BALLERINA

 

Jeri Jacquin

Coming to theatres this Friday from director Len Wiseman, Thunder Road and Lionsgate is the story intwined with the John Wick franchise with BALLERINA.

Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas) is a young woman who lost her father as a child and was taken in by Winston Scott (Ian McShane), owner of the Continental Hotel. Wanting to keep her safe, he entrusts Eve to the Director (Angelica Houston) who oversees the Ruska Roma and takes care of the ballet school and Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) who will train her. Finally ready for her first assignment, during a scuffle she notices a mark that reminds her of something she saw as a child.

When the Director refuses to answer her question, Eve turns to Winston and it takes her to Prague and Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus). In a matter of minutes, she realizes that Pine is dealing with a repeat situation when his daughter Ella (Ava McCarthy) is being taken from him. Now the chase is on when Eve learns that the man she seeks is the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). Eve must decide if the answers she seeks is worth breaking all the rules because choices can come with consequences.

De Armas as Eve has the quietness of the franchise and the intensity needed to make this offshoot work – and it does. Taking on a role in this cinematic universe, de Armas has cemented her place in it. As Eve, she is in a solid storyline and shows how it is entwined in the world of assassins and exact rules that, like John Wick, are made to be broken. The tension oozes on the screen and the action is well done by de Armas.

McShane returns as Winston and knows exactly what to do for the young Eve. As the owner of the Continental, it allows him to skirt certain rules and McShane does it with the swagger this character has been known for. Byrne as the Chancellor is a leader and with that comes a control that is part of the problem. It must be said that Byrne has always been able to play a bad guy so damn well. In this film, he is just as much a stickler for the rules when they work to his favor but also seems to control people with ease. Both these actors are fantastic in this film.

Houston as the Director falls into this role again without missing a beat. Training her “ballerinas” comes with a long history and keeping the peace with the Chancellor comes with its own set of choices. Having Houston on the screen in this larger role is a long time in the making now that her role is more powerful than anyone might have realizes. Watching her bob and weave through the film is so cool. Duncan-Brewster as Nogi knows Eve from the beginning and is part of her training. The role is a smaller one but still is impactful on Eve.

Reedus as Pine is holding up in a hotel room but that isn’t going to stop Eve. I was absolutely thrilled to see Reedus on the screen again and taking on what he calls “a bottle of Advil all day long type of job”. He gets the chance to put his hands on fight scenes that are intense which is probably an awesome change from zombies. McCarthy as Ella is a charming little girl who is in the middle of a battle not of her own making.

The audience gave heartfelt love to Lance Reddick as Charon, memorable concierge at the Continental Hotel. There was verbal cheering for him and I was all for it.

Other cast include Choi Soo-young, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Jung Doo-hong, David Castaneda, Robert Maaser, Marc Cram and Victoria Comte as child Eve.  

Lionsgate is a global leader in motion picture production and distribution for theatres, television, home entertainment and more. Theatre franchises include THE HUNGER GAMES, and DIVERGENT along with JOHN WICK. Now, adding this film to its 16,000-motion picture and television titles you can see everything coming soon as well as available now at http://www.lionsgate.com.

BALLERINA is a two hour and five-minute ass whuppin’ from start to finish. There isn’t a moment where the audience will be able to sit back and take a breath. The story comes in line taking place during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum so everyone understands the time line. The film offers twists, turns (not just the body either), a deeper look into of the story that falls in line with the John Wick narrative.

Of course, I am being vague about the details as I wouldn’t even, for a minute, want to spoil it for anyone. Just know that the action is absolutely amazing and the reaction of the audience never stopped for a moment. There were cheers, a few omg’s, creation to the fight scenes so the entire film is a shared experience and that’s what makes it so much fun. Following the JOHN WICK formula, BALLERINA doesn’t miss a beat and is a fantastic time of a two-hour ride.

Each character feels seamless as they enter into the story and I just loved how it was done and to see faces that are part of the franchise return to tell more of their story. Director Wiseman had a vision and put it on film giving the audiences exactly what they expect from this franchise. The ending is left just as open as John Wick’s story which means if de Armas can handle more of the same (which is absolutely a lot!), a BALLERINA 2 will be well received. The creation of another assassin that sees the rules slightly different than those who control the frightening underworld is done so well and it fits the timeline    

In the end – the past can be a trigger!