2020-2029, Film Review

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025)

Posted on June 9, 2025July 14, 2025 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**© Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment, Thunder Road Films and 87Eleven Entertainment**

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina – Film Review

Cast: Ana de Armas, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne, Lance Reddick, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Keanu Reeves

Director: Len Wiseman

Synopsis: After being trained in the traditions of the Ruska Roma organisation, an assassin sets out on a quest for revenge after her father was murdered…

Review: It is incredible to think that a film about a man who embarks on a violent and personal mission to exact revenge on the goons who killed a puppy, a gift from his beloved late wife, could spawn such an enthralling and gritty action franchise. Taking a close look at the murky criminal underworld and a network of assassins with hotels all around the world for these assassins to rest in between jobs, all while allowing its titular hero to find endlessly creative ways to eliminate those who wronged him. Yet, after four films that have shot and stabbed their way to a billion dollars at the worldwide box office, and a spin-off TV show about the New York Continental. However, the time has come for the passing of the torch and for a new central figure to pirouette her way to take the limelight, that the Baba Yaga has carried so successfully.

Set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 Parabellum and Chapter 4, Eve Macarro (de Armas) is a ballerina turned assassin who has been training in the traditions of the Ruska Roma for over a decade after her father was murdered when she was a young girl. After a decade of gruelling training, Eve graduates from the programme and is sent out on missions by the Ruska Roma’s uncompromising and strict director (Huston). Yet, the whole time, the thought of getting back at those who were responsible for her father’s murder is never far from her mind. When she comes across a clue that could lead her to them, she defies the director’s orders and sets off on her quest for revenge, and no one is going to stand in her way from getting to the bottom of who killed her father.

Anyone who saw 2021’s No Time to Die will know that when de Armas’s CIA agent Paloma meets Bond to infiltrate a meeting of the nefarious SPECTRE and fend off their goons, it delivered one of the film’s most exhilarating sequences. Despite a scandalously brief amount of screentime, she certainly left her mark on the franchise, and probably several of those SPECTRE goons, when she kicked their arses. Opportunities arose for her to develop that impressive turn alongside 007, but they never quite materialised. Thankfully, this is the one that doesn’t waste her talent and, much like Mr Wick, allows her to showcase her incredible action skills and get inventive in how she takes down her enemies. Flamethrower? Check. Grenades? Check. Ice skate blade? Check. Hell hath no fury like a woman on a deeply personal mission of revenge, and de Armas commits to the physicality of the role and does the majority of her own stunts in tremendous style.

The Wick universe is synonymous with slickly directed and stylish action scenes, where bad guys are dispatched in a violent and brutal fashion. Even with some reported reshoots helmed by franchise veteran Chad Stahelski, Len Wiseman brings an experienced hand to them. Yet for a female-led spin-off, it is a massive missed opportunity to not have a woman assume the responsibility of director. Shay Hatten’s script is surface-level at best when it comes to providing Eve with a sufficient amount of depth beyond her mission. You want to root for her, given the personal nature of her quest for revenge. Despite slotting in seamlessly as a spin-off to the underworld established by the first four John Wick films, the script does her a disservice, as she is explicitly told to “fight like a girl” by Ruska Roma teacher Nogi (Duncan-Brewster).

In a world where numerous badass female assassins have gone toe-to-toe with their male counterparts, and especially given what we know de Armas is capable of as an action star, it’s counterproductive and works against establishing Eve as a force to be reckoned with in this universe. This is not something she explicitly needs to be told when preparing for her missions. Perhaps a female director would have enabled the action to stand proudly on its own two feet, but instead, it cannot escape the shadow of Keanu Reeves’ legendary hitman. Speaking of Mr Wick, his appearance here could have been nothing more than a gratuitous cameo for the sake of nothing more than fan service, but he does serve a purpose in Eve’s revenge mission against the Chancellor (Byrne). An antagonist for Eve to confront for the pain he’s caused her, but he could have been so much more and is ultimately given paper-thin depth and development and pales in comparison to the villains of the John Wick films.

Checking back in to this brutal world of legendary hitman and bloody revenge is always a welcome one, especially as it represents our final chance to bid farewell to the late Lance Reddick as the concierge Charon. However, despite de Armas’s best efforts to twirl, shoot, and stab her way through as many bad guys as she can, as entertaining as these moments are, they don’t quite reach the heights of the films that have come before it. Still, there is definitely room for further expansion, and hopefully Eve Macarro will get her chance in the future to establish herself as a force to be reckoned with in the same breath as the Baba Yaga.

Ballerina is at its most exhilarating when Ana de Armas is tearing through bad guys through any means at her disposal, but ultimately, the spin-off doesn’t quite hit the heights set by the previous entries in the franchise.

2010-2019, Film Review

John Wick: Chapter 2 (2017)

Posted on October 17, 2017June 10, 2025 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

**Image is property of Lionsgate, Summit Entertainment and Thunder Road Pictures**

John Wick: Chapter 2 – Film Review

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Riccardo Scamarcio, Laurence Fishburne, Common, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Ruby Rose

Director: Chad Stahelski

Synopsis: John Wick now seeks to retire from the assassin lifestyle. However, after taking what he hopes to be one last mission, it places a rather large bounty on his head.

Review: There is just something about Keanu Reeves as an action star that just ticks all the right boxes. You look at his portfolio with the likes of Speed and The Matrix immediately jump to mind. Perhaps more recently, though, was his reinvigorating turn as the hitman you dare not cross with, John Wick. Managing to be something more than just your stereotypical hitman being a badass, the first film was a breath of fresh air into a genre that was rapidly becoming a bit stale, and so it was no surprise to see Keanu suit up as the Bogeyman (as he’s affectionately known) once again.

This time, thankfully for all the animal lovers out there. no one is after his pets. Instead, John plans to retire, but a debt he owes to a former associate, D’Antonio (Scarmacio) drags him back into the assassin underworld once more. Things go even further awry for John when he finds out that a large bounty has been put on his head, which means John must go after those who have got him in this sticky situation while trying to not get killed by the swarms that are now hot on his trail. For a while, things look as though maybe going down a similar path that the sequel walked. Though soon enough there are bullets flying and people dying, the plot manages to keep things fresh and moving along at an energising pace.

**Time for you all to say your prayers…**

With former stuntman Stahelski returning to direct, this time sans David Leitch, the action is once again filmed to look as elegant and extremely stylish as possible. Given that Wick is a man of few words, who prefers let bullets and fist do the talking for him, and in true sequel style, there is plenty more action. By consequence, more bullets and the blood will flow, and the blood CERTAINLY flows all right with Wick’s aim always on point throughout. For those who love action films, these action scenes are just so enthralling.

As spectacular as he was in the first film, Reeves is once again in spectacular form as the eponymous hitman, it’s a role he commits to and it’s evident he’s having a blast throughout. Riccardo Scamarcio as D’Antonio gets the job done as your new sort of slimy, untrustworthy associate, and Ian McShane as the suave Continental owner Winston remains as enjoyable to watch as he invariably is. And of course, the ever-great Laurence Fishburne has a small but significant role to play, bringing about a glorious Matrix reunion.

With the inner workings of this underground hitman bubble explored in more detail, it was refreshing to see the sequel not just retread the original film step by step, and try to freshen things up, as a sequel should. Though there are elements that do feel very familiar, it is hard to complain when you have an action star that commits to the role like Reeves does. Do not mess with the Bogeyman, cos he will come for you, and he WILL take you down if you piss him off.

As action packed as its predecessor, and just as stylish in terms of the slick action scenes, and Keanu Reeves being a complete and total badass, what more could you want?

2010-2019, Film Review

John Wick (2015)

Posted on February 9, 2017June 10, 2025 by Martin: Through the Silver Screen

John Wick – Film Review

Cast: Keanu Reeves, Alfie Allen, Michael Nvqist, Adrianne Palicki, Bridget Moynahan, Dean Winters, Ian McShane, John Leguizamo, Willem Dafoe

Directors: Chad Stahelski and David Leitch

Synopsis: John Wick is a former hitman who after falling in love seeks to leave the profession behind. After a brutal attack by some gangsters that takes those closest to him, he decides to suit up and take revenge.

Review: Cinema is not exactly short of complete badasses who can and will come after you, and kill you without mercy should you mess with them. The likes of James Bond, Ethan Hunt and Jason Bourne, or the Bride from the Kill Bill movies are a few names that might come to mind. Yet back in 2015, another name was added to that list of characters, who you dare not cross, this man’s name, is John Wick. Cross him at your peril, especially if you harm his pets, as he will rain a few hundred bullets in your direction.

john wick

Keanu Reeves is no stranger to the action genre, what with The Matrix being arguably the most notable thing on his CV to date, and he’s a fitting choice to play this awesome badass hitman. He handles the stunts superbly well and as a protagonist, you just want to root for him and see him waste the bad guys. And, for first-time directors Chad Stahelski and David Leitch, themselves former stunt men, they know and fully understand that you came here to see Wick waste some bad guys, and they certainly deliver the goods. The action is directed superbly well, and the stunt work is faultless. What’s more, there’s no shaky camera work of any kind. It’s all in the frame and all there for you to watch in all of its bloody glory as the bodies pile up.

Visually, the film is super stylish and everything is very well made, the lighting in some scenes is exquisite and it is edited together seamlessly. It is gripping stuff to watch, even if certain aspects of the plot are so paper-thin. This is not an in-depth character study, this is just a good old-fashioned action flick, in which you throw popcorn in your face and enjoy the action. That being said, besides Wick, there’s not a great deal of character development, and there definitely could have been some more meat on the bones of these characters, their motivations, and why they do what they do.

The acting is functional from everyone involved except for Keanu of course, who stands out as a cut above the rest, as he should. But again, this is no Oscar-bait movie driven by its screenplay, this is not what you came for. You come to see one man fight bad guys, and that is what you get. What’s more, with this fantastic introduction to this sort of hitmen underworld of hitmen hotels, bars and doctors etc might all sound ridiculous and dumb, but it most certainly is not! With Stahelski returning for the movie’s sequel and Leitch going off to direct the sequel to Deadpool, there’s plenty more to come from these two, and plenty more from Mr Wick too!