From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, directed by Len Wiseman, is in cinemas now.
Anyone who saw Ana de Armas kicking ass as a Bond girl in No Time to Die will have left the cinema thinking, “That woman needs her own action movie.”
And now she has it, as the titular dancer-assassin in this spin-off from the darkly thrilling, ultra-violent Keanu Reeves action franchise.
The Cuban-Spanish actress plays Eve, the daughter of a man who is murdered in the opening scene. De Armas is quite lovely as the orphan raised by Anjelica Huston’s theatre director and Russian mob matriarch, who trains the children of criminals into professional fighting machines in between pirouettes.
But when one of Eve’s victims drops a lead to her father’s killers, she sets off without “the Family’s” permission to exact revenge.
The avenging child is an overused device, but of course, with the John Wick movies – where Reeves is getting even for the death of his wife and even his dog – it goes with the territory.
What’s cool about this franchise is its moody aesthetic – the Wick films spend most of their time in the darkness and shadows, lit beautifully and styled with old-world chintz – and its approach to violent retribution.
Though her role eschews dramatic depth, de Armas more than holds her own in the fighting stakes, particularly in a perilously icy nightclub where patrons keep their fur coats on. The Ballerina toolkit includes some scorching flamethrower action, death by ice-skates, and the decisive use of an ice-pick.
This movie is set after the events of Chapter 3: Parabellum. Reminiscent of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, there’s a cute moment where trainee Eve (who was a minor character in the third film) encounters the legendary Wick on his way to be excommunicated and asks him how to leave the job.
Although Reeves’ taciturn performance is neither substantial nor impressive, it’s always comforting to see him back on screen.
Similarly, it’s nice to see Ian McShane’s hotel manager and Lance Reddick’s concierge return (in Reddick’s last role before his 2023 death), joined by an underwhelming Gabriel Byrne as the main baddie.
Any failings are balanced out by director Len Wiseman’s (Underworld) knack for shooting relentless action in exciting set-pieces. There’s a terrific time-jump to Eve extracting a piece of glass from her shoulder as the camera follows to reveal the aftermath of a brutal fight she’s clearly won.
Though Ballerina doesn’t quite reach the height of a Wick flick, it’s an invitation back into that world that’s worth accepting.
Rating out of five: ★★★½
