Ballerina (2025) Lionsgate/Action-Thriller RT: 125 minutes Rated R (strong bloody violence throughout, language) Director: Len Wiseman Screenplay: Shay Hatten Music: Tyler Bates and Joel J. Richard Cinematography: Romain Lacourbas Release date: June 6, 2025 (US) Cast: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Ava McCarthy, Choi Soo-Young, Juliet Doherty, David Castaneda, Anne Parillaud, Victoria Comte.
Rating: ***
The full title of the female-driven action movie Ballerina is From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. It takes place between the third and fourth John Wick movies making it John Wick 3.5 even though it really isn’t. Keanu Reeves’ unstoppable professional hitman cedes control of this vehicle to a new driver, a newbie in the field named Eve Macarro. She’s played by Ana de Armas, a Cuban actress who proved her mettle in the last James Bond outing, No Time to Die (2021). She commandeers this vehicle quite capably. In simple terms, she’s a bad ass babe.
Every violent rampage has a catalyst. For retired assassin John Wick, it was the killing of his dog that set him off. For Eve, it’s the murder of her father. She was just a child when a team of assassins led by a mysterious creep known as “The Chancellor” (Byrne, The Usual Suspects) barged into their home and killed her dad making her an orphan. Winston Scott (McShane, Deadwood), a character familiar to fans of the series, shows up and takes her to a safe place, a ballet company run by “The Director” (Huston, The Addams Family). Only it’s not solely a dance company. It’s a front for the Ruska Roma, a clandestine group of highly trained assassins, most of whom are females. It’s there where Eve grows into adulthood while learning skills that will help her avenge her father.
Directed by Len Wiseman (Live Free or Die Hard), Ballerina starts off unsteadily, wobbling a bit until it starts to hit its stride. That happens when Eve finds a clue that will lead her to her father’s killers. The Director tells her to leave it alone lest she should start a war in the criminal underworld. Naturally, she doesn’t heed the advice. She sets off in search of the location of the people responsible, an assassin cult that’s been in existence for about 200 years. These are people you don’t want to f*** with.
Eve’s mission begins at the Continental in NYC where she consults with Winston before going to Prague to confront a member of the tribe (Reedus, The Walking Dead) who’s hiding out with his young daughter (McCarthy, The Primrose Railway Children). That’s where the action really kicks in. From there, Eve ends up in a snowy European village occupied by Chancellor and his followers. It’s more like a fortress really. They all go after her with guns. She handles them like a true female John Wick. At some point, the living legend himself shows up. Whether he’s there to help to stop her, I’ll never tell.
The whole third act is spectacularly entertaining. Eve discovers a secret or two before unleashing her fury in a full-tilt-boogie firestorm of violence and balletic fight choreography. At one point, she wields a flamethrower in what I like to think is a nod to the Exterminator movies of the 80s. There’s also a bit where some of her pursuers chase her into an armory. LOL! Do they not realize it won’t end well…. for them? THIS is what the John Wick movies are all about.
The John Wick movies, in all their OTT-ness, have been consistently great. The spin-off Ballerina is merely good. It’s a decent action movie even if the early action scenes don’t possess the same fluidity as the ones in the previous films. Wiseman fumbles around a bit in the beginning trying to find his footing. Once he does, Ballerina becomes a fun ride. He tightens things up considerably once Eve sets out to find her father’s killers and even the score. It helps that the action scenes aren’t overedited to the point of confusion. You always have a sense of geography. You know who’s shooting at whom and who’s getting shot. It’s action done right.
Ana de Armas has what it takes to be an effective action heroine. She’s tough, beautiful and deadly. She also hits all the right dramatic beats with her character. She shows the signs of someone who’s carried a heavy load of anger for a long time. At the same time, she hasn’t lost her humanity. Once she sees a child in a predicament similar to hers, she does what she can to protect her, something nobody did for her as a child. Byrne is great as the villain of the piece. He’s the classic cult leader, a charismatic creep who talks a good game but is too cowardly to do his own dirty work. Catalina Sandino Moreno (Silent Night) does fine work as a member of the assassin cult. Cold and deadly, she has a connection to the whole situation that some might see coming. It’s nice to see Lance Reddick (as the Continental concierge) one last time.
Reeves’ role isn’t huge, but his presence looms over the whole movie. You’re always aware you’re watching a John Wick movie with almost no John Wick. He makes a quick appearance in the first act in addition to taking part in the final battle. It’s best to watch Ballerina with the understanding that it’s not really a John Wick movie. It belongs to Eve all the way. She takes charge of things like a champ. Wiseman expectedly leaves the door open for future installments should she prove popular with audiences. I don’t see why she wouldn’t. Ballerina is that rare action movie that will appeal to men and women. It’s a date movie with loads of violence. What more could you ask for?
