Director: Len Wiseman
Writer: Shay Hatten
Cast: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves, Anne Parillaud

John Wick has been quite a popular franchise, not least because of its incredible action and stunts but also because of the fact it is headed by the ever-popular Keanu Reeves. Now, we have our first movie spin-off from the Wick franchise (other spin-offs include the television show The Continental and a self-titled comic book prequel series). It was perhaps a risk to lead with a different character, but considering this film is set between the events of Chapter 3: Parabellum and Chapter 4, there’s no doubt we’ll get some cameos and direct links into the main franchise. Is Ballerina a worthy spin-off from the franchise we’ve come to love, or will it just make us wish for more Wick?

When she was a young girl, Eve Macarro (Victoria Comte) witnessed the murder of her father, an assassin of the Ruska Roma crime syndicate. Taken in by the Ruska Roma herself, an adult Eve (de Armas), now trained as both a ballerina (a cover) and an assassin, has only one goal in mind: to find the Cultists who murdered her father and avenge his death. However, she must go against the rules of the Ruska Roma to do so, and invite other unwanted attention along the way, culminating in her being tracked down by the Baba Yaga himself, John Wick (Reeves).

If there’s one thing us fans of the John Wick franchise will always demand from these films, it’s a high level of action and stunt work that will also keep us hooked and unable to look away from the creativity of the stunt designers and coordinators. Fortunately, Ballerina provides quality and ever-more creative stunts, fight choreography and even pyrotechnics. Some of the shots that go along with many of the stunts are extraordinary and keep up the pace of the film to a high degree. There have been many rumours flying about as to director Wiseman’s original cut being a disaster and original Wick director Chad Stahelski stepping to do reshoots, and though some of these stories are contested by Wiseman and others, it’s clear to see Stahelski’s mark on it, with his creative flare as a director and stuntman coming through loud and clear.

The script was originally about an assassin-ballerina and a standalone with no connection to the franchise, but after it was picked up it was remoulded to connect into the Wick series, and overall, it works well as a midway point between Chapter 3 and 4. The story, while not entirely original in its premise, works well because of the trajectory that Eve takes and her motivations; she is, as is pointed out by the Ruska Roma’s Director (Huston), fuelled by pain, not just sadness at the loss of her father. This is what makes her a strong lead, in a similar way to John Wick himself. It is also made clear that Eve is relatively inexperienced when she finally gets out into the field, as she is not let off lightly when it comes to attacks, however she is allowed to get away virtually unscathed each and every time, in spite of how ‘green’ she is as an assassin. At least with John we could see the physical (and even mental) toll it took on him, even as a highly experienced killer, but not so much with Eve, which didn’t really make sense.

As far as casting goes, there were some interesting considerations (Lady Gaga being one of them) for the role of Eve, but ultimately de Armas was the right choice. She performed the majority of her stunts and brought a raw and untried angle to Eve that an actress with a lot more stunt experience may have lacked, as well as balancing Eve’s emotions with her need for revenge. Reeves makes more than just a cameo as John Wick, and it’s always a pleasure to see the world’s bogeyman in action. He comes across almost as the angel of Eve’s conscience, with the Director acting as the devil on her other shoulder. Speaking of, Huston reprises her role as the Director with great aplomb; she is a strong, almost terrifying presence throughout, even in minimal scenes, whereas Byrne, playing a standard Cult leader in his role, is barely a frightening figure, certainly nothing like Michael Nyqvist’s Viggo Tarasov in the first John Wick film. Reedus’s role was perhaps not worthy of his current level of stardom; it could have been played by a lesser known actor. McShane is welcomed back as the Continental’s Winston, acting as another guide for Eve, and Reddick makes one of his final film appearances as Charon, the Continental’s delightful concierge, before his untimely death.

After the release of John Wick: Chapter 4, audiences were practically screaming for just one final outing, and while we are getting a fifth instalment, it’s good to have something to keep the appetite satiated in the meantime. Ballerina provides that sustenance admirably, keeping up the action while not allowing Eve to be just a rip off of John. Taking the angle of a ballerina at the Ruska Roma was a superb idea to offshoot the series into another area that is yet to be fully explored (much like what was done with The Continental series) and it provides hope for fans when it comes to the future of the world of John Wick.