Ballerina (2023)

Despite flaws in writing / characterization, entertaining action movie with beautiful filmmaking

This action movie has a pretty simple and straightforward premise carried by some beautiful filmmaking and solid acting. It is pretty short but delivers efficiently and brutaly on the action side.

The story is very predictable (even the endingwas super obvious while satisfying) but it is enteraining and well-paced. I wish the characters would have been more developped as well as their respective background but the writing did not really focus on building them. That's why the protagonists and antagonists seems pretty caricatural.

Fortunately, the acting convinced me much more than the writing of the characters. Jeon Jong Seo is quite good in the action sequences and Kim Ji Hoon is adequately playing this repugnant villain.

The biggest asset of the movie resides in its filmmaking, there are really a lot of beautifully filmed scenes and the saturated colors of the decors are working superbly bringing the story together. It gives an indie feel but with big budget at the same time, with some strong artistic choices. The music did not leave a strong impression on me but was okay overall.

I would recommend this movie to people looking for an action movie and who enjoy revenge trope. It could have been much better in terms of scenario and characterization but it has a nice pace and with very pleasant for the eyes filmmaking. Be mindful of the triggers as it is very violent and includes a lot of problematic and traumatic elements.

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Kick ass movie with fresh action

This proves Korean cinemas ability to make high quality quality action flick with a woman as main lead even better than John Wick. It has a strong drive, very strong villain and excellent music. The strong female lead drives it through with her charisma and thoroughness. Such a well made movie. No nonsense sex scenes like the ones in Hollywood. There is no lag in the movie and the movie swings by in a zippy. This is a needed movie. It shows how today’s clubs massage parlours still have shady things and shady people. This movie literally kicked me out of my drama slump and out of the couch. I feel so energised after seeing it. It’s definitely not for the faint hearted.

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Emotional, Dark, Sweet Revenge.

This movie is about a girl who is on a mission seeking revenge on behalf of her friend. She encountered a dark world of blackmailing, extortion and drugs.
If you're into action and revenge stories ( John Wick style ), then you gonna love this movie.
The lights, the cinematography, the choreography of the fights, everything is amazing.
The story is good, some people say it's superficial, I don't think so, it's a MOVIE, not a series, so ofcourse it won't have so much details.
The soundtracks are top notch, and acting was great!
Overall, an amazing movie to watch, I'm sure if I get the chance I'll re-watch it many times!
I would love a sequel!! ?

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Ballerina; A Messy Pirouette Marked With Blood…

2023 has seen a great lineup of action thrillers, especially with strong heroines and Ballerina certainly tries to follow suit. However while did have some heavy action scenes and subjects, was it really a worthwhile watch?


Lee Chung Hyun directed and wrote the movie. Ok Ju ( Jeon Jong-seo) is a bodyguard who holds her own in fights. However, her life turns upside down when she discovers her friend and ballerina Min-hee (Park Yu-rim)’s fatal aftermath in the wake of being sexually assaulted by mid-level boss Choi Pro (Kim Ji-hoon).


Now seeking her revenge, she is put on a bloody path to enact vengeance on Choi Pro and his cronies by ending him once and for all.


It’s suffice to say Ballerina is very much what it says on the tin; a revenge movie where the heroine gets revenge by tracking down the big bad and leaving a wake of carnage in her way. The film is gory and filled with adrenaline, but that’s about it.

This isn’t necessarily bad. A lot of revenge and action films work on the premise of mindless violence to keep viewers engaged and it was evident to see the film’s influences from John Wick to Kill Bill. However, Ballerina never really gives us full scope that it tries to do with its characters and plot. It always tethers on potential development before tearing it away to focus on a fist fight and action scene.

The problem is that doesn’t really give the narrative or characters a lot of backbone. Even some of the most disturbing revenge Korean films over the past few decades such as Oldboy, Lady Vengeance and Burning are able to balance out their narratives with adrenaline, and tension, but equally compelling storylines and choreography. In Oldboy, we see plot twist development shock us beyond belief, Lady Vengeance is filled with complex characterisation and compelling fight scenes, while Burning explores tension and thematic issues such as capitalism in its core narrative . The problem with Ballerina is that while it doesn’t have to be a complicated movie at heart like some of its predecessors , it struggles with simple basics such as characterisation and development.


Jeon Jong-seo is a good actress but her character Ok Ju is very paper-thin. The audience never have any opportunities to warm up to her. It seems quite ridiculous when we consider the fact that we’ve seen Jong-seo lose a close friend and numerous hardships, yet we never see this develop or understand how this is such a devastating impact for her character. We do see some flashbacks to understand their relationship but this felt a little convoluted than explained or poignant, lacking a lot of potentially sincere emotional development. Sure, she’s a certified pro- fighter and brutal, but that’s pretty much in the space of this movie’s duration, all we get from our heroine’s character.


It was Kim Ji hoon’s role as Choi Pro which did shine through here. His cartoonish heinousness did help during some of the more questionable pacing and writing issues, by at least giving some appeal for the audience to root for the heroine.


The pacing is pretty variable in parts. When the action comes into force, it’s quick and adrenaline rushes. Yet in its patchy narrative and writing moments drawn out for sobs or seeming development, the gaps in writing often make these scenes drag out longer than they should.


Naturally, action choreography and actions scenes are where Ballerina excels. Lee Chung-hyun’s direction is simultaneously ultraviolent yet sleek. Its mesmerising to watch with the pure adrenaline of movements and camera angles really bringing these scenes to life.



Ballerina is a fairly mindless action movie. While probably not one of the best films released this year or winning over fans of revenge action films and cult classics, it is adrenaline infused and brutal. The writing is patchy but it’s well-directed through its camera angles and the fight scenes are well-executed also. Overall probably decent enough to watch one time when bored or killing time and that’s about it.

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When I saw a female lead with strong fighting skills I had to watch. There's not that many in Korea so when a female who can fight pops up I'm there.

I also noticed the two main leads were in Money Heist. So again, had to watch.

I gotta say this movie was a let down. Weak character plots all around had me irritated in the end. There's no back story of the main FL. Her best friend's back story was weak as all get up and the main ML who plays the villain was even worse.

The movie lightly touched up on females being videotaped and blackmailed. They make it seem like the police chief is in on this as well but again, every scenario that was deposited into this movie was lackluster and that's putting it nicely.

All we get is the main FL can fight. The pace was very slow. The bad bad guys got taken out in less than 10 minutes. The ending even less than that.

This is why I tend to stay away from Korean movies. They have no life to them. Stick to the Korean dramas. You'll be more satisfied than this movie.

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Watch for the action

I didn't realize Jeon Jong Seo and Kim Ji Hoon were in this when I added this to my list, but oh my god what a pleasant surprise! To be honest I didn't really have any expectations going in, I'd watched the trailer when it popped up on Netflix and it seemed like my kind of thing to see a woman inflict damage in the way typically reserved for guys. On if that's all you're there for, this delivers perfectly.

This is a pretty simple, straightforward plot. We're given the basics and hints of a greater, undeveloped backstory, but for a Netflix production restricted to an hour and a half, that's somewhat expected. It's nothing groundbreaking in terms of storytelling, characters, or tropes, but it was still a very enjoyable mindless watch with pretty kick ass action.

My favorite bits:
- the opening, no notes (but I will remember that cans are great for blocking knives!)
- the guy with the chainsaw... that's on you dude
- stealing his car!? lol
- shooting the CEO before he's done talking, hahaha, this should happen more often to monologuing villains
- the flame thrower, you KNOW it had to make a comeback

tl;dr: a fun, enjoyable watch that likely won't make a lasting impression (do heed the warnings though) except perhaps for some action scenes which were the highlight for me

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Hell hath no fury....

Nov 2023

TW: Sexual assault, suicide references

Very fast paced, violent, bloody, with a couple of real "OH!!!" moments.

The background story is provided whilst playing out in the present. The character of the Ballerina in question, Min-hee, is sweet, quirky and never came across as weak, but an incident in her relatively young life proved too much.

I got a strong feeling that the seemingly lonely girl she befriended, Ok-ju, actually loved her. There was just something in the way she looked at her at times.

That friend, an ex bodyguard with no ties and seemingly nothing to lose, takes up a challenge left by her friend and, basically, WW3 breaks out not long after!

At its heart this is purely an action thriller, not deep or realistic. However, the seedier side of life that Min-hee gets tangled up in, over the last few years in S.Korea (and elsewhere), has proven to be all too real, in one form or another. That makes for a very uncomfortable and quite sickening watch at times.

In many ways it's also quite a satisfying watch, especially when the main characters are women who take no 5hit, are tough, capable and exceptionally determined.

My brain didn't even have time to register when things got OTT, because it was too busy being stunned!

Jeon Jong Seo, as the Best Friend, Jang Ok Ju, was superb. God she must be fit, as it was a very physical role. She rarely smiled, wasn't noisy or overly emotional, yet neither was she miserable, depressing or emotionless. Her immediate reaction to loss was very real to me.

Kim Ji Hoon, as Choi Pro, is an actor I've come to love. He is so much more than his looks and unlike many actors, isn't typecast, so when he appears, one doesn't know if he's friend or enemy. He has no qualms taking on really unpalatable characters, or sweeter, fluffy roles.

Whilst adding a little dark humour to proceedings, which I like, at the same time I found the weapons dealers suggested to Ok-ju by her ex-boss, to be a bit daft in terms of what they were offering; was her ex-boss trying to get her to fail?! It didn't sit right, even though it was amusing. Great supporting role for Kim Young-ok, however. I love this senior actress.

There were references to corrupt police and powerful people in this, but they were not seen or, more annoyingly, held accountable, as is too often the case in K-dramas and film. That, as usual, irritated me.

Overall, it felt like a very quick watch and, I felt, quite different in its story and vibe; but it certainly won't be for everyone.

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omfg THIS FILMMMM

TOP TIER. SHE'S JUST THAT GIRL.
The starting point with the robbery in the convenience store hooked me from the start. I was so interested on the female lead since I saw her.
After that scene, I admit is was kind of difficult to get the hang of the plotline but it was worth the wait.
The exploring of a human trading network plus other mafia business is really good, it was well reflected, and I really liked the antagonist's behavior. The antagonist was antagonisting.
The VFX and the action scenes are so well produced and it was so realistic, and the skills of the female lead are REALLY GOOD. The kid who was a slave also worked, but I have a problem. She didn't influence much on the film and her role could've been more useful if it had more thought, and if we didn't do any changes, I would've left her aside from the film.
The fights between the protagonist and the antagonist are the best, and the finishing scene just added more to the score, burnong hom was such a good idea, even more about what he mentioned about the ballerina's body. And her finishing phrase was the cherry on top.

The entirety of the film gets a 9/10. It would be a 10 if in the start I didn't loose the plot, and the music is improvable, but it has to do with the theme. The revenge is there and it makes sense. And those who say that she has no motive, that means you didn't get the film. She was taking revenge on her friend's side, and the female lead did so well while so. I do not get the ones who hate this film.
I never wrote a review this long. This says a lot about how much I loved this film.
And, sorry if you find any typos.

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Ballerina is a perfectly adequate female-led South Korean actioner.

Korean revenge. Another one. I'm this close to making a list!
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Stunts - 79/100 | Some fine stunts in there, but the actual award here would go to the sound editing in this movie, which was really on-point.

Narrative - 71/100 | It's pointless to try and reinvent the wheel in the revenge genre. Martial arts movie lovers want their martial arts movies to end in a fight scene. Revenge movie lovers want their movies to be about revenge and to end in revenge. That's just how it is. In this one, we've got both, but the movie didn't excel at either.

Fight Choreography - 70/100 | The ending fight scene, although a bit brief, was delightfully chaotic. The rest was messy but still managed to be decent. This is an example of how you can still have good (but definitely not great) fight scenes even if they're over-edited. We can follow what's going on through the cuts.

Enjoyment - 70/100 | If my job as a Producer was to hire a director to make a Korean revenge story that's representative of the genre as a whole with decent action and visuals and a story that's engaging enough, I'd hope and hopefully expect to receive about this in terms of end product. And I'd be fine with it and consider it a job well done and money well spent.

So, basically, thumbs up

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