You Are Not the Best: John Wick’s “Ballerina” Shows How to Stand Out in a World of Competition

A couple of weeks ago, I watched the new movie Ballerina (a John Wick spinoff film), and one scene in particular stood out to me.

Eve Macarro (the film’s protagonist) is training to be an assassin, fighting well-trained male assassins as practice. In each sparring match, she finds herself overpowered and becomes increasingly upset, saying she can’t beat them because they’re too strong. Her mentor replies:

“You will always be weaker. You will always be smaller and at a disadvantage. He is beating you because you are allowing him to define the terms of the contest. You want to win? Change the terms.”

Many other articles have already covered this quote regarding the film’s central message for female empowerment (as evidenced by the film’s song, “Fight Like A Girl”), so I would encourage you to read through those articles.

However, this statement was significant to me because I believe that many creatives can also resonate with this quote. Every artist has wanted to create like the artists they see who paint captivating cityscapes or sketch the hyper-realistic people that look like they could have been photographed. Every filmmaker aspires to make a movie as good as the one that seems to nail every little detail. Every musician has seen that one musician who plays flawlessly and has mastered techniques that seem like pure sorcery, and the list goes on and on. In each case, we’ve all worked on our craft and refined what we can, but we've also seen the best of the best performing at a level that we believe we’ll never achieve (and, in some cases, makes us want to quit on the spot).

This is where I believe the quote becomes the key for every creator out there. When you can’t be the best in one field, change the terms. You may not be the best artist when attempting hyperrealism, but have you tried cartoon-styled imagery? You might not be the filmmaker who makes the next Shawshank Redemption, but have you found that unique style that other filmmakers like Wes Anderson have found? You might not have the musical proficiency of Jacob Collier, but have you found that strange blend that bands like AJR have found through their inspirations from vintage soundtracks and modern hip hop?

John Wick’s “Ballerina” changes the terms:

The movie Ballerina leans into this sentiment, not just from a messaging standpoint, but also from a stylistic standpoint, throughout the entire John Wick franchise. These movies might not be known as the greatest cinematic masterpieces of all time (even though they might be in my heart), but no one can deny that they’ve carved out a unique space for themselves that has allowed them to stand out among a sea of movies that are all trying to be better than the next. In the world of competitive film, John Wick strives to be different.

This is characterized by the franchise’s love for visual elements that include neon lights (green/teal and orange tend to have a dramatic flair along with classics like blue and purple), stylized digital captions, and dubstep music in its iconic nightclub fight scenes. Technical elements have also caused the films to stand out among weapons enthusiasts, with accurate bullet counts, weapon reloads, and knives that don’t always strike when thrown. Put all of these elements together, mix them with incredible choreography, and you have a movie that is undeniably “John Wick.”

The consistency of the style has created an iconic look that leans into what the franchise knows it does best: cool fight scenes, stunning scenery, engaging dialogue, and charismatic characters like Keanu Reeves. Ballerina emphasizes one of the main stylistic lessons that all creatives can learn from the franchise as a whole, “Find your strengths.”

This means spending time to determine what your preferences are. Is it a certain art style or subject? Is it a color scheme or camera angle you find yourself returning to over and over again? Is it a particular rhythm or soundscape that you find yourself coming back to? As you answer these questions, it may help to take note of what comes naturally to you, ask yourself what makes you different from the creatives around you, and lean into it to develop your unique style.

When you do this, you’re changing the competitive landscape, no longer looking at the people above or below you, but figuring out how to improve in a craft that is unique to you (and if other people start to fit into that same path/niche, at the very least you’ll have much less competition). This leads back to the cliche lesson to “be yourself,” but at the end of the day, this film is a reminder of the strength and opportunities that come with following that lesson, intentionally taking the time to hone your craft, and finding what makes you uniquely you while putting you uniquely ahead.

“You want to win? Change the terms.”