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When you deal in blood, there must be rules or you will not survive.
Moral codes have always guided characters in the John Wick universe as they pursue vengeance and hard-fought salvation, set in motion in 2014 by the death of a beagle puppy given to Keanu Reeves’s former hit man by his late wife.
In the past 11 years, the title character has fuelled the profits of numerous funeral directors with his daredevil antics across four films, while the New York branch of The Continental chain of hotels has merited a 1970s-set spin-off TV series.
Ana de Armas puts her body through the wringer in an action-packed thriller set during events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum.
Shay Hatten, one of the writers of the third instalment, goes solo for Ballerina, constructing an origin story around Wick’s visit to the Ruska Roma crime syndicate fronted by the Director (Anjelica Huston) to secure safe passage out of New York.
Bone-crunching fight sequences that have become the franchise’s trademark are pleasingly evident from the breathlessly staged prologue, which establishes the protagonist’s tragic backstory and the source of her righteous anger in a high-stakes world of bounties and contracts.
Wiseman harnesses his experience behind the camera of two Underworld pictures to orchestrate these fisticuffs with ease and de Armas copes with the physical demand of her role with similar grace.
Twelve years after the murder of her father (David Castaneda), orphan Eve Macarro (de Armas) completes her training in the traditions of the Ruska Roma.
She combines combat and weapons training with ballet to improve her strength and agility, guided by no-nonsense mentor Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), who schools her to exploit every advantage as a woman and, if necessary, cheat.
For her first mission, Eve protects Katla Park (Choi Soo-young) from an anticipated kidnap attempt. The assignment culminates in bloodshed and Eve seeks sanctuary at the Continental Hotel under the protection of owner Winston Scott (Ian McShane).
To avenge the past, Eve defies direct orders from The Director and single-handedly infiltrates a cult controlled by the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne).
Trained killer Daniel Pine (Norman Reedus) and his young daughter (Ava McCarthy) are caught in the crossfire.
Ballerina is a rowdy second cousin to the John Wick films with clear potential for sequels, intersecting existing mythology in a meaningful way to allow de Armas and Reeves to clash on screen.
Flamethrowers and grenades are used extensively to distinguish Eve’s fighting style against taller and heavier opponents, delivering visually spectacular set pieces of stunt people ablaze.
Lance Reddick’s final appearance as The Continental’s concierge Charon is extremely poignant in a story soaked in loss and lamentation.
With Nogi’s guidance, Eve can learn to cheat most opponents, but death will eventually outflank her.