FIRST FORUM REVIEW
A catty fivesome of ballerinas are on the way to a prestigious competition in Hungary and their bus breaks down. They walk to a funky inn to get help, but it’s really a hangout for gangsters run by a psycho Uma Thurman who was a ballerina until she suffered a permanent injury. All hell breaks loose and the ballerinas must fight their way out.
It’s a slim premise, surely the fallout from Ballerina, but it’s 87north, the reigning kings of ultravi, so I gotta watch to keep my fan card valid. Nowadays, 87N is delivering films they enjoy making, stuff that shows of their choreographic panache, and not necessarily that good on any other level. The fights here are ok - the ballet schtick is creative and funny, but the story and character development is akin to Love Hurts, underwhelming when compared to their usual fare. I confess, I thought the claw hammer getting stuck in a villain’s head was funny. And the ballet melee works ok for laughs and stunts. I also liked the box cutter blade toe shoes despite their unfeasibility. My biggest disappointment was when Princess (the snooty ballerina) walks into a room of swords but chooses a crossbow. There’s a psychedelic trip in the beginning which is mildly funny but underdeveloped and quickly abandoned. This film does have good gal power.
That being said, if this got enough traction for a sequel, I’d watch that too. I was definitely amused for an hour and a half, which is more than I can say for a lot of movies nowadays.