the truth mentor that everyone needs when they are still in the beginning and training stages of something much bigger. The blood and scars on her feet from her constant failures before perfection as a ballerina and many other bumps, bruises and failures she has in training with Nogi showing a character with many failures not only so many other women and girls can relate to, but really anyone that has trained for something before and had to fail so many times before completing that task. Eve and Nogi’s chemistry together, one of kick-ass sisterhood you don’t see so many times together in film and her really showing Eve how she can use her weaknesses as strengths. Nogi even telling Eve at one point one of the last times she loses in training, “You are a girl. Fight like one. Cheat if you have to and use your weaknesses as your strength!” Which we start to see her finally do and doing everything from kicking her male opponents in the groin area to delivering low blows as well. That leads to Eve telling “the Director” she is ready to which she obliges and lets Nogi lead her to her last training session before she becomes an official, Ruska Roma assassin.
Like all of the previous films in the John Wick franchise, the action sequences, fights, kills, choreography and all of the never-before-seen weapons are really key element that makes, Ballerina, such another great entry into the John Wick universe. With Eve’s first real true fight scene and mission in a dance club one of those real true key pivotal moments of the movie. As Eve is really transitioning from the ballet school to the actual real world and you can see her frustrations from all of the mistakes she makes trying to keep her first field mission protectee safe from their possible assailant. But she is able to freestyle and transition from making the ice in the club be something she can slide on to take out her opponents to turning anything else that can normally be a disadvantage such as a pair of ice skates into makeshift nunchakus or even pots and pans to weapons. Doing as she was trained by making something that would normally be a disadvantage into an advantage to Eve in fighting, choreography, combat and kills. It is during the conclusion of this first mission that leads Eve to defy, “the Director’s”, insistence of not seeking out revenge of her father’s killer that leads to the true main plot of the story. Which is her very own epic, adrenaline-fueled quest for retribution of her father’s death. That leads to her going to The Continental New York to seek out advice from Winston for the first time since she was a child on more information about her family and her father’s killers. Which then leads us to one of the most mysterious and exciting new characters in, Daniel Pine. With whom Eve sees for a very fateful encounter at The Continental Prague. That’s lead even more into the mystery of finding her father’s killer and where we are also first introduced to Eve and the film’s mysterious main antagonist, The Chancellor, as well as one of his loyal servants of his cult-like army of killers, Lena. With whom we later learn also has some possible family ties to Eve.
The snowy mountain like village of assassin’s in snow-covered Hallstatt, Austria was another really key aspect in building and making this newest entry into the John Wick universe its own. That has its own distinct features and story for this cult-like village that, The Chancellor, employs would be assassin’s to be able to raise their own families. While also living that crazy lifestyle. Which Eve first learns about when she enters a restaurant kitchen and finds a would be normal female waitress is really a mountain village female assassin. That leads to a rare all-out battle between two equal women that you rarely see in action films and really allows de Armas as Eve to really go all-out in her fight sequence with the female villager. As she turns everything from pots and pans, as well as knives into weapons to try and maneuver her way through the restaurant in her action-packed, adrenaline-fueled killer journey to try to reach, The Chancellor. To try to not only seek revenge and retribution for her father’s death, but also save Pine’s daughter as well. Eve using everything from swords to grenades, flamethrowers and a water hose to try and take out all the assassin’s in the village that, The Chancellor, has try to take her out. In this edge-of-your-seat, all out action-packed killing thriller journey. That includes a really formidable intense face-off with John Wick for one of the film’s most exciting and anticipated moments. As both Eve and Wick try to battle each other blow-by-blow with everything from swords to just regular combat and he tries to dissuade her from seeking out her own mission she is on to kill, The Chancellor. That face-off from Eve and Wick, just like their first encounter earlier in the movie when she was still training. Showing the major difference between both characters too. As Eve Macarro is somebody that embraces and really wants to live that assassin lifestyle. Even like most other assasins looking up to John Wick as someone you want to reach the peak of what he has done as an assassin with how many people he has taken out over the years. While Wick, himself despite so many like Eve looking up to him trying to leave that lifestyle and even despite that it somehow always pulling him back in.
Ballerina, is definitely a very great entry into the ever expanding John Wick universe that shows us some of the best action-packed thrilling, adrenaline-fueled, blood, suspenseful edge-of-your-seat killer action we have seen in the series so far. That from the exploding car to the flamethrowers and grenade fight sequence in a gun shop delivers some of the most beautifully shot never-before-seen great action sequences in not only the franchise, but that you will possibly ever see on film or an action film. Which is why even if you aren’t a fan or new to the John Wick universe and just a fan of great thrilling, adrenaline-fueled, action-packed killing thriller action films. I very highly recommend seeing this in theaters and can’t wait to see the reception that fans of the franchise give Ana de Armas as Eve. Which should be many if it’s as excitingly suspenseful and adrenanile-fueled as it was for me and most of the audience that seen it. I also can’t wait to see how they expand on Eve and some of the other new characters in the universe as well.