Lee Chung-hyun’s “The Call” made for a chilling directorial debut, where every frame managed to elicit a visceral sense of dread. His latest offering, “Ballerina,” opts for the slick action-thriller route, where a young assassin, Ok-ju (Jeon Jong-seo), must avenge her friend’s death in brutal, uncompromising ways. Every action sequence in “Ballerina” is adrenaline-fueled, right from its opening sequence where Ok-ju fights off a band of robbers with pineapple cans, and looks unbelievably stylish while doing so. While Ok-ju’s combat prowess and power scaling often verges on the absurd, this very absurdity is the heart of “Ballerina,” where every blood-drenched fight scene is delightfully exaggerated, and every instance of brutality feels deliriously kinetic.
Chung-hyun weaves a fairly simplistic tale for “Ballerina”, positioning Ok-ju as the telltale loner assassin who is ready to upend the criminal world to fill the void left behind by the loss of a loved one. However, there’s a sincere charm to how this mix of aloof coolness and burning vulnerability is explored throughout, bursting forth in the only language Ok-ju is well-versed in — violent retribution. The physical aspects of the choreographed fights are splendid to behold, and even when the film delivers a formulaic narrative without missing a beat, “Ballerina” stands out as an essential, intriguing watch. (Debopriyaa Dutta)