Ballerina Assassin Review (4.0/10): Graceful Idea, Clumsy Execution

This Ballerina Assassin review starts with a simple question: can a great title carry a very small action movie? Michael Su's 2025 film, released by The Asylum, promises graceful killers and revenge. It delivers part of that, though not with much polish.

It is not the John Wick spin-off also called Ballerina. This is a separate, low-budget American action thriller running just 86 minutes.

Ballerina Assassin Review: The Story So Far (No Spoilers)

The Ballerina Assassin plot is easy to follow. An elite female assassin must take ballet classes as part of an important mission. While she is there, a mole wipes out her whole organization of killers.

From that point, she works her way up the chain to take down the syndicate that destroyed her world. The people she is hunting are also tracking her, so the film plays as a hunter-becomes-the-hunted story.

Jacob David Smith wrote the script, and the structure is familiar. If you have seen a revenge thriller before, you will recognize the beats quickly. The film's tagline, "Murder in motion," sums up the pitch.

What Works in Ballerina Assassin

The central hook is the best thing here. Mixing the poise of a dancer with the cold efficiency of a killer is a fun contrast, and it gives the film an identity that many budget action movies lack.

The pace is brisk. At 86 minutes, the story rarely stops for long, and the revenge-ladder structure gives each scene a clear goal.

• A memorable, easy-to-sell premise

• A short runtime that avoids padding

• A clear "work up the chain" structure that keeps the plot moving

One Letterboxd reviewer called it by the numbers but said it may please fans of hunter-becomes-the-hunted stories. That feels like a fair way to frame it. Fans of straightforward action movie reviews and B-movie thrills may find enough to enjoy.

Ballerina Assassin Cast and Performances

The Ballerina Assassin cast is led by Preet Kaur as Maria Herrera. She carries the film as its central killer, and the movie depends on her screen presence more than on its dialogue.

Dominic Keating plays Bixby, and Joe Kurak appears as Agent Ford. Nicolas Sellar plays Javier Aguilar, G. Anthony Joseph is Farrance David, and Winston Salk plays Agent Kenneth Cooper.

Audience reaction to the acting has been mixed to negative. Some viewer comments on Rotten Tomatoes call the performances weak, and the thin material gives the cast little room to build depth. Expect functional genre acting rather than standout turns.

Where Ballerina Assassin Stumbles

The biggest issue is resources. An estimated budget of about $100,000, per one listing, shows in the scale of the action and the overall finish. Ambitious ideas often run into those limits.

The familiar story also holds it back. Betrayal, revenge and a trail of targets can work well, but the film rarely adds a twist of its own to the formula. The ballet angle is promising, yet it feels underused as a source of style.

Reception backs this up. Yidio reports mostly poor reviews from critics and viewers, with an IMDb score of 3.1, and the TMDB audience score is 4.4/10 from only 14 votes. I found no professional critic consensus, so these numbers are a rough guide, not a verdict.

Is Ballerina Assassin Worth Watching?

Only if you go in with modest expectations. Is Ballerina Assassin worth watching for a quick, undemanding action fix? Maybe, especially if the premise appeals to you.

It is short, it moves, and the concept has some charm. But the rough production values, a predictable script and weak audience scores mean it will not satisfy viewers who want sharp choreography or a surprising story.

If you want better-regarded recent thrillers, try our review of Nobody 2 or Play Dirty. For background on the film, see its Blu-ray.com listing.

Who Will Enjoy Ballerina Assassin

• Fans of low-budget, direct-to-streaming action and The Asylum's output

• Viewers who like revenge stories where the hunter becomes the hunted

• Anyone after a short, simple watch that asks very little in return