Ballerina

SPOILERS!

I'm as leery as anyone about spin-offs, especially for movies.  This year's BALLERINA comes "from the world of JOHN WICK", movies I enjoy watching.  Pure bubble gum, in my opinion.  Any deeper meaning in them or this movie seems to be accidental, or maybe above my pay grade for this blog.  Movies that live and die on their action sequences, and this time out, oh boy do they deliver.  "Kick ass" as some would say.  This is reason enough to tune in, if you crave this sort of thing.  I do, when in the right mood, and a recent Saturday night, when I was all but brain dead, this was just the ticket. 

Eve (Ana de Armas) grows up in the same assassin society in which Mr. Wick (Keanu Reeves) works (this story takes place between the third and fourth WICK movies).  The Ruska Roma, led by the fearsome unnamed Director (Angelica Huston) appears as merely a ballet company to the unknowing. In the opening scenes, a five year old Eve watches her father Javier (David Castaneda), an RR operative, die during a firefight with a group of cultists from a mountain town in Austria. The same cultists who raised Eve's mother to become their brand of assassin.

Flash forward twelve years.  Eve is put through rigorous training in martial arts, artillery, and yes, ballet. Wick happens through the RR HQ one day and warns her to change paths.  No can do, John; this girl's on a mission of vengeance.  She will eventually discover the Cultists - the ones who killed her parents - are led by the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne).  The Director informs Eve that a truce exists between Ruska Roma and the Cult.  Messing with them can only mean trouble.

But you know what will happen.  There will even be a familial revelation before the final battle(s).  One of which involves a duel with flamethrowers.  Prior, Eve will utilize ice skates and even a TV remote as weapons in addition to the usual type.  These set pieces are great fun, sometimes astounding.  I've read that most of the action was overseen by Chad Stahelski, director of the four previous WICKs.  This film has Len Wiseman, best known for the UNDERWORLD movies, credited as director, but word is neither test audiences or the studio were pleased with his cut.  Whatever the truth, BALLERINA provides plenty of thrills and impressive fight choreography.   Will John Wick join Eve for the fireworks? Is water wet?

Shay Hatten's screenplay may not be long on depth, it's true.  This is yet another straightforward tale of revenge, and it's enough.  Attempts at existentialism or philosophy would've probably been embarrassing.  Maybe a wee bit more characterization would've been nice.   I still love all the detail in this world, particularly at the Continental.