After her family are slain by a mysterious clan of assassins, Eve (Ana de Armas) is adopted by the Ruska Roma, and raised to become a trained killer for the High Table.
When she discovers a clue to her father’s killers after an assignment, Eve disobeys orders to go after this clan and their bloodthirsty leader, the ‘Chancellor’ (Gabriel Byrne).
I have not watched the John Wick movies after one viewing. I remember loving the first one, but the next two sequels went in a direction I did not care for - building out the mythology and the rules to such an extent that the series seemed to lose any sense of stakes.
Chapter 4 benefitted from being the finale. I left that film satisfied.
Ballerina is the first attempt to build out the Wick universe without the title character.
Based on an original script that was retrofitted to become a side-story in between Wicks 3 and 4.
The film underwent further revision in production, with series helmer Chad Stahelski brought on to help with shooting more action sequences.
The behind-the-scenes tinkering does not really show. The story is a simple revenge story, and it cycles through its origin section in less than an hour, so de Armas is on the hunt for the people who killed her father.
I tend to tune out during the sections referencing the wider rules and mythology.
But for the first time since the original, it feels like an actual assassin movie, with de Armas shown on at least two assignments.
On the one hand, Ballerina is a straightforward action film - a relatively simple story connecting a series of set pieces.
On the other hand, the film feels like it is striving for something more complex, but that sense of forward momentum inhibits any attempt at adding flesh to the bone and sinew.
The town of assassins is a fun idea.
And the variety of action sequences is enough to recommend the movie on its own - we get a fight involving plates, ice skates, a fun twist on the armoury scenes of the previous films, and a battle of duelling flame throwers.
The sheer level of invention and willingness to keep the character - and the viewer - on their toes keeps up interest.
The scene in which Eve has to protect a target from assassins while armed with rubber bullets is a real standout - this is meant to be the character’s first test in the real world, and - despite her skills - spends the first half of the sequence getting pummeled about a night club.
The film does not make the mistake of making her instantly a pro - the way it is performed and choreographed makes it feel like de Armas is learning from each (painful) mistake and improvising her way out of trouble.
While she has presence, and holds herself in the action sequences, Ballerina herself is a bit of a blank.
The character is introduced with a desire for revenge, the film’s villain talks about how she is fated to become a killer, she trains to be a killer, she becomes a killer, she breaks orders to go on her own mission, and kills said villain.
There is no real obstacle or conflict she has to face - even her confrontation with John Wick Carries little weight
The character is one-note, and Ana de Armas is just fine.
This is where the franchise tone gets in the way - the series is so inherently dour.
Not to say that the Wick movies are not funny - each movie has some hilarious physical gags, and there are some nice touches of humour here (the search for a gun under plates is inspired).
But in the world of Wick, with its sense of melancholy and regret, of loss and impending doom, de Armas feels a touch out of place.
What made de Armas so engaging in Knives Out and No Time To Die - her inherent sense of guilelessness - is completely absent here.
It feels like the actress is working with one hand tied behind her back, and she ends up feeling a little generic.
I was hoping that the film would be a little more original, and less plugged-in to the lore of the Wick franchise - aside from the title character’s cameo, the film fits in with the broader mythology. The cult our heroine has to face is outside of the High Table, so we get less of the ridiculous inner-workings of the assassins’ world.
Despite being a relatively simple revenge story, Ballerina has none of the inherent emotional pull of the first film - which would be fine, if the movie did not feel the need to constantly remind us of Wick’s past and future (the film takes place midway through Chapter 3).
Hopefully a sequel will allow de Armas and this series room to step out of Wick’s shadow.
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