From the World of John Wick: Ballerina Review: Ana de Armas Rules in a Worthy, Propulsive John Wick Spinoff

Casting Ana de Armas as the titular assassin in Ballerina — officially titled From the World of John Wick: Ballerina — is a nice move. Besides, the stunning Cuban-Spanish actress has already proven her chops in physically demanding performances seen in No Time to Die and The Gray Man. Sure, she doesn’t move as smoothly and swiftly as Keanu Reeves’ John Wick. But at least it was justifiable due to the nature of her character.

She is, after all, not playing an established assassin, given the fact that she’s fresh off from her extensive training at Ruska Roma, the powerful criminal organisation that incorporates ballet dancing as part of the programme led by The Director (Anjelica Huston) and her assistant, Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster). The latter, of course, was last seen in John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.

Ana’s character, named Eve, is an orphan who lost her father (David Castaneda) after he was murdered by The Chancellor-led (a perfectly sinister Gabriel Byrne) clan of killers when she was just a child (Victoria Comte). It was Winston (Ian McShane) who brought her to Ruska Roma to mould her into a professional assassin as she grows up as an adult. One night, while on an assignment to take down her targets, she stumbled upon one of them bearing significant scars that had to do with her father’s death, prompting her to investigate further.

Shay Hatten’s screenplay is nothing more than a standard-issue revenge story. I admit the death of a parent somehow doesn’t have the same emotional impact as John Wick loses his beloved dog, where you can feel his anger. This is especially true with the rudimentary way the backstory is presented at the beginning of the movie. Unlike the John Wick movies expand the storyline with interesting lore, director Len Wiseman prefers to keep it as straightforward as possible. Right to the point of missing the opportunity to explore more on The Chancellor and his clan, even though we do get a brief history surrounding their existence.

What matters the most is the action, and for that, Ballerina doesn’t disappoint. Notable scenes like the one where Eve uses hand grenades to blow off her assailants in the utmost brutal fashion. Imagine one of them has his whole head splattered into pieces result of the simultaneous detonation of a bandolier of grenades. But it was the elaborate third act that ratchets up the stakes and tension. From the fight-to-the-death set piece between Eve and Daniel Bernhardt’s no-nonsense assassin in the restaurant to the nighttime battle against The Chancellor’s army of killers, the action is crisply shot and edited to visceral perfection.

No doubt that having Chad Stahelski on board, the chief architect of the John Wick franchise, who reportedly did some additional shooting, benefits the movie a lot in terms of ramping up the excitement. The John Wick franchise is often known for its innovative way of dispatching the bad guys (remember the pencil?), and I’m glad Ballerina continues the same tradition. There are plenty of them, including a pair of ice skates and, at one point, a flamethrower. Not just aiming and shooting a jet of fire, but also engaging in a battle of flame throwers against each other.

The sight of fiery orange flame spreading out of the nozzles from the fuel tanks that illuminate the night sky feels like they are straight out of an anime or a fantasy movie of two fire-breathing dragons battling against each other. What’s even remarkable here is the commitment to realism instead of relying heavily on the CGI during the extensive fire stunts, with props to Chad and his dedicated stunt performers from 87eleven for their efforts.

The story and characters may have been perfunctory, but Ana de Armas’ magnetic presence, coupled with her impressive stunt work, deserves mention. Keanu Reeves also shows up in an elaborate cameo, reprising his role as John Wick, but Ballerina thankfully doesn’t overshadow Ana de Armas’ Eve with his appearance. Ballerina equally impresses with Romain Lacourbas’ atmospheric cinematography, particularly the nighttime shots, while Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard’s pulsating score helps accentuate the thrill of the action-packed vibes.