From the world of John Wick: Ballerina is a top-notch, action-packed thriller centered on a woman named Eve (Ana de Armas) who must take charge of her life to survive. This film, as its title so eloquently suggests, is inspired by the world of John Wick, but it's in a completely different league than the entertaining John Wick films, primarily because it focuses on a female protagonist and manages to bring the viewer closer to a character who could have simply been a supporting actor in a different action movie. This film feels groundbreaking and is a true delight to watch. Directed by Len Wiseman and featuring excellent, tight editing, From the world of John Wick: Ballerina doesn't hold back. It's relentless and, without a doubt, entertaining.
Wiseman's film opens with Eve, a young girl, played by the near-perfect Victoria Comte. With a miniature ballerina by her side, she watches as her father dies fighting for survival. Gabriel Byrne has never been better than he is here, portraying the play's main villain, The Chancellor. This character fires a bullet and offers Eve's father the option of committing suicide to ensure Eve's safety. Chaos ensues when the father fights back, and Eve escapes after her father's murder.
Director: Len Wiseman
Writers: Shay Hatten, Derek Kolstad
Stars: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane
Eve is taken in by a special family. The "Headmistress," played by Angelica Huston, is able to use her dancing skills in the productions she performs, but Eve's feet (now played by Ana de Armas) aren't as good, as she struggles to perform the necessary dance moves. Eve's best friend, Tatiana (Juliet Doherty), soon disappears, leading Eve to wonder what life will be like in the grim world she finds herself immersed in.
It's already known that Keanu Reeves reprises his role as John Wick in this new film, set in the era of the third John Wick film. Reeves is exquisite in his supporting role in the new film. Eve asks John how to be like him, but he believes she's already come a long way as she fights those who threaten to endanger her existence. She may not need Wick's help as much as she thinks. Also appearing in the film are the always incredible Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus) and a young girl, Ella (Ava Joyce McCarthy). Ella resembles Eve, as she too finds herself in a very dark and grim situation as the plot progresses. A "sister" of Eve's also appears, and I won't dare reveal too much about that particular plot thread, although it's safe to say Eve will fight tooth and nail to preserve her integrity and her life as the story progresses.
This film has a lot of explosions, and things go off quite frequently. There's one pièce de résistance: a scene where two characters face off with flamethrowers. Finally, Eve must lower her flamethrower to combat the villain's fire with plenty of water, creating some intense and superlative action. The director of this film knows his action sequences like the back of his hand, and the film features skillful fight scenes between Eve and the villains. By the time Eve sets everyone on fire, the tension escalates so much that the film becomes not just a thriller, but an action-packed extravaganza with some of the best sequences of its kind I've seen in any film, period.
Ana de Armas is simply fantastic. Her complex and emotional character has struggled to survive for years and, surprisingly, finds in John Wick a potential ally who could help her escape the wrath of the evil Chancellor. Any good film like this features a clash or two between good and evil, and it's to his credit that Byrne's villain is easy to hate. This role is one of Byrne's best, but his performance in the new film is solid enough to keep audiences rooting for Eve to get revenge on him as quickly as possible. While the film makes almost every character into a leading man, de Armas perfectly embodies the action hero she plays, and audiences will cheer her on as she takes revenge on those who threaten her survival.
It's impressive that Keanu Reeves has so much screen time, though some might consider it a glorified cameo. Reeves clearly supports de Armas in this franchise, which promises to be lucrative considering the quality of both the action and the filmmaking. A John Wick movie will always be good, but one with a determined and powerful performance from de Armas is even better.
From the world of John Wick: Ballerina is, quite simply, a brilliant film for action lovers. Perhaps the imagery is a bit too dark at times, but you'll be so immersed in the stylized violence unfolding on screen that you'll simply go with the tone and enjoy the roller coaster ride it offers. Ana de Armas is a wonderful actress when given the right material. She's had some misfires, but this is a role she could reprise in the not-too-distant future. De Armas' ballerina character is the perfect role at the right time for the actress and the world we live in. We need a heroine like this to show that persistence and determination pay off when fighting against adversity. This could be the best John Wick film to date, as Wick passes the baton to Eve for the sake of the exciting franchise.
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