“Ballerina” Review: Ana de Armas Steps Into the Spotlight in This Fierce John Wick Spin-Off

Ballerina (2025)

Directed by: Len Wiseman

Written by: Shay Hatten

Starring: Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne

Release Date: Friday, June 6, 2025

Published: June 6, 2025

Rating: ★★★★☆ (4/5)

Ballerina stars Ana de Armas as Eve, a young woman forged in the fires of trauma and raised to kill. As a child, Eve watched her father be murdered by a vicious cult led by the enigmatic and terrifying figure known as The Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne). The same cult killed her mother and took her sister, though Eve was too young to remember the details.

Taken in by the Ruska Roma—an underground network of assassins led by The Director (Anjelica Huston)—Eve grows up learning ballet and combat, trained as a protector of the innocent. Under the distant mentorship of Winston (Ian McShane), she becomes both graceful and lethal.

Childhood Trauma and the Desire for Revenge

When buried memories of her childhood resurface, Eve turns her deadly talents toward revenge. Against the wishes of The Director, she embarks on a blood-soaked journey to hunt down The Chancellor and dismantle his cult. Her quest takes her from the streets of New York City to the shadowy village of Hallstatt—an assassin’s haven where nearly every inhabitant is either a killer or in training to become one. It’s here, hidden in plain sight, that The Chancellor has waited, pulling strings from the shadows for decades.

But Eve isn’t the only killer in town. John Wick (Keanu Reeves) enters the picture in a subplot set during the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum. The Director sends Wick to eliminate Eve as a favor. Though he empathizes with her mission, he also understands the rules of their world far better than she does. The collision course between Eve and Wick adds another layer of tension to the carnage in Hallstatt.

From the Director of Underworld

Director Len Wiseman (Underworld) brings a grounded, tactile sensibility to the action, favoring hand-to-hand combat and brutal realism over stylized set pieces. While he may lack Chad Stahelski’s visionary flair for stunt work, Wiseman keeps things tight and effective, helped by Shay Hatten’s sharp, character-driven script that gives Ana de Armas room to shine.

And shine she does. If anyone doubted Ana de Armas could carry a hard-hitting action film, they must have missed her standout turn alongside Daniel Craig in No Time to Die. That brief but dazzling sequence hinted at her potential. In Ballerina, she fully delivers, bringing both raw physicality and emotional nuance to Eve. Her performance is compelling and dynamic—equal parts vengeance and vulnerability. Watching her evolution into a full-blown action star is a thrill in itself.

A Lack of Confidence?

Unfortunately, Lionsgate’s marketing doesn’t reflect that confidence. Early promotional materials sidelined de Armas in favor of John Wick branding, at one point even titling the film From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. It’s disappointing to see the studio lean on franchise familiarity rather than letting de Armas take center stage.

Still, Ballerina works. It’s a fierce, confident spin-off that expands the John Wick universe while carving out a bloody path of its own. Whether it performs at the box office or not, Ana de Armas has proven she belongs in the assassin spotlight—and I can’t wait to see where she goes next.

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Tags:

Ballerina 2025, Ana de Armas, John Wick spin-off, action movies, assassin films, Len Wiseman, Shay Hatten, Keanu Reeves, movie review, summer 2025 movies