Assassination Tango (2002)

User Rating:

5.8/10   

Director:

Robert Duvall

Writer:

Robert Duvall (written by)

Release Date:

4 September 2003 (Argentina)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

No one is more dangerous than the man who lives two lives.

Plot:

John J. is a seasoned hit man sent on a job to Argentina. When the General he's sent to kill delays his return to the country...

Plot Keywords:

Argentina | Dancer | Tango | General | Dance

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Robert Duvall	...	John J. Anderson
Rubén Blades	...	Miguel
Kathy Baker	...	Maggie
Luciana Pedraza	...	Manuela
Julio Oscar Mechoso	...	Orlando
James Keane	...	Whitey
Frank Gio	...	Frankie (as Frankie Gio)
Katherine Micheaux Miller	...	Jenny
Frank Cassavetes	...	Jo Jo
Michael Corrente	...	Cop
Raúl Outeda	...	Tony Manas
Géraldine Rojas	...	Pirucha
Renee Victor	...	Stella
Richard Marquez	...	Salsa Band Member
Nelson Marquez	...	Salsa Band Member

Also Known As:

Assassination Tango (Argentina)

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violence.

Runtime:

114 min

Country:

USA | Argentina

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Brazil:12 | Singapore:NC-16 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Buenos Aires, Federal District, Argentina

Company:

American Zoetrope

Trivia:

This movie is Robert Duvall's tribute to tango, which is why he filmed it in Buenos Aires using many real tango dancers and authentic tango locations. Some of the tango celebrity faces you can spot include: Geraldine Rojas and Javiar Rodriguez (Pirucha - sister of Manuela and her first partner), Pablo Veron (Manuela's final parter in the closing credits), Jorge Dispari and La Turca, Orlanda Paiva, Maria Nieves, Armando Orzuza, Carlos Copello, Alicia Monti, Los Hermanos Macana (two men performing a dance). The club with the checkerboard floor is Club Sin Rumbo, in the outskirt of the city, but a famous barrio for producing excellent tango dancers.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Moviemaking in Virginia: Take 3 (2008) (V)

Soundtrack:

Hoppin' With Lindy

Assassination Tango (2002)

While watching Assassination Tango -- Robert Duvall's follow-up to his directorial debut, The Apostle --, I was vaguely reminded of this year's similarly themed The Dancer Upstairs (which was also directed by a veteran actor-turned-director -- John Malkovich), in that they both deal with a man-on-a-mission who falls for a dancing instructor. Yet the two films handle the subject in such strikingly different manners that any similarity is completely coincidental. While The Dancer Upstairs was a dark romance, Assassination Tango is a surprisingly light drama devoid of the required love affair that's been established by its predecessors. There IS romance, but it never progresses beyond friendship, which is very refreshing to see in such a genre film -- and let there be no misunderstanding: this IS a genre film. The story follows a dancer-by-day, assassin-by-night (Duvall) who's been building a relationship with a woman (Kathy Baker) and her daughter (Katherine Micheaux Miller), both of them -- as the genre demands -- unaware of his profession. When he's assigned a job in Buenos Aires, he discovers (and falls in love with) the tango -- as well as the beautiful woman (Luciana Pedraza) who teaches it to him. The movie follows every rule in the book -- including the "he-really-wants-to-make-it-for-his-daughter's-birthday-but-something-comes-up" twist --, but the difference is that it actually WORKS here; Duvall injects just enough originality and sincerity into the film that you hardly notice how formulaic it all is. The other aspect of Assassination Tango that sets it apart from its kin is its classic feel: there are no high-tech action sequences or gratuitous sex scenes here -- just beautiful scenery and stellar dancing. In fact, the dancing is so intriguing and seductive that it completely overshadows the few action scenes. The performances are all interesting for different reasons: my first observation about Duvall was that his role would have been tailor-made for Robert DeNiro. But as I began to accept the film for what it was rather than what I expected it to be, I started to appreciate the honesty and vulnerability he brought to the part (and the same can be said of his direction and writing). Baker hardly gets any screen time, and when she does its often sans dialogue, but Pedraza steals each scene regardless: her acting is so seamless and authentic that any time she ISN'T on-screen we spend waiting for her to return. It would be easy to criticize the film for being border-line silly (Duvall's various costumes are Clouseau-worthy -- one of them complete with a fake bushy beard), but this would mean neglecting its old-fashioned charm. If there's one quibble I have with the film, its when Duvall tries (in retrospect) to make his relationship with Pedraza seem like more than it really was: they aren't together long enough to make the attempted love story believable, but this is entirely forgivable. By no means a great film, Assassination Tango is a worthy entry in the resume of a film-maker who clearly knows what he's doing.

Grade: B+