“She'll kill you with grace. And maybe a Stanley Cup.”
In a world already built on creative carnage—cue John Wick killing a man with a book in a library—Ballerina isn't just playing catch-up. It's ready to out-innovate the master.
Ana de Armas recently sat down with Discussing Film to preview the homicidal talents of her character, Eve Macarro, in From the World of John Wick: Ballerina. The results? Equal parts Black Swan and Home Alone on hard mode. Ice skates, plates, ballet shoes, pencils—no object is safe. Or rather, you're not safe from any object in her hands.
She even weaponizes the most innocent collectible: a John Wick Funko Pop. “There's nothing more painful than stepping on a toy barefoot,” de Armas quipped. “I'd definitely prep a room with hundreds.” Macaulay Culkin would be proud—and terrified.
The Wick-ening of Femininity
Unlike the hyper-masculine murder ballet of the original franchise, Ballerina seems poised to redefine violence through elegance. According to early CinemaCon footage, she's not relying on brute force—she's all fluid agility, like Jackie Chan dipped in blood and silk.
Chris Bumbray of JoBlo described a “CRAZY kitchen fight” where de Armas smashes her way through a sea of broken plates in a showdown against another blade-wielding woman. Think Kill Bill Vol. 1, but shot through Chad Stahelski's stylistic lens—slow pans, staccato edits, neon-soaked grit.
And yes, the action opens with a bullet to the groin. Not subtle. But very on brand.
Killer Creativity: A Wick Trademark
The John Wick franchise has always been a masterclass in murderous imagination. From the iconic “pencil kill” in Chapter 2 to the horse-assisted takedowns in Chapter 3, it's not about what you use—it's how stylishly you use it. Ballerina understands the assignment and takes it one pirouette further.
What's different here is tone. De Armas brings a new energy—part playful assassin, part wounded soul. Her arsenal isn't just made of steel and wood; it's props, props, props. And that's the twist: femininity, domesticity, even kitsch becomes lethal. A ballet slipper becomes a choking device. A Stanley Cup is no longer for winners—it's for eye sockets.
It's as if the movie whispered: What if Barbie was an assassin—and the Dreamhouse was full of traps?
Why It Matters
Here's the uncomfortable truth: Action movies still rarely give women this level of destructive autonomy without sexualizing them. But based on everything we've seen and heard, Ballerina is flipping that script—hard.
This isn't Charlize Theron in a high-slit dress kicking ass (we love Atomic Blonde, but still). This is de Armas in the Wick-verse, where the camera fetishizes precision and pain, not skin. And unlike so many “female-led spinoffs” (Ghostbusters 2016, anyone?), Ballerina doesn't feel like an add-on. It feels essential.
Would you take on Eve Macarro armed with only a salad fork? Thought not.
Catch Ballerina in theaters this June—and maybe bring steel-toe boots, just in case.
