Flame on: Ana de Armas gets ready to rock in ‘Ballerina’.
BALLERINA **** (125 minutes) MA
We always crave something new and exciting in the endless cascade of action films served up to us, so very pleased to relay that Ballerina – also known as From the World of John Wick: Ballerina, just in case you were unaware of its heritage – has some lovely bits of business going on that distinguishes itself and actually makes it the best Wick flick yet.
One involves an extended sequence where the combatants duke it out with flamethrowers.
Fittingly, given the daytime occupation of our assassin heroine Eve (Ana de Armas), the stoush is choreographed with the elegance and grace of Swan Lake (which also features in the film). A real thing of beauty.
Another involves Eve taking on a bunch of nasties with the aid of hand grenades, which she dispatches with lethal skill and dexterity. We can clock this as a tribute to legendary Hong Kong action movie director John Woo, whether or not it’s intended to be.
These are but two stand-out sequences in an absolute ripper action film loaded with top-notch fight sequences involving guns, knives, kitchen utensils, carpentry tools, high kicks and good old-fashioned fisticuffs.
Thankfully, the idea of female action leads hasn’t been an issue since 1979 when Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley stepped up in Ridley Scott’s Alien. (A salute also goes to Lois Chiles who tapped into the feminist zeitgeist that same year with her girl-power action work in the James Bond film Moonraker.)
Here, Ana de Armas – who, it need be noted, kicked ass in No Time To Die – joins that long list of women who have thoroughly demolished the notion that action is a man’s domain. Among them: Linda Hamilton (Terminator)Angelina Jolie (Salt; Tomb Raider); Kate Beckinsale (Underworld); Milla Jovovich (Resident Evil); Margot Robbie (as Harley Quinn); and Charlize Theron (Mad Max: Fury Road; Fast & Furious; Atomic Blonde; Aeon Flux).
That’s just a short list compiled without the aid of Google or ChatGPT (honest). And it doesn’t include TV, with nods Sarah Michelle Geller (Buffy) and Melissa George (Hunted).
In fairness, Anya Taylor Joy warrants special mention both for Mad Max: Furiosa and The Gorge, in which she handled weapons with ease, even though some of them were about half her size.
Story-wise, Ballerina is a fairly straightforward tale of revenge, with some sb-plotting about a killer cult (headed by the ever-menacing Gabriel Byrne) thrown in to amp up the excuses for action.
All up, a great action package with promises of more to come. Can’t wait.
KARATE KID: LEGENDS **** (94 minutes) PG
Holy moly. They get everything right in this excellent, beautifully dispatched honouring of the 40 year-old martial arts franchise as Karate Kid: Legends gleefully reworks the original 1984 film with loads of respect and lashings of renewed energy.
And it clocks in at a swift 85 minutes before the final credits. Hip hip.
Oh, and it stars a scene-stealing Jackie Chan, who will likely hold the title as the fittest 71-year old in movies since Clint Eastwood, and until Tom Cruise takes over.
The admittedly rote story involves martial arts student Li Fong (Ben Wang) who is reluctantly moved from Beijing to New York, where he befriends attractive pizza shop worker Mia (Sadie Stanley).
Her jealous former boyfriend Conor (Aramis Knight), who is also a martial arts expert, is jealous as heck so starts bullying him.
Though he promised his doctor mum (Ming-Na Wen) to avoid fighting, a head of steam builds over having to stand up for himself and the two inevitably face off in a high-stakes tournament.
It’s at this point that Li receives a visit from his great uncle and martial arts mentor Mr Han (Chan) to help out.
To punch the film’s carefully managed nostalgic appeal, he then corrals the assistance of Daniel LaRusso, played (of course) by Ralph Macchio, star of the first three KaKi films and the very good KaKi series Cobra Kai, which he co-produced with William Zabka, who played his nemesis. Even Mr Miyagi (Pat Morito, who died in 20O5) pops in for a cameo.
With hand on heart, should it emerge that Karate Kid: Legends was constructed with the aid of a computer primed to re-package nostalgia for multi-generational multiplex audiences it wouldn’t be a shock. The film is utterly predictable in how studiously it hits all the emotional and dramatic beats you’d expect.
That said, and as is always the case, what matters isn’t the template but the skill and sincerity with which it is realised. On that score, the film is difficult to fault.
Clearly aimed at all Karate Kid fans – from those oldies who grew up with the original film to their kids who were introduced to the KaKi saga by their Miyagi-quoting parents – the film is slick, fast, fun and sure to please, with its anti-bullying theme enhancing a top family entertainment treat.