Perdita Durango (1997)

Director:

Álex de la Iglesia

Writers (WGA):

Barry Gifford (novel)
Barry Gifford (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

31 October 1997 (Spain)

Genre:

Action | Crime | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Get On The Road

Plot:

A psychotic criminal couple kidnaps a random teenage couple. The woman rapes the male captive, and lets him watch his lover being raped by the man. They then plan to sacrifice the couple.

Plot Keywords:

Sacrifice | Rape | Buxom | Santería | Witch Doctor

Awards:

6 wins & 5 nominations

Cast

Rosie Perez	...	Perdita Durango
Javier Bardem	...	Romeo Dolorosa
Harley Cross	...	Duane
Aimee Graham	...	Estelle
James Gandolfini	...	Willie 'Woody' Dumas
Screamin' Jay Hawkins	...	Adolfo
Demián Bichir	...	Catalina
Carlos Bardem	...	Reggie San Pedro
Santiago Segura	...	Shorty Dee
Harry Porter	...	Ford
Carlos Arau	...	Phillips
Don Stroud	...	Santos
Alex Cox	...	Doyle
Miguel Galván	...	Doug
Regina Orozco	...	Lilly

Also Known As:

Dance with the Devil (USA) (video title)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence including rape, sexuality, language and some drug content.

Runtime:

126 min | Australia:125 min | USA:115 min (R-rated version) | USA:121 min (unrated version) | South Korea:95 min | Hong Kong:118 min | Germany:125 min (DVD version)

Country:

Mexico | USA | Spain

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

New Zealand:R18 | Finland:K-16 (cut) | Iceland:16 | UK:18 (2006 re-rating) | UK:18 (cut) (original rating) | Australia:MA (cable rating) (cut) | USA:R (cut) | Australia:R (cut) | Spain:18 | Argentina:18 | France:-16 | Germany:18 | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:(Banned) | Netherlands:16 (video premiere) | Norway:18 | Peru:18 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:R(A) | South Korea:(Banned) (original rating) | South Korea:18 (re-rating)

Filming Locations:

Las Vegas, Nevada, USA

Company:

Canal+ España

Trivia:

'J.J. Bigas Luna' was first slated to direct the film

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: Shadow of the dolly and cameraman during the scene in the airplane junkyard.

Quotes:

Romeo Dolorosa: Well, the truth is, I'm a scientist.
Perdita Durango: A scientist? No, you're definitely a dentist. I could tell from the stupid smile on your face.

Movie Connections:

Spin off from Wild at Heart (1990)

Soundtrack:

El Cartel De A Kilo

Vicious, wild ride of a film...even in its incomplete version

A-Pix Entertainment has given the U.S. the closest thing available to the complete version of PERDITA DURANGO, but viewers beware, the "Unrated Director's Cut" A-Pix boasts of the film (retitled for video as DANCE WITH THE DEVIL)is still cut!

This version is a variant of the original Spanish edition but in English and Spanish. A-Pix still made 14 cuts for this "unrated" edition, basically removing any glimpses of Rosie Perez' breasts and backside, and removing any clips of TV shows and parts of the film Vera Cruz used within. No word if Ms. Perez didn't want folks to see her nude, but I'm sure A-Pix didn't want to deal with the legal rights for the use of clips from The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Urotsukidoji II (from Manga), and clips from Vera Cruz (though some are still seen). One quick edit removes an implied scene of pedophilia. However, the longest cut of 40 seconds is near the end, of Romeo envisioning himself in a scene from Vera Cruz. . Steer clear of the R-rated edition for sure, as it has an additional 10 minutes of sex and violence omitted! For complete details of these cuts, refer to issue #60 of Video Watchdog magazine for an informative article on the video releases of DANCE WITH THE DEVIL.

Despite the unfortunate cuts in the director's version, PERDITA DURANGO is still a fun, very vicious wild ride! There are many, many uncomfortable scenes that are extremely brutal sexually as well as violently. The frenetic and over the top weirdness never lets up and it's obvious the creators of this gem offer no apologies for offending and messing with your senses. It's no wonder this has gained a cult following.

Perdita is a very dangerous free spirit, and that trouble gets more serious when she meets witch doctor Romeo (Javier Bardem, who DOES get to show his backside several times). Together they kidnap a young couple to use in a sacrificial ceremony. Things definitely go awry, and the kids are taken along for the ride as Romeo is on his way to get a truck full of foetuses for illegal use for cosmetics and deliver them to Las Vegas. All the while a DEA agent played by James Gandolfini is on their trail despite constantly getting physically hurt!

The story becomes quite complex, and in the 121 minutes of this version it never lets up -- there's either violence, sex, and plenty of cursing that all keeps the journey a constant, unpleasant experience, but in a GOOD unpleasant way! Be on the lookout for film director Alex Cox (REPO MAN) as agent Doyle, and Aimee Graham (sis of Heather) as one of the kidnap victims.

Screamin' Jay Hawkins plays a voodoo man, and Don Stroud is particularly menacing with just a glance of the eyes. Rosie Perez plays it cool, but in a wink can turn psycho, just as Javier Bardem seems to be relishing his role with a lot of energy.

I do recommend hunting down this "unrated director's cut" as at this time is the closest thing to the complete version we'll have here in the U.S. Maybe some day due to the cult reputation of PERDITA DURANGO, we'll get the definitive version with it's original title instead of DANCE WITH THE DEVIL.