Ballerina (2024)” – Grace Meets Vengeance in a Haunting Action Thriller
In 2024, the John Wick universe expanded with elegance and fury through Ballerina, a stylish, brutal, and emotionally charged spin-off that combines the beauty of ballet with the cold precision of assassination. Directed by Len Wiseman (Underworld), the film stars Ana de Armas in her most physically demanding role yet — as Rooney, a trained ballerina-turned-lethal killer on a mission of revenge.
Set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 and Chapter 4, Ballerina delves deep into the hidden world of the Ruska Roma, the secretive crime family that raised John Wick himself. Rooney, one of their finest dancers, is also one of their deadliest assets. When her family is slaughtered in a targeted hit ordered by a rival crime syndicate, she leaves the stage behind — trading pirouettes for pistol fire.
The film opens with a haunting performance in a candlelit theater, but the elegance is soon shattered by bloodshed. What follows is a relentless journey across European cities as Rooney hunts down those responsible. Each kill is executed with grace and fury, blending the choreography of dance with the brutality of combat. Her movements are not only balletic — they’re weaponized.
Ana de Armas delivers a mesmerizing performance, balancing Rooney’s grief, rage, and cold determination. She’s joined by familiar faces from the Wickverse, including an appearance by Keanu Reeves as John Wick, and Anjelica Huston reprising her role as the Director, Rooney’s mentor and the woman who shaped her into a killer.
Ballerina stands out not just for its stunning action sequences — including a fight through a glass opera house and a snow-covered duel in Prague — but also for its emotional depth. Rooney is not an invincible anti-hero; she bleeds, she breaks, but she never gives up.
The haunting score, a blend of classical ballet themes and modern electronic pulses, underscores the film’s central message: revenge is not just an act — it’s an art.
With its bold visuals, sharp world-building, and a lead performance that commands the screen, Ballerina elevates the assassin genre to poetic new heights. In a world built on violence, sometimes the deadliest weapon is a dancer with nothing left to lose.
