In the John Wick movies, we have seen some unbelievable moments. Two that stand out right away are the over-the-top scene in John Wick: Chapter 4, where it looks like a video game, and the fall from the top of the Continental in John Wick 2. As incredible and insane as these moments are, you can expect more scenes with the same energy in Ballerina.
The movie begins with the audience being introduced to a young Eve (Victoria Comte). She is sitting in a police station covered in blood, holding a music box that showcases a ballerina. The audience is shown the events that led to Eve being in the police station. She is approached by Winston (Ian McShane), who gives her a gold coin and tells her that she will be taken care of.
The movie jumps 20 years ahead, as we see an older Eve (Ana de Armas) practicing pirouettes until her toes are bleeding. In this scene, we witness her dedication to her craft, which is highlighted by the montage of her training in hand-to-hand combat and at the shooting range. Eve pushes herself to the limit and wants to avenge those who have wronged her, but The Director (Anjelica Huston) does not want to tell her anything about that incident.
The movie starts slow, similar to how the first John Wick took a few minutes to get its footing. Through a chance meeting with John Wick (Keanu Reeves), Eve wants to know if there is a way out of this lifestyle– to which, in typical John Wick fashion, his answers are short and to the point. Eve is put through one final test, and this outcome leads to her first mission; here is where the movie picks up the pace.
What is great about Ballerina is that we are seeing an assassin’s journey. We see that even though Eve is proficient in her classes at the Ruska Roma, in the real world, she will make some mistakes. On her first mission, Eve has to adjust on the fly to her situation. Just like the John Wick movies, the action in this scene is over-the-top, and Ana de Armas is perfect for this role. This is not, “John Wick but make it a woman,” this is its own thing, with creative and inventive action scenes.
The movie builds up to a third act that must be seen on the big screen for the full effect. In this remote village, Eve takes advantage of everything that is around her. Again, I can not stop talking about the action in this movie. There were a few moments when the audience at my screening was laughing at the audacity of the violence. The laughter was not about how ridiculous the moment was, but about how this was something new portrayed on the screen. Just as the bulletproof suits seem improbable, there are moments in Ballerina that you have to accept.
In an interview with Chad Stahelski, I asked him about having such a vast world to work with and where it could take him. Ballerina is a fantastic next step.
From the fights in the ice club to the tossing of the dinner plates and the use of the flame-throwing guns, Ballerina is sure to have fans of the John Wick series excited about what is to come. If this movie is a one-shot, it excels at what it tries to do. Only time will tell if we get a follow-up and see how far this series goes.
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