Ballerina (2 1/2 stars out of 4)
“Ballerina” is pretty much the movie you expect it to be, which in this case is a strength and a weakness. It’s better than it might have been, but not as good as it could have been.
Len Wiseman’s film is a spin-off from Keanu Reeves’ popular John Wick franchise, showing the origins and emergence of a rival assassin named Eve, played by Ana de Armas. The movie begins in Eve’s childhood, as a murderous squad of henchmen led by The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne) storm her home. Her father tries to fight them off, but is eventually killed, and in the aftermath a mysterious man (unless you’ve seen the Wick movies) named Winston (Ian McShane) delivers her to a special theater to be trained as a Ruska Roma assassin by The Director (Anjelica Huston).
We pick things up a few years later, as Eve is ready to complete her Black Widow-like training and turn pro. Her first few jobs go well, but when she spots a familiar gang scar on one of her adversaries during one encounter, she immediately determines to hunt down the men who killed her father.
It’s a pretty routine story, made slightly more interesting since the group in question has a tenuous peace treaty with the Ruska Roma. So The Director objects to Eve’s quest, Winston eventually agrees to cooperate, and after a quick visit to Prague to meet a baddie named Daniel (Norman Reedus), the movie lands in a remote alpine village for its action-packed third act.
For hardcore John Wick fans expecting the same routine of watching the hero shoot and brutalize his way through a never-ending sequence of opponents, “Ballerina” might be a disappointment. Wiseman’s film has plenty of action, and plenty of brutal violence, but “Ballerina” puts a lot more emphasis on its story, which should be welcome for anyone (such as this author) who found the usual formula tedious.
At the same time, the story is kind of a mess, a problem that becomes clear when you hear about the behind-the-scenes issues that led to significant release delays. There’s also a tendency to default to routine when the story provides opportunities to do more interesting things. One character in particular—whose identity will be hidden for the sake of spoilers—offers some real interesting potential, but as soon as opportunity knocks, “Ballerina” blows its big chance.
As a spinoff to the Keanu Reeves films, the biggest question going into “Ballerina” is whether de Armas can provide a worthy complement to the flagship character. De Armas plays things pretty straightforward, and the script tries to anticipate the plausibility of a woman her size taking on much bigger opponents. “Ballerina” isn’t much of an acting showcase, but de Armas still shows echoes of the charm that stole the show in 2021’s “No Time to Die.”
Ultimately the weaknesses in “Ballerina” have less to do with its actress than its default to formula. To its credit, there are plenty of fun moments, such as a clever gag where a fight with a TV remote keeps changing nearby channels with each blow, or another unique battle late in the film that would that would make Leonardo di Caprio’s character in “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” proud. Altogether, “Ballerina” has enough going for it to justify the effort, but falls short enough to leave you wishing the filmmakers were more willing to take chances.
“Ballerina” is rated R for persistent brutal and bloody violence, as well as scattered profanity.