Pretty Lethal
Rating: 4/5
By: Nathaniel Simpson
Screened at the 2026 SXSW Film Festival
One thing I love about the films produced by 87North Productions is they feature the most unlikely action heroes in such kick-ass roles. We have Brad Pitt's down-on-his-luck assassin who is trying to result to less violent ways to get things done; Bob Odenkirk playing a middle-aged man who left his previous life as an assassin behind to have a family; and Ryan Gosling as a stuntman who finds himself in the middle of a murder mystery after coming back from a career-ending injury. All of these characters are so unique to the action genre, and the same applies to their newest film Pretty Lethal, an incredibly fun film about ballerinas kicking ass to ensure their survival. From beginning to end, director Vicky Jewson takes the audience on this high-octane, hilarious film that features great performances from Maddie Ziegler, Iris Apatow, Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, and Uma Thurman.
The film finds our prima ballerinas stuck in a roadside inn after their bus breaks down on the way to a dance competition in a different country. What starts off as an eerie and dangerous situation turns deadly when the girls witness something they shouldn't have, forcing them to utilize their dance techniques and teamwork to fight their way out of this inn. So, if you have ever wanted to see a group of powerful ballerinas beat up gangsters while dancing, this is the perfect movie for you. And yes, it sounds it sounds just as fun and energetic as you would imagine. Seeing this in the audience at SXSW was a great time from beginning to end, and the film elicits the exact reaction the film should receive.
The story is very simple and doesn't provide too much substance in terms of the story they are telling here, but it makes up for it with great performances and fantastic action sequences. Whenever you go see an 87North film, you know you will be in for a treat in terms of the action sequences and the stunts. This film's fight sequences and glorious amount of gore is plentiful, and keeps the audience on the edge of their seat, gasping and recoiling in both shock and delight while these goons are being killed and mauled by these powerful young women. Jewson understands how to capture these action sequences, and she makes them work so well. I adore the climatic scene where the ballerinas have to take on all the gangsters at once in the main lobby of the inn; it is spectacular and needs to be watched with an audience.
I think that is a major reason why this film works: we don't see a lot of powerful women in action films, especially those that come from such a unique background. When there is an action heroine in a film, they usually come from an assassin background or have some sort of training. Here, these are terrified ballerinas who are simply trying to survive. Not only do they have to find their way out and figure out how to fight for survival, but they are just normal people, like you and me. Therefore, throughout the movie, Jewson and screenwriter Kate Freund are proving that women can do anything these action heroes can, and then some. They execute this brilliantly here, and they have crafted perhaps some of the best female action stars of the past few years. Granted, there may be some moments in this movie that are a little too cheesy or campy that it could be easy to take you out of the film, but they succeed for the most part.
For the acting ensemble, every single powerful actress here does such a wonderful job. Ziegler is great at being the leader of the group, while the rest of the members in her ballet company offer wonderful and unique aspects about their characters. I also want to applaud them for bringing in a deaf actress to play this dancer character, providing this amazing representation that is definitely needed in this day and age. Each of these actresses are so much fun to watch, and I seriously enjoy everything Ziegler, Condor, Apatow, Avantika, and Simmonds are able to do here. They have great chemistry and a fantastic sense of camaraderie with each other, and they perfectly lead this film. At the same time, Thurman proves to be such a fun and, at times, terrifying antagonist, who I think has great development from the beginning to the end of the film. What the film may lack in story development makes up for it in character development as well.
Pretty Lethal will be highly regarded as being a major film in the fight to have more women in action films and more feminist badasses in general, and I think this will be a movie that many audiences around the world will love. I had a great time watching this at the premiere in Texas, and it has been on my mind a lot ever since watching it for the first time. I have watched it again since the premiere, and still find a grin on my face throughout the movie. To the powerful women that came together to make this film, both on and off the screen, I applaud you.
Comments
Post a Comment