Pretty Lethal review: Ballerinas vs the Hungarian mob

Pretty Lethal sets a troupe of teen ballerinas in a rundown Hungarian bar where they must fight a vicious mob boss to survive. The cast includes Lana Condor, Millicent Simmonds, Avantika, Iris Apatow, Maddie Ziegler and Uma Thurman, and the film wears its exploitation-movie inspirations on its sleeve — yet it often feels more like an imitator than a fresh riff on the premise.

The story opens in a ballet studio, where familiar archetypes are quickly established: Condor plays privileged Princess, Ziegler is the tough, gifted Bones, Avantika is the devout Grace, and sisters Chloe (Simmonds) and Zoe (Apatow) bicker at every turn. When their bus breaks down, the group and their instructor stumble into the Teremok Inn, a once-luxurious bar owned by Thurman’s ex-dancer; a confrontation there leads to murder and forces the girls to turn their art into a way to fight back.

Visually and tonally the film struggles to carve out its own identity.

Hungary

pretty lethal, ballerinas, hungarian mob, lana condor, millicent simmonds, uma thurman, maddie ziegler, iris apatow, avantika, exploitation film