Ballerina
2025
*½
Director: Len Wiseman
Cast: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Choi Soo-young, David Castaneda
Eve Macarro, a young woman trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma assassin network, seeks vengeance for her father’s murder, which means turning against the organisation that controls her. This female-led action movie is part of the John Wick universe, taking place between the events of Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, and treads the same story ground as its predecessors. I have always found the franchise bafflingly overrated, and this is another boring and mechanical outing that offers little beyond action set pieces. Whether confrontations begin with guns, knives, or other makeshift weapons, they always seems to resolve in hand-to-hand combat. Eve’s hand-grenade fight is the sole moment that felt fresh.
