Ballerina Review - The World of Wick is in good hands

Chase Gifford
Jun 4
5 min read

“Use your weaknesses; aspire to the strength.” - Laurence Olivier

Sometimes, and I stress sometimes, Hollywood’s undying need to milk everything they produce in hopes of creating the next big franchise can actually pay off. And by pay off I don’t just mean for their box office receipts but for us as the audience. This is where franchises like Fast & Furious and the World of John Wick separate themselves from trash that makes a ton of money (F&F) and genuinely exciting, well-made sequels (JW). Yes I’m talking shit about F&F. It’s mass produced, plastic wrapped, caustic, third-rate nonsense and provides the most surface level, vapid entertainment in all of Hollywood. But to each their own of course.

When John Wick premiered for the world, it would appear as another one-off action flick. Keanu Reeves would look cool for ninety minutes and that would be it. Instead we not only got Mr. Wick, we officially met his curators, Chad Stahelski and David Leitch. Two former stuntmen turned exemplary action directors along with JW creator Derek Kolstad (Nobody) decided that more than a throw away action movie, they would usher in the next action character icon, the Baba Yaga himself. And through priceless word of mouth, the mythos of Mr. Wick began to grow and would produce three future sequels with talks of a fifth on the way. But before we find out where assassins go when they die, we must go back to the time between chapters 3 & 4 for the debut of Eve, the titular Ballerina.

As Eve, Ana de Armas embodies a flawed but highly dedicated soldier of the Ruska Roma, a subgroup of the High Table and family to John Wick. Her past, as is the case with most of those loyal to the Romani people, is filled with tragedy and fuels her training to hopefully become a dependable tool of use to The Director. While she may be small in stature, she more than makes up for in speed, agility and creativity. Wick has the luxury of using his size as a benefit, being able to toss his enemies as he sees fit. Eve simply cannot do this and must find a means of overwhelming her opponent with swiftness and the unexpected. As her teacher Nogi tells her, she must use whatever is at her disposal to defeat the enemy, even if the means of cheating is her only option left.

For Reeves they built sequences and choreography around his physical capabilities. With such a size difference, a completely different approach was needed for Ana de Armas while still feeling familiar as if taught by the same people who taught him. Wick uses his large frame along with an unbelievable affinity for headshots.

With Eve she adapts better with weapons in hand such as blunt objects or even samurai swords. Wielding a weapon gives her the upper hand in some otherwise unwinnable situations. Armas’ training is a glowing reflection of acknowledging the differences and reworking the details for a more fitting style of violence for Eve. Because of this the action is every bit as enthralling and refreshing as the John Wick chapters were when they first premiered. Ballerina is an extension of Wick’s world and it reflects that without allowing the Eve character to drown in his shadow. There is a reverence for his reputation while also acting as a demonstration for those wishing to right the wrongs of their past. Much to the chagrin of the Ruska Roma.

Wick’s original motivation for lashing out was an unforgivable act of violence against him and his. The most basic understanding of his return is that someone killed his dog. But in truth it was not only his newly acquired puppy but a final gift and connection to the only woman he ever loved and having such a profound thing become severed maliciously was wholly unacceptable. Beyond his starting provocation, I believe his actions turned to an upending of the status quo that actively tries to make its subjects regret everything about their association with such subjugation.

For Eve, her father is killed in front of her as a child shortly after her own mother is sacrificed supposedly for the actions of her father. Stuck with an inescapable rawness for vengeance, Eve bides her time and learns the ways of the Ruska Roma and treks out on a journey of unyielding rage towards her ultimate wrongdoers. What Eve has failed to realize is that those responsible come with them a monstrously grand influence that even her own clan refuse to trifle with for risk of warring with the unthinkable. If her own people represent a sleeping giant, those she pursues are the original giant slayers.

Where the movie falters is in Eve’s motivations in the wake of the violence and death she leaves behind. It never feels authentic or earned. If anything, it feels like a less enthusiastic chapter of the John Wick movies. With Wick, you can feel his life and death struggle to continue on the path he has chosen. Eve at times can come off as selfish in the face of damning her own clan, who have only shown her loyalty and molded her reasoning for more important, noble acts. She knowingly pursues her father’s killers after being told explicitly that her actions will undoubtedly cause a war between two factions as old as the Table itself. Still, she pushes forward, understandably, but undeniably, self-serving.

For all its shortcomings, Ballerina excels at what I would argue is the most important asset of this entire Wick franchise and that is the action. Whether it is hand-to-hand combat, gun-fu, sword fighting, throwing grenades or an insane fight with flamethrowers (amazing sequence), Ballerina scratches the same itch as the Wick flicks. At a brisk two-hour runtime, they have stuffed this film with extraordinary action sequences geared toward Ana de Armas’ strengths, finding what works and what doesn’t in a mix of beautifully orchestrated chaos.

The scenes featuring Reeves are a lot of fun and provide some of the most story-oriented fighting of the entire movie. By that I mean you can see story progression in the way they confront one another. There is a palpable connection between two warriors who find one another at their own kind of crossroads. We are well aware of what Wick is working towards and to see his empathy for Eve’s journey being demonstrated through their physical altercation is an unexpected layer to the storytelling.

If a comparison between Ballerina and the Wick films is all you care about, Ballerina isn’t quite at the same level as we’ve come to expect. But I will argue that it is still every bit worthy of the title From the World of John Wick. It absolutely belongs in the mythos of the High Table and the underground world of assassins. Ana de Armas is a complete and total badass as Eve and her commitment to the role and all that it entails is evident every moment she is on-screen. If you can believe Keanu Reeves as John Wick, you will believe that Ana de Armas is the Ballerina.