Ballerina
Critic Alec Toombs' dance card isn’t too full for “Ballerina.”
Film Yap is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work please consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
“Ballerina” (in theaters beginning Friday, June 6) is the worst “John Wick” flick to date, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t worthwhile. In fact, it’s a damned good … and violent … time at the movies.
Young Eve (Victoria Comte) witnesses the murder of her father Javier (David Castañeda) at the hands of The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) after escaping from his cult (“Cults are bad, mkay?”). Eve is taken into custody by Winston from The Continental (Ian McShane) and handed over to The Director (Anjelica Huston) to train as a ballerina with the Ruska Roma.
We flash forward 12 years and Eve (now played by Ana de Armas) is on the cusp of becoming an assassin. Her first assignment is protecting heiress Katla Park (Sooyoung Choi) from kidnappers led by Il Seong (Doohong Jung). The job places her in the sights of Lena (Catalina Sandino Moreno), a subordinate of The Chancellor’s.
Eve is seeking answers about and vengeance against The Chancellor contrary to the wishes of The Director. Eve’s pursuit puts her in contact with wanted man Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus) and his daughter Ella (Ava Joyce McCarthy). The Director sics John Wick (Keanu Reeves reprising one of his signature roles to the tune of 10 to 15 minutes screen time – this takes place in between “John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum” and “John Wick: Chapter 4”) on Eve to either stop or kill her.
“Ballerina” is directed by Len Wiseman (who hasn’t made a movie in 13 years since his 2012 “Total Recall” remake) and scripted by Shay Hatten (he had a hand in penning the past couple “John Wick” pics and Zack Snyder’s last few films, i.e. “Rebel Moon” and “Army of the Dead”). This is vying with and probably beating “Live Free or Die Hard” as Wiseman’s best movie to date and is definitely better than his “Underworld” efforts.
The script is sorta thin, but the action is expectedly AWESOME! (Rumor has it “Wick” franchise helmer Chad Stahelski reshot much of the movie.) There’s a flamethrower fight sequence between Eve and The Chancellor’s goon Dex (Robert Maaser, looking like the love child of Dolph Lundgren and Casper Van Dien) that’s one for the time capsule. Watching her flamethrower additional cultist minions like they’re Mikey Madison in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood” is a kick and half. Axes and meat cleavers cleave faces. Bodies are graphically blown apart with grenades. A dude’s head takes multiple arrows from a crossbow including one in the eye. I was a kid in a carnage candy store!
Fans of “John Wick” will likely think this is sick. It sets up additional sequels and spinoffs and I’m more than here for ‘em. I suspect y’all will be too. My dance card isn’t too full for more “Ballerina.”