Originally, the protagonist of 'Swan Lake' was a woman, a preview review of the 5-star action 'Ballerina'

Honestly, I was anxious. It was only natural that a movie scheduled for release in 2024 would be delayed by a whole year. The internal screening evaluation of the first cut was disastrous, and they had to reshoot after completely rewriting the existing script. There were also conflicts over concepts and role assignments between Chad Stahelski, who directed up to the fourth installment of 〈John Wick〉, and Len Wiseman, who took on the direction of 〈Ballerina〉. It seemed to be on the path to becoming a 'disaster'. I couldn't help but wonder why they continued the series after killing John Wick in the third installment. If the main story has no answers, how could a spin-off offer any hope? However, to my surprise, 〈Ballerina〉 is an unexpected gem.

Finally, John Wick has returned. But it's not Keanu Reeves as the protagonist of 〈John Wick 5〉; instead, the new face is Ana de Armas, who takes on the lead role in 〈Ballerina〉. This is a spin-off of the 'John Wick Universe', and it turns out that John Wick wasn't the only one in the assassin organization 'Ruska Roma' that fans of the series are familiar with. The Continental Hotel, a key location in the series, is bustling with people, and most importantly, there is a bounty that fluctuates like stock prices at a place that looks like a telephone exchange, suggesting that the universe and its members are more than we can imagine. Now, it's time for a female protagonist to emerge in that universe. If the main theme of the previous 〈John Wick〉 series was Vivaldi's 'Four Seasons', then 〈Ballerina〉 flows with Tchaikovsky's 'Swan Lake'.

Eve (Ana de Armas), who grew up as a killer in Ruska Roma, seeks the truth to avenge her father, who passed away when she was young. What Eve remembers is that the members of the organization that killed her father had an X-shaped mark on their wrists. Later, after completing her training in Ruska Roma and carrying out missions, Eve encounters the organization with the very X mark. She also learns that the leader of this cult-like organization, Chancellor (Gabriel Byrne), is the one who murdered her father. Now, ignoring the warning from the Ruska Roma director (Angelica Huston) that touching another organization would lead to a major war, Eve heads to Hallstatt, the stronghold of that organization.

You might be skeptical about whether a 'John Wick Universe without Keanu Reeves' is possible, but Ana de Armas's universe debut is successful. In the most recent James Bond series, 〈007 No Time to Die〉 (2021), she appeared as a character named 'Paloma', and despite her limited screen time, she showcased a very strong sense of action. In 〈Ballerina〉, where she takes on the role of the main protagonist, she performs elegant movements as if she is dancing ballet, and skillfully handles various firearms without any sense of awkwardness. Above all, she appropriately incorporates the 'Gun' (gun) and 'Kung-fu' styles, known as 'Gunfu', which can be considered the trademark of the 〈John Wick〉 series.

If we consider Chad Stahelski, the creator of the 'John Wick style' and a martial arts director, as an innovator, he has brought back long-take and long-shot action scenes to the global action movie genre. This was a method from the days of Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, supported by technique and stamina. The camera captured the movements of the action stars we adore from a distance, showing them in long takes without cutting their trajectories. However, with the 〈Bourne Identity〉 series, the trend shifted to fast-paced editing that enhanced the impact of close-combat martial arts like Kali, Silat, and Krav Maga, influencing not only the 〈007〉 series but also the 〈Mission Impossible〉 series, and even Korean films like 〈The Man from Nowhere〉 (2010) and 〈The Suspect〉 (2013). But 〈John Wick〉, which came in 2014, was different. Keanu Reeves, with his tall stature, seemed to fight while slightly swaying, and this was captured in long takes, including his heavy breathing, making that style convincing. The close-combat action was not different, and even though I knew that the blood and knives in some frames were clearly special effects, it felt like the long take contained the joys and sorrows of a man named John Wick.

Above all, Chad Stahelski, who directed the entire 〈John Wick〉 series up to the fourth installment and also led the major action scenes in 〈Ballerina〉, still has a strong presence. Len Wiseman, known for the 〈Underworld〉 series, joined as the main director. Although I don't know what kind of conflicts and adjustments they went through, the result is a quite commendable product. 〈Ballerina〉 maintains the 'John Wick style' while introducing a female protagonist, adding more variation. Without sticking to the existing long-take style, it creates a 〈Ballerina〉 that reflects Eve's admiration for the musical 'Swan Lake' through diverse locations and weapon changes. On the other hand, it also restores the original protagonist's position to modern audiences, who are more familiar with the 'male swan' that reveals a muscular upper body in feather pants instead of the delicate female swan portrayed by Matthew Bourne. By featuring Ana de Armas as the female protagonist, it creates a turning point for the Gunfu style that had accumulated fatigue through four installments and introduces a fresh crack into the closed organization of Ruska Roma.

The action sequence that Eve unfolds in the snow-covered Hallstatt, Austria, to avenge her father is astonishing. Hallstatt is a dream tourist destination for many people planning a trip to Europe. In the movie, it serves as the base of the secret organization that Eve is tracking. The staff serving food in the café and the owner of the souvenir shop all have ordinary faces, but as soon as they notice Eve's identity, they immediately transform into action machines and launch ruthless attacks. Surrounded by high mountains, the quaint scenery of the old village blends with the blue lake, making it a place called 'paradise on earth', but in 〈Ballerina〉, it becomes the setting for a desperate climax action scene. The admiration for Hallstatt's winter landscape is very brief, while the thrill of the action continues for a long time.

The Hallstatt action sequence is an experience so exhilarating that it deserves a full 5 stars. It starts with a fight using a kitchen knife in a restaurant, uses skate blades like short knives, and eventually features a flamethrower. The action in the snow-covered village, filled with hot flames, offers a thrill not seen in previous 〈John Wick〉 series. Ana de Armas, while switching between various weapons, maintains the center of the action and eventually encounters John Wick, sent by Ruska Roma to resolve the situation. A strange sense of kinship flows between them as they recognize their similar circumstances, injecting more vitality into the action sequence that unfolds without a dull moment. Hallstatt is the crystallization of blood, sweat, and tears. The 〈John Wick〉 series, which has successfully continued up to the fourth installment, has truly succeeded in extending its life with the new face of 〈Ballerina〉.