Aaron Ploof
Taking place between John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Chapter 4, Ballerina chronicles the story of Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), a young woman thrust into the underground world of assassins. Filled with the intense, spectacularly choreographed action scenes we’ve come to expect from the John Wick franchise, Ballerina also probes at an overriding theme. Are the choices we make our own? Or does fate weave the threads of our lives, condemning us to a life of suffering? The combination of these two elements makes for an impressive film.
Condemned by Fate?
The picture introduces its central theme in the opening exposition. Young Eve stares at a musical ballerina toy, as her mind pulls back to her father’s death. After an intense battle sequence between her father, Javier (Umbrella Academy’s David Castañeda), and his killers, she witnesses her grandpa, The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), confront her father. The Chancellor lives by one philosophy: fate decides our actions. He abdicates any responsibility for the choices he makes. This includes forcing his son-in-law to choose between his own life and that of his daughter.
Taken in by Winston (Ian McShane), Eve is trained as both a ballerina and a Kikimora (assassin). The Director (Angelica Huston) trains her ruthlessly, using her pent-up pain and inner torment as a way to guide her protege. Eve funnels her anger into her training, trusting that one day she’ll be given the chance to avenge her father’s death. Even when John Wick (Keanu Reeves) himself urges her to leave the life of an assassin behind, she ignores his advice and pushes forward.
After finding a man bearing the same mark as her father’s killers, she reports back to The Director, begging for details about the group. She’s told the mark belongs to members of the Cult: a group that operates independently of the Ruska Roma. They don’t follow the rules and kill indiscriminately for sport. The Director forbids Eve from hunting them down, but she ignores the order and embarks on her quest for vengeance.
She soon finds herself defending a young girl, Ella. (Ava Joyce McCarthy) Her father, Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus), is protecting her from the Cult, having recently escaped their grasp. It seems as if Eve’s journey will take her back to her home, the one her father, as well, fought so hard to protect her from.
Fights Galore
The fights that take place throughout this film are pure adrenaline fuel. They’re intense, cruel, and non-stop. Likewise, the film moves at a breakneck speed, never resting in one location or set piece for too long. It’s impossible for me to pinpoint my favorite sequence (there are too many to count), so I’ll just mention a few here in the following paragraphs. Before proceeding, however, one key fact is essential: Amas performed the majority of the stunts herself.
One of the earlier fight sequences takes place within a dance club. Eve takes on her first assignment as a Kikimora: to protect Heiress Katla Park. The club is winter-themed; the floor is legitimately made of ice. Pushing her assailants, as well as sliding on the ground herself, Armas performs some very impressive stunts here. Add in an ice hatchet as a weapon, and the possibilities are endless. Another sequence takes place in a location I won’t reveal. Eve upends a box full of grenades to blow up an entire wooden staircase. Then she takes one of them, stuffs it in a guy’s mouth, and slams an iron door in front of him to block the blow.
Towards the end of the film, though, is when the action really ratchets up. Eve takes on a group of cult enemies in a restaurant, and she’s thrown around like a doll. She manages to wrap her legs around one of the men and break his arms, right before he chokes her to death. On her trip upstairs, she encounters a cook who comes at her with a knife. She quickly upends a nearby cart of dishes, and they crash to the floor. The two women start bashing each other over the head with plates. This was a hilarious sequence, and the film had more than just this one. There were so many moments when I gasped out loud at the sheer awesomeness and ridiculousness that was happening on screen.
Flame On
The most impressive sequence is by far the one that viewers received a brief glimpse of in the trailer: the flamethrower sequence. Eve finds a flamethrower when she’s rummaging through the armory and burns every cultist that gets in her way. Men writhe on the floor in pain after she torches them, screaming in agony. This stunt is so lifelike that Armas actually broke down in tears the first day she filmed it during a practice run.
Soon, one of her assailants manages to procure a flamethrower as well. When Eve runs out of gas, she dodges into a window, grabs a water hose, and goes toe to toe with her enemy. The two killers push against each other, water against flame. I’ll leave how it ends for you to discover.
Questions to Ponder
The climax of the film also raises some more important questions that once again relate to the film’s main theme. John Wick makes an appearance, and as he does earlier, begs Eve to leave. He insists she has a choice, that she can abandon her quest for revenge. But can she, really? And was she ever actually given the chance to do anything else with her life?
Are The Cult and The Ruska Roma all that different? Both kill, but are the rules the latter plays by just a pretense? Would Eve have turned out any differently if she had stayed bound up by the Cult? Is she a killer by nature? Can innocence be passed onto the next generation by a group of cold-blooded assassins?
These are all questions worth exploring, and the answers remain uncertain. The end of the film clearly hints at something more. Regardless, Eve’s journey towards vengeance in this John Wick spinoff is every bit as violent, brutal, entertaining, and white-knuckled as the main films. When the sequel eventually does roll around, I’ll be there to see it—dance on, Ballerina.
Score: 9/10
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is now playing in theatres nationwide.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025) Official Trailer – Ana de Armas
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – in theaters June 6! Starring Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, with Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves.
