THE WORLD OF JOHN WICK: BALLERINA. Starring Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Keanu Reeves and Lance Reddick. Directed by Len Wiseman. Rated MA15+. Restricted. (Strong violence). 125 min.
This action movie is the fifth film in the ‘John Wick’ franchise and takes place between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019) and John Wick: Chapter 4 (2023). The lead role of Ballerina is taken by de Armas, who plays Eve Macarro, a ballerina-assassin, previously portrayed by Unity Phelan in John Wick: Chapter 3.
Principal photography took place in Prague, Czech Republic. Reeves is John Wick, a professional hitman and legendary assassin who established a reputation for exceptional assassination skills. Huston reprises her role from previous John Wick films. De Armas takes the role of Ballerina in the movie, and she trains to be a lethal assassin, called Rooney.
The Wick franchise centres around John Wick who was forced out of retirement to seek revenge against the men who killed his dog that was a gift from his late, beloved wife. He quickly established a reputation for being a highly successful assassin.
This film sits congruently within the Wick franchise. It treads a fine line between action violence and horror comedy and is a film in a series that has become a cult classic. Long, sweeping shots and detailed choreography convey the desired aggressive action. Typically, Wick films combine martial arts with guns, knives and other lethal combat tools. In this film, as in other Wick movies, action violence and stunning choreography go hand in hand. Violence is delivered in a way that is faithful to the visual style that has been well established. The film has the same modus operandi as the 2014 film which began the franchise.
What distinctively characterises this film is its presentation of strong, female violence by an actress trained thoroughly in the Wick style. De Armas is an extraordinary entry into an action-heavy male franchise, and she executes her revenge in a way that entirely maintains the spirit of a Wick movie. This film like the ones before it, is not for the faint-hearted. It delivers what is expected: revenge, murder, torture, maiming, execution, and killing by any means, fair or foul, using anything lethal that happens to be around.
All action scenarios are intended to punish, but this time, the main protagonist is female, not male. Viewers beware. This is a thoroughly aggressive action movie from start to finish, but entirely faithful to the Wick style.
StudioCanal
Released 5 June 2025