Starring: Ana de Armas, Gabriel Byrne, Keanu Reeves, Ian McShane

Director: Len Wiseman Year: 2025 Runtime: 2 hours 5 minutes Rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Ballerina, aka From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, is an action movie spin-off of the popular John Wick franchise, directed by Len Wiseman.

It stars Ana de Armas is the titular role and Gabriel Byrne as the villainous Chancellor.

Keanu Reeves cameos as John Wick, as does franchise regular Ian McShane, as Winston, the boss of the Continental Hotel.

Wicky Leaks

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina… It’s quite a mouthful and likely requires a little gentle kerning to fit it on the marquee.

Still, it tells you everything you need to know about the movie – namely that it’s not a John Wick movie, but it does take place in the eeeh, Wickiverse?

Personally, I’d like to live in the world of John Wick.

It has clear rules and a code of honour, which is more than I can say about our current age of prolapse capitalism.

I turn on the news and look at the pricks we have running the show right now and think, yeah, I’d much rather take my chances with The High Table.

Having said that, I’d probably have to brush up on my target practice, because to exist in this world you need to be fast, accurate and with that rare ability to view any inanimate object as a deadly weapon.

Case in point, Ana de Armas packing muchas armas as Eve Macarro, an orphaned ballerina slash deadly assassin trained by the Ruska Roma.

Let’s get one thing clear, though, she’s no Baba Yaga (or Joan Wick, as one of my friends dubbed her).

But then she’s not trying to be.

She certainly kicks ass, but in a comparatively restrained manner.

She’s a lady after all, and her training reflects this, emphasising adaptability and resilience.

Or, when all else fails…

A Kick In The Sugarplums

Ok, so plot, the movie has one, though it’s barely worth mentioning.

Our protagonist is a trained ballerina/deadly assassin with unresolved daddy issues and a hunger for revenge – ok, fine, whatever, get to the headshots…

Ah, but this is a spin-off movie, introducing a new character into a proven franchise, so we first need to set up her backstory.

…Ok fine!

A good chunk of the first act is devoted to this, and it’s fair to say my brain didn’t fully engage until we reached the obligatory training montage.

Along the way, we also meet a few familiar faces, chief among them is John Wick himself.

Which brings us nicely to the elephant in the Continental suite – John Wick died in the last movie, so Ballerina introduces the character firstly in flashback, and again later on by dropping hints as to when the action takes place.

Apparently, it’s set in and around the same time as the third Wick movie.

Ok, ok, nerd-brain is satiated, but man-brain still wants action – let’s go!

The second issue; like Wick, it’s a revenge plot, but since Ballerina isn’t John Wick, and since it’s taking place during established Wick canon, she can’t just go after the High Table like John Wick.

So instead, we’re introduced to a different organisation known as The Cult, which is non-aligned and not very well liked, but, due to the rules the world has established, still enjoys a degree of protection.

The Cult are a bunch of mad Germans who live up in the Alps, love hunting, hate outsiders and are led by a man called The Chancellor.

I mean the script never says they’re Nazis but…

Anyways, the Wikinazis killed her father, so now Ballerina’s out for revenge because people in the Wickiverse can’t let shit go.

(I mean, c’mon, it was years ago. And it’s not like Gabriel Byrne killed your dog or anything!)

And apologies if I mention spoilers, it’s because I assume you don’t give a shit.

Be honest, did you come here for the script?

Or, like me, did you come to enjoy some John Wick-adjacent action with Ama de Almas in a tight cocktail dress, kicking Korean gangsters in the mush?

And a good job she does too.

Her all-too-brief appearance in No Time To Die is about the only good thing I remember about that last 007 train wreck. And I was annoyed she didn’t feature more prominently. 

This movie makes up for that, plus we get to see John Wick, not just in cameo but in action.

It’s handled with care too, in a way that elevates the action without overshadowing the titular character – this is her movie after all!

It does take longer for the action to get started, but when it does, it’s cathartic.

It’s just nowhere near the balls-to-the-wall mayhem of the last few Wick movies.

Still, is that such a bad thing?

At one point, we see Ballerina fall down some steps, but it’s literally five steps, not the five hundred million steps we watched Keanu repeatedly tumble down in John Wick 4.

And after four Wick movies, each one raising the intensity to ridiculous extremes, Ballerina is bound to seem tame in comparison.

But I’m grateful for the reset.

Ballerina is a slow burn for most of its runtime, until the titular character arrives at The Cult’s village to receive the customary warm rural German welcome.

Ah, you think, now we’re finally going to get some action.

And just when you’re thinking these kinds of thoughts, the action continues to ramp up in unexpected ways.

These upshifts in gears come in swift succession, finally culminating in an elemental battle that’s every bit as batshit as anything in the John Wick series, but with a slightly different flavour.

The Good:

Ana de Armas: The John Wick movies stopped at exactly the right time. Some of the action sequences in four were indistinguishable from video games, and if they made any more, the franchise risked self-parody on par with the Fast and Furious.

Ballerina might be set in the world of John Wick and have similar action, but the energy level is different, and, for me, that’s a good thing.

Ana de Armas is also credible in the role, and gradually becomes incredible as the action amps up later in the movie.

The best thing about her character is that she’s not a Mary Sue. On the contrary, she gets her ass handed to her on multiple occasions, but she always gets up and – here’s the key point – she adapts.

Ballerina’s unlikely to make my top ten movies of the year, but I do want to see more of this character in future movies.

Familiar Faces: John Wick is Keanu’s best role and always a delight to watch. Though he’s not the only familiar face.

We also get Lovejoy, sorry I mean Ian Mc Shane (if you know you know) as Winston and the late Lance Reddick in his final role as the Continental’s concierge, Charon.

The Wickiverse: I love it, I love the details. The parallel world of intrigue and opulence that seems to lurk beyond our own, the hyper-saturated interiors, the grizzled tattooed operators using analogue telephone exchanges…

All those clever little details that didn’t need to exist in an action movie series but which all work together to elevate it beyond mere action schlock.

And it’s all here in Ballerina.

The Bad:

Daddy Issues: I get that we’re being introduced to a new protagonist and a new villain, and I get that we have to establish their motivations, but I feel like all of this could have been handled just as easily with around 30 seconds’ worth of flashback sequences spliced into the training montage.

Fate: I don’t come to these movies looking for amazing scriptwriting, but still, I’m sick and tired of scriptwriters beating me over the head with the fate stick.

It’s the second movie in a row I’ve watched in the cinema where the protagonist does something because it’s “fate”.

Whereas most people just do shit because they have to.

The Cheesy

The Music: Imagine a meme that says, “when you order a Trent Reznor soundtrack on Temu.” That’s the Ballerina soundtrack.  

It’s what lame white Americans think cutting-edge electronic music sounds like, and fuck me, is it annoying. Get your ass to Tresor dickheads!

Kartoffelsalat: I love Gabriel Byrne, and it’s always great to see him on screen.

It’s not that he’s bad in the role, it’s just that, around two-thirds into the movie, my buddy and I both turned to one another and went, “Wait, is he trying to do a German accent now?”

It feels like they forgot to tell him his character was German until the movie had almost wrapped.

“But Oy can’t do a Gurrmin accent!”

“It doesn’t matter Gabe, just do the best you can, nobody will ever notice, trust me!”

Hollywood innit?

Standout Scenes

• The restaurant fight is one of the key moments where the movie shifts up gears. It’s not an epic fight compared to some of the John Wick sequences, but it’s still very well crafted and perfect big-screen popcorn fare.

• I’m just gonna say two words, “ice skates” – a scant few seconds of screen time but a highlight of the movie for me. Once you see the movie, you’ll know.

Wick Measuring

Ballerina is a solid and entertaining action movie with the added bonus of allowing us to see John Wick in action one last time.

It’s also far less balls-to-the-wall than the John Wick movies because ballerinas aren’t meant to have balls. For one thing, they’re hard to squeeze into a tutu – or so I’m told.

Those going in expecting John Wick 5 – The Resurrection are going to be pissed off, though that’s not due to any fault with the movie.

I think that’s at the root of some of the negative reviews, which, as with most things in life, it’s all marketing’s fault.  

Wary of box office numbers, the marketing overly emphasised John Wick’s appearance in the movie, which left many fans wanting.

To be clear, while this movie is set in the same world as John Wick, this is not a John Wick movie.

Rather, it’s about a different character who briefly crosses paths with John Wick during the course of her own adventure.

Know that going in and you’ll enjoy it for what it is.

Further Viewing

The Assassin: Released in 1993, The Assassin (or Point of No Return for American weirdos) is an action/spy thriller directed by John Badham.

It’s essentially an English-language remake of Luc Besson’s Le Femme Nikita (including some shot-for-shot action scenes). And while I love Luc Besson, I love this remake more.

This was always a favourite movie of mine back in the day, and it enjoyed regular VHS rotation. It also gave me a whole new appreciation for both Nina Simone and canned ravioli.

Looking back, it does feel really 90s. The action doesn’t hold up by today’s standards, and neither does Hans Zimmer’s cheesy score, but it’s all about the story and the performances.

Stealing the show is Bridget Fonda as the wilful assassin, codename Nina, and Gabriel Byrne as her smitten handler, Bob. (She also has a really annoying boyfriend, but you can tune him out with practice.)

Other cast members include Robocop’s Miguel Ferrer and an unforgettable cameo from Harvey Keitel as Victor the Cleaner. (A full year before he would play a similar role in Pulp Fiction.)

Atomic Blonde: From director David Leitch, who also worked on the John Wick movies, Atomic Blonde is an action/spy movie featuring another ass-kicking heroine, this time played by Charlize Theron.

Its supporting cast includes John Goodman, James McAvoy and the delectable Sofia Boutella.

Set in East Germany at the very end of the Cold War, Atomic Blonde combines cerebral spycraft and savage fight scenes.

It’s half John le Carré, half John Wick – served up with a Kreuzberg kraut-punk twist.

And, as it’s based on a graphic novel, there’s also a slick sheen of stylised visual graffiti sprayed on top, plus a soundtrack that’s packed with bangers from Bowie, Ministry, Public Enemy, New Order and Nena.

Theron is mesmerising as Lorraine Broughton, a jaded chain-smoking MI6 agent who’s as glamorous as she is dangerous.

We meet her at her lowest point, after too many beatings, debriefings and double-crosses, barely held together by ice-cold Stolichnaya baths and Mauer-thick mascara.

She looks broken and defeated, but looks can be deceptive – especially in the spy game.

Only problem with this movie is we never got a follow-up.

Payback: Payback is a 1999 action thriller starring cancel culture OG Mel Gibson, alongside an ensemble cast which includes James Coburn, William Devane, Kris Kristofferson and Bill Duke.

And, of course, who can forget Lucy Liu as the sadistic gangsta dominatrix Pearl?

The world of Payback is similar to Wickworld in many ways, a mythological underworld populated by flamboyant bosses and their skeezy underlings.

It’s more of a cerebral crime caper than an action flick, but with excellent dialogue, dark humour and a fantastic score and soundtrack to boot, with music from Jimi Hendrix, James Brown, BB King and Dean Martin.

After being double-crossed and left for dead, Porter is out for revenge, waging a one-man war against The Outfit (formerly known as The Syndicate) – and one way or another, he’s going to get the money that’s owed to him. (No more, no less.)

I’ve watched this movie so many times I’ve practically got it memorised. It’s packed full of quotable lines and unforgettable performances.

It was originally directed by Brian Helgeland, who was later fired from the movie.

And it’s one of those rare examples when a movie was dramatically improved with reshoots, retaining the same dark tone while bolstering the humour. (Therefore, avoid the Director’s Cut and watch the original release version instead. [Or if you’re a nerd like me watch both so you can understand why.])

Incidentally, the character of Porter was based on the Parker novel series by Donald E. Westlake. The character was also portrayed by Lee Marvin in Point Break (1967) – there’s a strong case for calling Payback a remake of Point Break – and Robert Duvall in The Outfit (1973), both of which are well worth a watch also.