Ballerina is a successful redux of the John Wick films with a female lead that retains the thrills and action that characterizes this franchise.
A little girl is protected by her father from a gang of assassins led by a ruthless leader (Gabriel Byrne). Left orphaned, she is approached by Winston (Ian McShane) who offers her a new life as a ballerina and groomed as an assassin for The Director (Anjelica Huston), Years later, now an adult, Eve (Ana de Armas) vows revenge on the mysterious, lethal organization that killed her father. A trained killer, she reveres the legendary John Wick (Keanu Reeves), whose path she crosses as she pursues clues and fights her way to get to the truth. It leads to an explosive climax that will test all her skills.
The voluminous, action scenes are well done, and there are some interesting variations as Eve must improvise with grenades and a wild battle of flamethrowers. (Her lethal operative contrasts favorably with female counterparts in the films Atomic Blonde, La Femme Nikita, and Black Widow.) It is also interesting to see more of the behind-the-scenes mythology of this expanding John Wick universe.
The
story is not especially original with its one
note revenge plot, but de Armas sells
it with her acting in a physically demanding role with Reeves putting in more
than a cameo appearance. (A little bit of Wick goes a long way.) With the
inclusion of McShane, Huston, and the late Lance Reddick, there is a strong continuity
in the Wick timeline. It is a worthy addition
to the John Wick franchise and should
satisfy fans of this genre. More de Armas in the future is not such a bad
thing.
****
of ***** stars (for Wick fans)
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