Ballerina Review: Ana De Armas Sets The Screen On Fire In Satisfying John Wick Spin-off

From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (M18)

Starring Ana de Armas, Norman Reedus, Gabriel Bryne

Directed by Len Wiseman

A few years ago, David Leitch and 87Eleven, the folks behind the John Wick franchise, made Atomic Blonde — the vastly underrated, female-led bruiser starring Charlize Theron as a Cold War spy. Ballerina is the closest thing it has to a spiritual sequel.

In No Time to Die and Ghosted, Ana de Armas proved she could handle action. In Ballerina — a spin-off of the John Wick saga set during the events of Chapter 3 – Parabellum (that’s the one where Baba Yaga chops off his own digit) — she elevates the bedlam to next-level madness.

Her Eve Macarro is an assassin, a disciple of the Ruska Roma (ballet academy by day, school for killers by night), bent on avenging her father’s murder at the hands of The Cult (led by Gabriel Byrne as The Chancellor), a sect that apparently doesn’t play well with The High Table.

Eve’s rise from dancer to destroyer treads familiar ground — think Hanna, Red Sparrow (or Black Widow, depending on which side of the bed you wake up on), and La Femme Nikita (look out for a cameo by that film’s lead, Anne Parillaud). But it’s the third act that truly sets the house on fire — literally and figuratively.

While some parts are underwritten (who the eff are The Cult? And what’s the deal with the cult defector played by Norman Reedus?), there’s just enough plot to hang its dazzling, 87Eleven-designed gun-fu set pieces — including some stylish grenade tossing and a flamethrower duel that scorches.

Keanu Reeves’ brief return as Wick will delight longtime fans, but ultimately, this is de Armas’ show all the way. And now that Wick is returning (presumably from the dead) for a fifth instalment, maybe there's room for a rematch with Eve. Wouldn’t that be wicked? (3/5 stars) out in cinemas

The Phoenician Scheme (NC16)

Starring Benicio del Toro, Mia Threapleton, Michael Cera 

Directed by Wes Anderson

This is probably a first in a Wes Anderson movie: an exploding body! That left-field moment aside, it’s business as usual at Wes’s whimsical factory. The 1950s-set romp stars Benicio del Toro as a shady industrialist (in typical Anderson fashion — loathsome but adorable) who forms an unlikely alliance with his estranged daughter (Mia Threapleton) to save his crumbling empire. When you come to a Wes Anderson movie, you know what to expect (click here for the checklist) — you’re always guaranteed a goofy good time. But not always. Sometimes, too much fun can alienate the audience (fans included) — case in point: Asteroid City. The Phoenician Scheme is, thankfully, more focused and less grating in its mischief. It’s endearing, though it lacks the melancholia of The Grand Budapest Hotel and The Royal Tenenbaums. (3.5/5 stars) out in cinemas

Photo: Focus Features/UIP

Predator: Killer of Killers (NC16)

Starring the voices of Lindsay LaVanchy, Louis Ozawa, Rick Gonzalez, Michael Biehn

Directed by Dan Trachtenberg & Josh Wassung

Before his Prey follow-up Predator: Badlands hits cinemas in November, Dan Trachtenberg managed to squeeze in this anthology feature of three shorts following the Yautja — everyone’s favourite intergalactic safari game-hunters — as they trophy-hunt on Earth across three time periods: a Viking warrior in 9th-century Scandinavia, a ninja in Edo-era Japan, and a pilot in WWII Europe. The animation (by SPFX shingle The Third House) is stunning, and the action is breathtakingly brutal — never shying away from gore. (Play a drinking game: take a sip of booze every time there’s a beheading.) For a while, it plays like a standalone, until a third-act reveal (which shows that the dreadlocked mofos have also cracked the code of a certain popular astrophysical concept) hints at possible links to Badlands. Yes, it’s a marketing ploy — but a damn good one. (3.5/5 stars) on Disney+

Photo: 20th Century Studios

Deep Cover (M18)

Starring Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, Nick Mohammed, Sean Bean, Ian McShane

Directed by Tom Kingsley

Bryce Dallas Howard, Orlando Bloom, and Nick Mohammed play improv actors recruited by the cops to infiltrate a London gang. Hilarity — and some bloodshed — ensue. Kinda, sorta. It’s a stacked cast, but they don’t make magic. Every time I look at Howard, I wish Phoebe Waller-Bridge were playing her character. Bloom’s underappreciated method actor going overkill — à la Robert Downey Jr.’s Kirk Lazarus in Tropic Thunder — is amusing. Mohammed’s role is basically a Nate redo from Ted Lasso (before he became A**hole Nate). Ten minutes in (long enough to register as a view?), the story loses power and goes into auto-pilot. The tone is all over the place: one minute it’s a comedy, the next, a gritty thriller (Ian McShane is wasted as a crime boss). Neither mode really works. Still, I like the premise. Maybe Nathan Fielder should try this for the next season of The Rehearsal? (2.5/5 stars) on Prime Video

Photo: Prime Video

The movie I missed in the cinemas that I finally caught on streaming...

I Want To Be Boss (PG)

Starring Henry Thia, Patricia Mok, Dawn Yeoh

Directed by Jack Neo

They used to say Jack Neo didn’t make films — he made movies. These days, Jack doesn’t make movies; he makes content: risible, disposable, second-screen entertainment. His latest anti-magnum opus follows two rival eateries (Henry Thia vs. Dawn Yeoh!) turning to AI to stay competitive. Neo’s take on next-gen tech is tacky, feels tacked-on, and cringe-inducingly dated (Patricia Mok’s robot seems teleported from the ’80s). Honestly, I’d have been happier if he’d just stuck to his usual kopitiam banter. It isn’t as awful as some say it is — it’s much worse. Seriously, 26 years and over 20 movies after his directorial debut That One No Enough (1998’s Money No Enough wasn’t helmed by him), why does this come across like the work of a novice? (0.5/5 stars) on Netflix

Photo: mm2 Entertainment