An assassin trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organization sets out to seek revenge against those responsible for the death of her father. A film by Len Wiseman, starring Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, and Keanu Reeves.
BALLERINA
Len Wiseman
(2025)
A group of armed men raid a mansion on a remote island where Javier Macarro (David Castañeda) is staying with his daughter Eve (Ava McCarthy). They kill all the security guards and capture Javier, unaware that he had hidden Eve in a secret compartment behind the bookshelves. Their leader, the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), confronts Javier and demands to know where Eve is, claiming that Javier has taken what doesn’t belong to him. He blames Javier for his wife’s death, then gives him two choices: kill himself and Eve lives, or kill the Chancellor and they both die.
As Javier is about to pull the trigger, believing it’s the only way to save Eve’s life, Eve watches through a peephole in the back of the bookshelf and tries to stop him by calling out. This alerts the armed men to her hiding spot. Javier quickly turns the gun on one of the men and kills him. In the chaos that follows, Eve grabs a gun and shoots, saving her father’s life. Javier then sets off a time bomb, and the explosion destroys the entire mansion along with everyone inside while he and Eve escape. However, Javier has been mortally wounded and dies.
Later, Winston (Ian McShane) brings Eve to the Ruska Roma, where she meets Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster) and the Director (Anjelica Huston), who decides to enlist her in the ballet company. Before parting, Winston gives Eve a gold coin and tells her that he will always be at her service.
For twelve years, Eve (Ana de Armas) has been trained as a ballerina by the Director and as an assassin by her mentor Nogi. When Eve complains that she can’t overpower a male opponent because he’s too strong, Nogi advises her to improvise, adapt, cheat, fight like a girl, and do whatever it takes to win.
One evening, Eve encounters John Wick (Keanu Reeves), who has come to the Director seeking safe passage. When Eve asks John how she can do what he does, John warns her that she still has a choice and can still leave.
After completing a contract, Eve is attacked by an assassin. She kills him and notices an X-shaped scar on his wrist, similar to the scar she remembers seeing on the wrists of the armed men who killed her father. She brings the severed hand to the Director, demanding the truth. But the Director orders her not to pursue them, warning her that there’s a pact as old as the Ruska Roma itself that prevents them from interfering with each other’s business.
Determined to find answers, Eve visits Winston at the New York Continental, hoping he can help her find the group that killed her father. Winston is initially reluctant, warning her that her curiosity will lead to grave consequences. However, Eve insists, handing Winston the gold coin he gave her when she was a child. Winston tells Eve that what she’s looking for isn’t a tribe but a cult that kills not just for business, but for sport. While the cult’s location is unknown, Winston reveals that one of the cultists is staying at the Prague Continental, and his name is Daniel Pine.
Directed by American filmmaker Len Wiseman from a screenplay by Shay Hatten, BALLERINA serves as the fifth installment in the JOHN WICK franchise. This action thriller film centers on a female assassin in a spin-off story that takes place between the events of JOHN WICK: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and Chapter 4. The narrative weaves together as the female assassin’s journey intersects with John Wick’s story.
While I don’t mind an assassin spin-off set in the John Wick universe, this film suffers from introducing too many new characters without giving them proper development. Most feel underutilized and forgettable, especially Norman Reedus as Daniel Pine and Catalina Sandino Moreno as Eve’s sister Lena. These characters seem to exist solely to move the plot forward before being quickly pushed aside. We never get the chance to connect with them or let their moments really land.
The marketing team made a mistake by pushing John Wick too heavily in BALLERINA’s promotion, as if they didn’t trust the film to succeed on its own merits. They gave away far too much in the trailers, including Eve’s encounter with John Wick and their fight scene together. These moments would have been fantastic surprises if they’d kept them under wraps and let audiences discover them in the actual film.
Most disappointing of all is the underwhelming fight choreography. I wasn’t expecting it to match John Wick’s level, but Eve’s technique feels more like that of an inexperienced assassin than someone who’s been properly trained. Her kills seem to rely heavily on luck, and it often feels absurd that she can take down seasoned assassins. Eve is supposed to be a ballerina, and while she may not be a very good one, how do her movements completely lack any grace?
I did enjoy seeing flamethrowers and grenades added to her arsenal, but sadly, explosions don’t always translate to excitement. It feels like Eve is cheating her way through fights. What’s really mindboggling is that none of the bad guys ever throw grenades back at her.
I think the most ridiculous concept in the film is that all the inhabitants of Hallstatt are cultists. They’re not some crime organization hiding in an underground compound, they just live casually as regular townspeople. In the real world, Hallstatt is an extremely popular tourist destination that draws over 3 million visitors every year. But somehow in the John Wick universe, this town has mysteriously stayed hidden from the rest of the world and doesn’t even appear on maps.
BALLERINA was theatrically released in the United States 6 June 2025, and in the United Kingdom on 7 June, by Lionsgate.
