(From our correspondent to Taormina Vittorio De Agrò [RS])

Nella splendida cornice del Teatro greco di Taormina il sequel di John Wick inaugura l’edizione #Taormina71 ricca di ospiti da tutto il mondo targata Tiziana Rocca

Ballerina at Len Wiseman (USA, 2025 – 122 minutes)

with Ana de Armas, Keanu Reeves, Norman Reedus, Ian McShane, Anjelica Huston, Gabriel Byrne

Plot: Dancer is set in the narrative universe of the John Wick saga, precisely between the third and fourth chapter. The protagonist is Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), A young man raised in the school of Ruska Roma - the same "family" of Wick - where the dancers learn to become lethal assassins.

The trauma of the childhood - the brutal killing of the father - pushes her to take a path of revenge that will transform her from promise of classical dance into a relentless killer. On this trip we find known faces of the saga: John Wick (Keanu Reeves), Winston (Ian McShane), Charon (Lance Reddick), The Director (Anjelica Huston). And we meet new characters, including the ambiguous Gabriel Byrne as the Chancellor and Norman Reedus in those of a mysterious ally.

Review: After viewing the awaited dancer, I bring three certainties home.

Also in the lethal world of the assassins, gender equality is (Finally?) a reality.

Il desiderio di vendetta non fa differenze di genere: man or woman, If they take everything you away, react.

In John Wick's universe there are no injuries, pain, rehabilitation: either you survive or die. Fine.

If I wanted to add further reflection: Needless to search for a complex narrative structure in the dancer, An articulated script or likely action scenes. Everything - from logical consistency to the sense of proportions - is incinerated by the flamethrower that Ana de Armas handle with ease. And honestly? That's exactly what we wanted.

Trying to judge this film with the classic cinema criteria is a mistake. Dancer must be taken for what it is: a muscle extension, choreographed and perfectly aware of the John Wick universe. Only that this time in the center there is a woman.

Ana de Armas is credible, charismatic, intense. Proves to be able to hold the scene as an absolute protagonist. Your hands dirty , fight, Blood, and never looks for easy shortcuts for "pleasure".

The beginning of the film is surprisingly dramatic: EVER BIRTS assists the murder of the father by a ruthless Gabriel Byrne, And this trauma defines its destiny. Then comes a twelve -year time leap, And we find ourselves in the middle of the dance academy. But be careful: sweat, pain, discipline, and exceeding the limit are not so different from those requested from a killer. The director, Played by an anjelica Huston glacial, He reminds us without so many turns of words.

This narrative "interlude" - which could displace those who expect only action - actually serves to give depth to the character and build an emotional bond between the viewer and the protagonist.

Then we start again: chases, shootings, melee, explosions and, obviously, lamp. In an abundant hour of pure John Wick Style. Keanu Reeves appears with the right dosage: it is functional to the plot, creates continuity with the original universe and helps to definitively launch Ana de Armas as a face (and body) new of the franchise.

Ultimately dancer is a spin-off that does exactly what it promises. Entertain, exaggeration, pays homage to the mother saga and at the same time launches a new one, possible vein. John Wick's fans will be satisfied. It was far from the Anay..

And if you still don't have a passion for the killers in Tutù, This could be the right opportunity to start.

The Festival continues until Saturday 14 with an amazing program

Vittorio De Agrò (RS)