There is enough bone-crunching action in Ballerina to satisfy our need for catharsis as we watch waves of bad guys slashed, shot, and burned while Eve always seems one errant bullet away from having her compulsion for vengeance snuffed out. With the beautiful alpine village that sets the third act, Ballerina feels like a James Bond 007 film on meth. One particularly noteworthy set piece features an unforgettable flame-thrower fight.
It works well to follow a younger character through all this mayhem. Let’s face it, folks, Reeves is in his 60s now, and the action in these films is demanding and brutal. Stahelsky mentions in the documentary that Reeves does most of his own stunts, and when you see John Wick in pain, it’s likely that you are seeing Reeves in pain. He’s on the clock to play John Wick. Ana de Armas is 25 years younger and brings the pain with as much power and panache as the original. Ballerina takes another different turn as it shines the light on women in this world. The men are either under the protection of women or in danger of falling to the rage of Eve. It is an excellent direction in which to take the story.
Ian McShane returns as Winston opposite Ana de Armas’ Eve in a pivotal conversation in From the World of John Wick: Ballerina.
“…elegant precision and breathtaking physicality of the performances…”
The performances across the board are old-school movie fun, with everything being overdone to a delightful degree. Huston and Byrne represent the families with menace and power. Ian McShane is a delight always, and elevates any scene with his mere presence. The late great Lance Reddick appears here in his last role as Charon. David Castañeda (who played Diego in The Umbrella Academy) lights up the screen for his brief moment. Norman Reedus plays Pine, another man trying to get his daughter out of his crime family in a situation that puts Eve in a protector role.
Of course, Ballerina is not deeply cerebral cinema; rather, it’s goofy fun, but the filmmakers have elevated violence to a fine art, and it does play like a ballet in the elegant precision and breathtaking physicality of the performances. Enjoy it for what it is, and buckle up for an intense thrill ride.
"…violence is elevated to a fine art, and it does play like a ballet..."
