Ballerina (2023) – Review

General Information

Director(s)	Chung-Hyun Lee
Screenplay By	Chung-Hyun Lee
Based On	n/a
Date Released (Netflix)	October 6, 2023
Genre(s)	Action Crime Thriller Non-English (Korean)
Film Length	1 Hour 33 Minutes
Content Rating	Rated TV-MA
Noted Characters and Cast
Ok-ju	Jeon Jong-seo
Min-hee	Park Yu-rim
Choi	Kim Ji-hoon

Content Rating Explanation

“Ballerina” contains:

• Dialog: Cursing
• Violence: Gun violence, knife violence, general fighting, blood, minor mutilation, implied suicide.
• Sexual Content: Implied rape scenes
• Miscellaneous: Smoking and drinking

Film Summary

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Ok-ju lived a solitary life. She was alone if she wasn’t working security for when the upper crust went places internationally. That is until Min-hee, someone she met in school, came back into her life and became the sun to her eclipse. This bright, cheerful ballerina became everything to Ok-Ju, so her committing suicide due to a man named Choi? It goes beyond an investigation and getting the police involved, Ok-ju wants revenge – especially when she learns Min-hee wasn’t the only one he was blackmailing.

Character Descriptions

Please Note: This character guide is not an exhaustive list of every cast member, and character descriptions may contain what can be considered spoilers.

Ok-ju

A bodyguard by trade with weapons training, Ok-ju has seemingly taken a break from her past life to figure out what she wants to do next in life.

Min-hee

Min-hee is a ballerina and a very giddy individual in general.

Choi

A member of the Korean mob, whose area is sex trafficking and drugs.

Review

Our Rating: Mixed (Divisive)

On The Fence

There Is An Effort To Get You Invested In Min-hee

The main issue with any revenge tale is that you need to care about the victim. This can be difficult when they are killed off early, and when it comes to “Ballerina,” I’d submit there is an effort to make you care, but it is done in the cheapest way possible. Min-hee is painted as a saint, the sweetest girl imaginable, while Ok-ju is given no development.

So, with this combo, the person you are watching for the entire movie lacks anything notable about them beyond this one connection, and because the person they are connected to is one note, as much as you appreciate the effort, there is the wish more was done.

The Film Is Dull When Not Focused On The Action

But, generally speaking, this movie is a drag to watch when Ok-ju isn’t in a fight scene. Learning about the crime syndicate Choi is in, him having a project on the side with a pharmacist, and all of that, doesn’t do much for the movie beyond making Choi a bit more evil. But again, with the film frontloading Min-hee’s death, showing Choi drugs, rapes, and films having sex with girls in a BDSM environment, “Ballerina” starts off dramatic and goes downhill from there.

Making it so, Ok-ju being a one-woman army, while at times barely believable, considering she doesn’t walk or move like she is injured after many intense fights, those scenes are what keep you from deciding to watch something else.

Who Is This For?

“Ballerina” is for those who like an action movie that wants to be sappy and have a villain with no redeeming qualities.

Recommendations

If you like this movie, we recommend:

1. The Northman: An epic tale of revenge starring Alexander Skarsgård, Anya Taylor-Joy, Nicole Kidman, and Ethan Hawke.
2. Promising Young Woman: Carrie Mulligan stars in this revenge tale that also deals with someone being raped and getting justice.
3. Nobody: In this lighter recommendation for a revenge tale, Bob Odenkirk stars as a father getting revenge on a mob who stole his daughter’s bracelet. Mind you, it was not a diamond or family heirloom bracelet, just a kitty cat bracelet she was attached to.

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