As well as biding a fond farewell to Daniel Craig’s tenure as James Bond, 2021’s No Time To Die ignited a maelstrom of internet commentary. Not only because of the way Craig departed, but for a supporting characters' ten minutes of screen time. Ana De Armas’ Paloma, a secret agent, blew up the internet with many calling for a spin-off series for her character because of how much she lit the screen up with charisma and a cold-blooded killer instinct. And all of that potential is now fulfilled in Ballerina. While it doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of John Wick, Ballerina is a fun, blood drenched action stacked flick with Ana De Armas lighting up the screen with every kick, punch, and flamethrower ignited.

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When her father is murdered, Eve Macarro (de Armas) is set on a bloody path of training in the ways of both ballet and contract-killing at the criminal organisation run by the Ruska Roma, under the watchful eye of the Director. When Eve uncovers her father’s murderers, she defies her orders and hunts them down in a quest that takes her to the New York Continental and then to a secluded Austrian village teeming with a cult of assassins. 

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Ballerina looks and feels like an action flick from the early 2000’s which makes a lot of sense with Len Wiseman of the Underworld franchise at the helm. And narratively you’ve seen it all before - driven by vengeance our protagonist wrecks havoc on the perpetrators. Some of the dialogue is a bit hammy but to be really honest, are we here for an intricate tale and smart talking characters? Pretty sure we’re here for blood. And there’s a lot of it. 

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With each successive blood filled action sequence there seems to be a new inventive way for a baddie to cop a bullet or a variety of other blunt instruments to the face or an appendage. It is furious and fun, never really relenting with you chuckling away in horror at just how gross some of the deaths are. 

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But what really elevates Ballerina is Ana. She is a delight, completely lighting up the screen with charisma and a killer's instinct. With some female driven action films we are incessantly told that this woman can do anything. Ballerina instead shows us how Ana's Eve has to ‘fight like a girl’, using her skills against the strength and weight of her male opposition. You’re left with very little doubt in your mind that if you ever crossed her path, you would end up in a body bag. 

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While it doesn’t reach the dizzying heights of John Wick, Ballerina is a fun, blood drenched action stacked flick with Ana De Armas lighting up the screen with every kick, punch, and flamethrower ignited.