Bailarina

... Hollywood is mainly concerned with churning out pre-sold, pre-packaged, pre-digested, product to feed the maw of streaming media. Korea, on the other hand, still encourages uniqueness and individuality among its creators. Plus, Korean cinema has a reputation for producing some of the best rom-coms, and best revenge thrillers, on the planet. It is easy to criticize Ballerina for being too artsy, too slow-moving in the middle act, and too reliant on flashbacks. Fact is, however, flaws and all, it is still one of the best thrillers of its kind to emerge this year. Notice also also that the notes and beats are remarkably similar to Equalizer 3 -- smashing open, slow middle, and killer final act. Satisfying. ((Designated "IMDb Top Reviewer." Please check out my list "167+ Nearly-Perfect Movies (with the occasional Anime or TV miniseries) you can/should see again and again (1932 to the present))

Ballerina attempts to carve its niche in the revenge-action genre offering a departure from the typical over-the-top fight scenes we've grown accustomed to. The film takes a realistic approach, presenting a grittier and emotionally charged narrative.

The pace of the movie is one of its strengths, swiftly moving from one scene to another. You'll find yourself towards the climax before you know it. Despite the simplicity of the plot, Ballerina touches on dark subjects that evoke genuine emotions. The soundtrack, too, adds to its strength. Despite feeling rushed at times, the fast-paced nature keeps you on your toes.

Jeon Jong-seo, known for her stellar performance in The Call (one of my recent favorites), once again impresses as the female lead. Despite limited dialogue, her ability to convey emotions through body language and expressions is commendable.

The action and fighting sequences are good, however, the gun violence surpasses the fight choreography. The nuanced and sweet relationship between the Ballerina and the protagonist forms the emotional core of the film.

Ballerina delves into dark themes of assault and grooming, with a focus on a woman's quest for justice and discovering the extent of her friend's suffering. While some scenes bring laughter due to their absurdity, the overall tone remains dark and uncomfortable, accompanied by fighting scenes.

Unfortunately, it relies heavily on its impressive visuals than the substance. It seems to lack depth. Despite great action sequences, dark theme, it does not fully impress you although the climax was good enough.

In the realm of South Korean movies, Ballerina might not reach the heights of some of its counterparts. Its cool visuals, impressive action, and a standout lead performance make it a decent Friday night movie, offering a different take on the revenge-action genre. However, its flaws, including a lackluster plot and more action than substance might leave some viewers wanting more from the overall experience.

A typical style over substance flick that largely depends on its impressive making... Director Chung- hyun lee direction arrives straight to the point without harming crispy runtime of 90 mins ,keeping the plot simple and predictive the screenplay plays a major role in keeping intrigued until climax... Jeon jong seo is seriously the badass girl loved her attitude and the confidence or cool stuffs at deadly situations,while kim ji Horon hunts u unconditionally.... Camera work enhances the mood of the flick and the use of neon lights gives a vibrant mode and crave for more action stunts... Overall a good pretty decent action movie to watch out.

A dark revenge thriller with great characters. Loved Jeon Jong-seo as a badass killer who avenge her friend.

The plot is very simple, it's a revenge thriller but the vibrant cinematography and the killer soundtrack makes it so fresh and interesting to watch with amazing fight choreography. Well, there are not very much over the top action sequences, but it is done so well with the camera work, it looks pretty great.

The colour grading, visuals and the soundtrack are the major win for the film. It's rich in vibrant colours which makes the audience stick to the screen and the score is eccentric which makes the film even more energetic and the performance and the action is done right.

Jeon Jong-seo has been on a winning streak with Burning, The Call, Mona Lisa and now this... And seeing her in the leading action role was such a treat. Also, she proves revenge is best served cold.

From the very first scene in the film, the action is pretty well done and also the story is pretty good. It's not that we haven't seen these kinda story before but it's a entertaining one nevertheless.

Focuses strongly on themes of assault and grooming.

This movie focuses on a woman tracking down a man to avenge her friend, then finding out she may have not been the only one to suffer under his cruelty.

I absolutely adored the cinematography, some scenes reminded me of the original OldBoy, especially in one of the scenes which takes place in a hallway.

The movie had quite a few parts in it that made me laugh out loud, only because of how ridiculous the situation was that the main character was in, rather than in a comedic sense, but for the majority of it, it's very dark and uncomfortable at times. Quite graphic fighting scenes which I wasn't expecting, but it was all done well and I enjoyed it.

Soundtrack was spot on, fit the scenes really well. I would honestly be happy for this movie to be longer, I feel that a few scenes were quite rushed and I would have appreciated for them to be longer, but the fast pace made sense as it kept you on your toes.