Shadows on the Wall

Ballerina

dir Len Wiseman
scr Shay Hatten
prd Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Chad Stahelski
with Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, Gabriel Byrne, Norman Reedus, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Lance Reddick, Ava McCarthy, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, David Castaneda, Victoria Comte
release US/UK 6.Jun.25
25/US Lionsgate 2h05

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As a John Wick spinoff, this film features the expected achingly cool settings, lively characters and eye-catching fight choreography. So it's a shame that the story feels assembled to hit the usual revenge-thriller beats without generating any real suspense. The cast is solid, and director Len Wiseman keeps things moving through the dazzling locations. But there's no doubt where the story is headed, and the themes feel oddly cursory.

After the Chancellor (Byrne) murders her father (Castaneda) in front of her, young Eve (Comte) is taken in by a rival mob's Director (Huston), who trains her both as a ballerina and a killer. Some 12 years later, Eve (now de Armas) is still determined to get revenge, even if it means upending a centuries-old truce between the two clans. Her only lead is a man (Reedus) in Prague, and he points her to the Chancellor's hideout in a wintry Middle European village. Then the Director sends John Wick (Reeves) to clean up the mess.

At every step in this story, carnage erupts. And clearly Eve will need to face the truth of who she is before she can find justice. The film plays with this idea, including the nature of vengeance itself, which adds a hint of meaning to the escalating violence. Scenes are skilfully designed to play on collisions between fire, ice and water, from a fight in a sub-zero New York nightclub to a riotously brutal flame-thrower shootout. And pretty much every kind of gun and blade is deployed along the way.

At the centre, de Armas has a nicely contained steeliness. Even if her quest feels misguided, Eve's feelings are sympathetic, so she remains the one character we identify with. Sandino Moreno also finds some nuance as the Chancellor's henchman, as does Reedus as a man simply trying to rescue his daughter (a wide-eyed McCarthy). And Reeves brings his usual gravitas to his signature role as a man who is very good at what he does, and hates every second of it.

Because everything is so carefully constructed and staged, the story struggles to come to life. The premise is so desperate to tug on our heart strings that it instead comes across as cynically formulaic. So even if scenes are assembled to a very high standard with particularly impressive stunt action, this rarely rises above an impersonation of a movie we've already seen. It definitely needs some more John Wick-style heart.

themes, language, violence 2.Jun.25

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