the spin-off movie “From the World of John Wick: Ballerina” expands the world of the hit Keanu Reeves-led action franchise. Starring Ana de Armas, the film brings its own tightly choreographed and stylishly executed action set pieces in a globe-trotting revenge adventure. However, with South Korean shows and movies, or K-dramas, continuing to find success globally, Netflix has its revenge flick that “John Wick” fans should check out. Ironically, this movie is also and more succinctly titled “Ballerina,” albeit completely unrelated to the American film franchise, weaving its own standalone tale of vengeance.
The Korean “Ballerina” follows former professional bodyguard Jang Ok-ju (Jeon Jong-seo), who sets out to avenge her best friend Choi Min-hee (Park Yu-rim). Min-hee had fallen victim to sex trafficker and mobster Choi Pro (Kim Ji-hoon), who regularly rapes and extorts women through blackmail, threatening to release illicitly filmed videos of the assaults. Tracking Choi Pro down, Ok-ju pretends to be his latest victim only to turn the tables on him, putting the villain on the defensive. This feud escalates to include Choi Pro’s entire sex and drug trafficking ring, as Ok-ju embarks on a violently grueling crusade to take her friend’s tormentor and his associates down.
As the synopsis above suggests, the Korean “Ballerina” is wildly different from the “John Wick” franchise, but here’s why fans of the American action movies will be thrilled by it.
