“Ballerina” is a Korean action-thriller film with a runtime of 1 hour and 33 minutes, released on 5th October 2023, revolving around themes of revenge. This Korean movie is available for streaming on Netflix and HiTV.
Plot Summary
The story of the film revolves around a girl named Jang Ok-ju, who works as a bodyguard for VIP clients. She discovers the death of her best friend, whose dying wish was for Jang Ok-ju to bring justice to her name, as she was a victim of sex trafficking by a man named Choi. Filled with anger, Jang Ok-ju gathers her courage and embarks on a hunt for him. Using her tricks, she successfully lures him to the same motel where her best friend was exploited. A fierce fight ensues, during which she inflicts severe injuries on Choi Pro but is unable to kill him due to his strong resistance. Despite becoming a target for Choi’s gang members, she perseveres, eventually locating Choi and burning him to death, thereby avenging her best friend and eradicating all the incriminating videos he possessed.
- The movie centres on Jang Ok-ju, a bodyguard for VIP clients, who seeks justice for her best friend, a victim of sex trafficking by Choi Pro.
- Fueled by anger, Jang Ok-ju courageously hunts down Choi Pro, using her cunning to confront him at the same motel where her friend was exploited.
- Despite facing formidable opposition, Jang Ok-ju persists in her pursuit, ultimately avenging her friend by locating and eliminating Choi, erasing all evidence of his crimes.
How Does Jang Ok-ju Discover The Death Of Her Best Friend?
One night, she receives a call from her best friend, whose contact name she saved as “Ballerina”. This friend sounds out of breath, but starts with simple questions like, “Were you sleeping?” Then, the friend asks if she’s available, and the scene shifts to Jang Ok-ju getting on her bike and riding away. She buys some drinks and heads to her best friend’s place, but there’s no response. Knowing the PIN to her place, she enters and discovers a gift beautifully wrapped with a ribbon in her friend’s bedroom.
Inside, she finds a ballerina shoe and a note urging her to seek revenge, expressing confidence in her ability to do so. The note mentions the enjoyable time they had drinking together and provides the identity of the person to target for revenge. She rushes to call her best friend but hears the phone ringing from the bathroom. Upon entering, she finds her best friend dead in the bathtub filled with water.
How Does Jang Ok-ju Track Down Choi Pro?
With the ID given to her by her best friend written on that piece of paper, Jang Ok-ju turns to the internet and begins searching. She stumbles upon a link associating the name with a person who sells seasonal omakase bento boxes. Intrigued, she explores further and makes an order.
Later, an unknown number calls her friend’s phone, which Jang Ok-ju has in her possession. When she answers, a man instructs her to meet at Jamsu Bridge the next day. She remains silent, the man assuming he’s speaking to her best friend, unaware of the truth. The following day, she arrives at the bridge and spots the man, who turns out to be Choi Pro.
After he leaves, she follows him to his house. The next day, she breaks in, discovering things that leave her utterly speechless. Among them, she opens a drawer filled with numerous pen drives, each tagged with a name. One is labelled ‘ballerina.’ Upon opening it, she is horrified to find a sex tape featuring her best friend. This revelation fills Jang Ok-ju with intense anger and frustration.
How Does Jang Ok-ju Trick Choi Into Coming To The Motel Where Her Friend Was Exploited?
Jang Ok-ju knowingly enters a club where she suspects Choi might be. Spotting him on the balcony, she keeps an eye on him, but he vanishes with a single glance. She hurriedly follows, only for Choi to confront her, asking about her well-being. This startles her, fearing he may have recognized her and her intentions, but he mistakes her for someone else named Bo-ram.
Using this misunderstanding to her advantage, Jang Ok-ju persuades Choi to join her for a drink, eventually leading them to a hotel in Gapyeong. Pretending to be asleep, she catches Choi attempting to set up a recording device, likely planning the same fate as her best friend. Reacting swiftly, she fights back fiercely, resulting in a brutal struggle between two skilled fighters. Managing to stab Choi in the cheek with a knife, their confrontation is interrupted by gunfire as the manager, loyal to Choi, rushes to his defence. Jang Ok-ju narrowly escapes the bullets, locking the room.
Thinking she’s evaded danger, she turns to find another assailant wielding a chainsaw in the hallway. As he charges towards her, a high school girl from a nearby room intervenes, causing the assailant to injure himself with the chainsaw. Amidst the chaos, another gunshot rings out, prompting the high school girl to grab Jang Ok-ju’s hand and flee with her in a car, leaving the scene behind.
How Does Jang Ok-ju Handle Being Targeted By Choi’s Gang? What Does She Do To Keep Herself Safe?
Jang Ok-ju gets to know a high school girl who was also threatened, and they realise they both have a plan to take down their enemies. They team up. Later, they buy guns from an old couple. When asked why she needs a gun, Jang Ok-ju says it’s for hunting, and the old lady shows her a large load of cylinders that can produce big flames.
The high school kid, who was like a sidekick to Jang Ok-ju, gets caught by Choi Pro and is questioned. Because she doesn’t answer, she gets beaten. The scene shifts to the CCTV room, where a noise is heard. One guard goes out but doesn’t return. Another noise is heard, and the other guard gets up. From the CCTV, they see someone take the guard’s axe. When the door opens, points a gun at the guard’s head and shoots him without hesitation. She then enters another building, where she encounters three men in an elevator. When the elevator opens, all three men are dead.
This shows how much anger has consumed her, leaving her fearless and willing to kill anyone in her way. She confronts Choi’s boss and his men. When she asks a question and gets no reply, as he calmly prepares a drink, she shoots him straight in the forehead, shocking everyone. A fight breaks out, and she ruthlessly kills them all, giving them no chance to retaliate.
How Does The Last Fight Take Place?
In the final fight scene of the movie, Jang Ok-ju walks into an empty area and spots a man in a mini truck with a high school girl unconscious in the back, tied up and beaten. This deeply affects her emotionally. Meanwhile, Choi Pro fires at her, causing her to fall. The man then takes a small knife and offers to finish her off for 100 million won. When they realise she’s missing, Choi shoots the man, claiming everyone is already dead. As he circles the truck, preparing to shoot Jang Ok-ju, the high school girl in the backseat wakes up and attempts to fire but fails.
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When he aims at her, Jang Ok-ju shoots Choi twice in the stomach. They take him to a beach and leave him there, but that’s not the end. They use a large cylindrical machine capable of emitting huge flames, obtained from an old couple, to burn Choi Pro alive. In their final conversation, he questions her identity, and she reveals herself as the Ballerina. He then insults her friend, questioning if the friend was a real Ballerina because of how fat the friend was. This infuriates Jang Ok-ju even further, and they burn Choi Pro alive in the most brutal manner. The next day, she returns to Choi’s place, retrieves all the recordings and the diary, and leaves on her bike.
