From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is a lot of fun to watch. The film is basically a non-stop barrage of intense, brutal, expertly choreographed action sequences. Written by Shay Hatten and directed by Len Weisman, this is a dumbed-down John Wick outing where Wick isn’t the star. Make no mistake, this is an exciting actioner that delivers on what fans are searching for, but beyond the elaborate fights, shootouts, and explosions, there isn’t a lot of “meat” in the screenplay sandwich. 

It was strange for the producers of such a beloved franchise to hire Wiseman to helm the first feature film in the Wick “universe” without Keanu Reeves in the driver’s seat. He is certainly a competent filmmaker; directing the first two Underworld movies, the second to worst Die Hard (part 4), and the travesty that was his 2012 remake of Total Recall. Wiseman directs big action scenes, but leaves no cinematic footprint. Director Chad Stahelski’s work on the first four Wick movies is unmistakable; setting the tone and visual style in the first chapter and using his skills as a stuntman to stamp his unique stunt design in the series’ action moments.  Wiseman doesn’t always shoot in wide frames (save for one truly creative car smash) and his reliance on quick cuts causes Julian Clarke’s editing to become too chaotic. Still, when the action gears up, From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is something to see. 

Set before John WIck Chapter 4, the story follows the rise of Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), as she goes from orphaned daughter of a murdered father (David Castañeda) to a vicious killer for hire. As a young girl, Eve witnesses her poppa being killed by a team of assassins led by the Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), a mysterious leader of a cult who wants to take the young girl so he can train her as a killer and make her part of his flock. 

Eva escapes and is taken in by our old buddy, Winston Scott (Ian McShane), who eventually hands her over to the head of the Ruska Roma, The Director (Angelica Huston). Eva trains in the ways of the RR and becomes part of the Director’s team of skilled killers. 

Hellbent on becoming one of the best, Eva’s eye is on payback. She works more than hard to achieve the needed strength and skills Eve’s trainer, Nogi (Sharon Duncan-Brewster), teaches her to improvise, adapt, and overcome. Nogi trains her pupils to fight dirty and that the size of one’s opponent means nothing. Eva takes her trainer’s advice to “Fight like a girl” to the extreme. Her fighting style isn’t as focused and razor-sharp as Wicks’ but Eva excels at fighting brutality with even more brutality. Her fight scenes hurt, even if we can see where de Armas ends and the stunt person begins. 

With the right material, Ana de Armas can be a good actress and carries the weight of her character well. It is in the action where de Armas seems out of place. Her fight training shows. The actress proves she can handle herself, but never seems comfortable throwing her kicks and punches. Perhaps this works in her favor, as Eva is unfamiliar with fighting villain after villain, let alone rooms full of them.

There are some gleefully entertaining and supremely violent moments throughout the film that put the audience in the middle of a war zone. Eva slices and dices her way through a nightclub where every man that steps in front of her tries to best her, each one making the fatal mistake of underestimating their female foe. 

When Eva reaches a quaint European village in the mountains, she quickly learns that the Chancellor’s violent sect is bigger than she could imagine. There isn’t merely a faction of the cult inside the town. The entire town is populated by the cult. 

The ensuing battle (that sees Eva going toe to toe with the village’s almost-entire population) is a balls-to-the-wall attack that is pure visceral excellence. This magnificent display of blood, bullets, and severed appendages ends with what will go down as the craziest action scene of the year. Eva and another assassin go head to head with oversized flamethrowers. This sequence is an action movie fan’s dream, as the two killers fire huge flames at one another in and outside of a tight building. The sound design plays a big part in the sequence’s success and it is nothing short of an absolute thrill to watch it unfold. 

While the film succeeds in presenting some intense and outlandish entertainment, John Wick and its following three chapters made art out of their elaborate set-pieces. The action here will have audiences gasping and cheering, but there is really no art to it. The previous films made the kicks and punches hurt and the bullet hits feel as if they were tearing through our own bodies. The action in Ballerina pops, but there is no danger to it all. The director lets the occasional silliness hamper any real badass aura. But guess what? None of that matters. Wiseman and company have delivered one of the most entertaining action movies of the year and the best in a good while that isn’t a Wick legacy film or one that carries the moniker, “Directed by George Miller.”

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina does have grit. The stunt performers and coordinators should definitely be among the nominees of the Oscars’ first ever stunt category at next year’s ceremony. 

The screenplay may be more of a cash-in than an actual addition to the John Wick family, but fear not. As pure action excitement, this one delivers. 

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina

Written by Shay Hatten

Directed by Les Wiseman

Starring Ana de Armas, Ian McShane, Angelica Huston, Catalina Sandino Moreno, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Keanu Reeves

R, 125 Minutes, Lionsgate, Thunder Road Pictures, 87Eleven Entertainment