Maddie Ziegler and her friends prove to be "pretty lethal" in their tutus in this entertaining "ballet-fu" style action thriller—penned by screenwriter Kate Freund and directed by Vicky Jewson—which was originally slated to be titled *Ballerina Overdrive*.
In fact, *Pretty Lethal* marks the third SXSW festival entry I’ve seen in a short span of time; and while it is cut from a different cloth than *Ready or Not 2* and *They Will Kill You*, it certainly continues the trend of "women in peril kicking ass left and right."
Director: Vicky Jewson
Writer: Kate Freund
Stars: Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor, Lydia Leonard
*Pretty Lethal* features a screenplay by Kate Freund—also a prolific actress—and is directed by Vicky Jewson, best known for her action thriller *Close* (2019), starring Noomi Rapace.
*Pretty Lethal* tells the story of five promising young American ballet dancers who, along with their chaperone (Lydia Leonard), find themselves stranded when their bus breaks down in the middle of nowhere in Hungary—just as they were en route to a major performance at the Budapest International Ballet Gala.
Among them are the street-smart and tough-as-nails Bones (Maddie Ziegler) and her arch-rival, the utterly spoiled Princess (Lana Condor)—two young women who simply love to hate one another.
The group is rounded out by the insecure Grace (Avantika), the deaf teenager Chloe (Millicent Simmonds), and her sister Zoe (Iris Apatow), who proves to be perhaps a tad overprotective.
They are rivals who are forced to become allies if they wish to survive the night.
On one side stands the group led by Devora (Uma Thurman)—a former dancer who, despite having a prosthetic leg, happens to be the proprietor of the Teremok Inn, the very place where the dancers end up taking refuge. The other group is represented by the impulsive and trigger-happy Pasha (Tamas Szabo Sipas), son of Lothar "the Butcher" (Michael Culkin). Pasha and his cronies use the inn as their regular hangout and partying spot.
Before long, a violent death occurs; and since these individuals are not in the habit of calling the police or letting justice take its course, the young women—who, for all intents and purposes, are material witnesses—suddenly find themselves in mortal danger.
What follows is a game of cat and mouse: the dancers begin by playing the role of the mice, but as the night progresses, they transform into lethal felines. The dance sequences and the fight scenes share one thing in common: both are highly choreographed. And given that ballet dancers are accustomed to performing even when sick or injured—whereas the villains are usually drunk and/or out of shape—one begins to feel (almost) sorry for these idiots who, for the most part, end up getting exactly what they deserve.
*Pretty Lethal* doesn't delve much deeper than that, but it doesn't matter, as it makes no pretensions of being anything more than an entertaining, three-star action flick.
One could criticize the story for its lack of character development and a somewhat convoluted plot. However, visually speaking, Jewson and his team manage to make the most of what was likely a relatively modest budget. Furthermore, compared to *Ballerina* (2025), there is—at the very least—much more actual dancing here than in that film starring Ana de Armas.
There are some clever touches—such as the knives concealed within the tips of the women's ballet shoes—and a truly spectacular "ballet (kung) fu" sequence stands out, in which the girls dance and fight simultaneously.
But will they manage to escape the Teremok Inn and make it to Budapest to deliver what is supposed to be the performance of their lives? Uma Thurman is the most prominent name in the cast, and she more than delivers in what is, for all intents and purposes, a supporting role.
Devera, for her part, possesses a tragic backstory; her character takes on greater significance as the plot unfolds and her rivalry with Lothar "the Butcher" reaches its climax.
It is also worth noting that Maddie Ziegler (known for her collaborations as a dancer with the singer Sia) is excellent in her role as the central figure and lead fighter of the dance troupe—though the rest of the female cast also undoubtedly gets the opportunity to prove their worth.
For Ziegler, however, this could be the role that cements her status as a star; and personally—picking up the thread from my reviews of *Ready or Not 2* and *They Will Kill You*—I believe that Maddie should, at some point, join forces with Samara Weaving and Zazie Beetz to star in a new action-thriller crossover.
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