Robert Duvall's fascination with tango finds its expression in this labor of love, a film he wrote, directed, and stars in. Duvall plays a professional hit man on a job in Argentina. Forced to kill time instead of his target, he learns about tango, and meets a beautiful young dancer who teaches him the art. Seeing this precise, passionate dance, one feels no doubt it is worthy of Duvall's obsession. The hit-man plotline becomes less urgent as the movie goes on, and the director's loose, improvisatory approach makes for a certain sketchiness in scenes. But, like Duvall's marvelously odd The Apostle, the darn thing is intriguing. In leading lady Luciana Pedraza, Duvall has found a stunning partner--a slinky tango dancer and a beguiling actress. (One has no doubt she is worthy of his obsession, too.) This is a film from the "uneven" file, but like many such movies, it has its attractions. --Robert Horton
2.
From acclaimed actor, writer, and director Robert Duvall comes Assassination Tango, a complex thriller, fascinating character study, and provocative look at the intoxicating world of Argentine tango. As in all of Duvall's films (including the award-winning The Apostle), Assassination Tango offers both an in-depth portrait of a complicated man and a truthful, incisive exploration of a world outside the mainstream.
John J. (Robert Duvall) is deeply devoted to his girlfriend, Maggie (Kathy Baker), and to her young daughter, Jenny (Katherine Micheaux Miller). He is also passionate about dancing, a talent he hones at local Brooklyn dance halls. But his skill on the dance floor seems incongruous with his profession - John is a hit man, and a very good one.
Hired to assassinate an Argentine general in Buenos Aires, John is met in Argentina by Miguel (Ruben Blades), who takes him to the home of a couple whose son the general had killed. But John isn't interested in pathos or politics. As he says, "There's two sides to every story." He just wants to do his job, do it well, get paid, and get home. But when the General unexpectedly delays his return to Buenos Aires, John's neat plans are trashed.
Angry, alone, and with nothing to do until the General's return, John explores the city and soon discovers the rich and mysterious world of the tango. Enthralled, he watches the dancers in the clubs moving with a spellbinding combination of fire and ice, passion and precision. He is hooked and begins to insinuate himself into the life of Manuela (Luciana Pedraza), a charming, brilliant dancer who becomes his teacher and guide into the world of this new dance.
Vacillating between his profession and newfound passion, John finally is able to complete his hit, only to find out the vengeful military has tightened national security like a noose. Spellbound by the rich and mysterious world Manuela has shown him, his idyll is shattered when the reality of why he's there comes crashing down around him. His chances of getting out of Argentina grow slim as he struggles to keep from being found and killed. As evading capture becomes ever more difficult and he finds himself alone with no one to trust, John desperately tries to find a way out of South America and back home.
United Artists presents an American Zoetrope production of Assassination Tango, in association with Butchers Run Films. Written, directed, produced by and starring Academy Award® winner Robert Duvall, Assassination Tango also stars Ruben Blades, Kathy Baker, and Luciana Pedraza, and was also produced by Rob Carliner with executive producers Francis Ford Coppola and Linda Reisman and co-producers Steven Brown and Raul Outeda. Felix Monti served as director of photography, with production design by Stefania Cella, editing by Stephen Mack, and music by Luis Bacalov.
3.
Director Robert Duvall (THE APOSTLE) weaves the disparate worlds of murder and dance in this quirky and sometimes impressionistic comedy drama. John (Robert Duvall), an old-school Coney Island-area hit man, is offered a lucrative job in Argentina. He doesn't really want to take it, and his reluctance to leave his beloved stepdaughter Jenny (Katherine Micheaux Miller) and miss her birthday party fuels his obstinacy. But, assured he will be back in time, he takes the job. Once in Buenos Aries, the assassination plot begins to unfold, then sputter, and finally falls apart as the target fails to show up. Needless to say, John misses Jenny's big day, and to get his mind off of things, he catches a traditional Argentinean tango performance. With a reverence for American dance, John is totally blown away by this thrillingly expressive form, and infiltrates the tango circuit through Manuela (Luciana Pedraza), a glowing but modest partner. She and her sister escort John through the history and motion that is tango, while in the meantime the assassination plot picks back up as the target finally returns to Buenos Aries. Much like the dance it depicts, the film navigates between one world of murderous intrigue and conspiracy, and the other of sensual elegance and high-art aesthetics. Duvall also bridges the gulf between these worlds with an inimitable performance.
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