Film: Ballerina

 

GENRE: Action
RATING: R for lots of violence and some language
RUNTIME: 2 hours and 4 minutes
PLATFORM: Movie Theatre
STARRING: Ana De Armas (No Time to Die, Knives Out, Blonde)
Gabriel Byrne (Usual Suspects); Keanu Reeves (John Wick, The Matrix)
DIRECTOR: Len Wiseman (Underworld, Live Free or Die Hard)
WRITERS: Shay Hatten (John Wick 3 & 4), Derek Kolstad (John Wick 1- 4)
PLOT: Between the third and fourth John Wick, a female assassin is trained and then sets out to avenger her father’s death.

FULL DISCLOSURE: I liked the John Wick franchise.

STORY STUFF: Lots of hand-to-hand and gunplay like I expected. There is also some fire stuff that is both awesome and silly at the same time. The story is not really complicated but that’s not why we watch these films. I do find it funny how certain people are shot instantly and others are kept alive despite pricey bounties on their heads. You know who is going to survive so the stakes are not that high but it is still entertaining. We know that Eve and John Wick may be facing off but they both need to make it out alive.   

ACTING STUFF: Not much to talk about; de Armas is fun to watch as she kicks butt throughout the film. Reeves taps into his Wick persona perfectly. It was also nice to see Lance Reddick in his final role as Charon. Same goes for Ian McShane as Winston.  

ARTISTIC STUFF: There is this great dolly shot as Eve collects her knives from various victims after an unseen battle. The stunt choreography is awesome although I feel sorry for the stunt people when they get lit on fire. Love the locations – there is this beautiful winter town that I would love to visit if it weren’t populated by hundreds of assassins. I also enjoyed the perfect closing touch of a couple Evanescence songs for the end credits.

VERDICT: Four stars out of five
SEE IT IF: You like John Wick and fine with a woman kicking butt
UPCOMING REVIEW: The Phoenician Scheme