Assassination Tango

I took a shot at buying this DVD sight-unseen, something I rarely do and usually regret, but not in this case. I found it even more fascinating than I hoped, thanks to a totally-unknown actress. Two viewings within a year has not changed my opinion.

This movie is just different, a unique portrait of strange older hit-man and the people in his life. I am not surprised a number of viewers did not like this film, even fans of Robert Duvall. It's probably just too quirky for most tastes and too slow for most viewers. Despite being low- key, there are some moments of intense temper and violence on the part of Duvall which helps keep ones attention.

I didn't need that, however, to keep my attention. Just trying to figure out Duvall kept me intrigued. My attention, however, accelerated when newcomer Luciana Pedraza entered the picture.

Pedraza is one of the most interesting "new faces" I've seen on film: a woman who has intelligence written over her face as few modern actresses ever have. This woman has a lot to offer: looks, intelligence, a good figure, a great dancer, wonderful voice and despite being Argentine, speaks better English than many Americans. A pity that as of this review in October of 2005, this is still her only screen appearance.

Between her and Duvall - who are both complex characters to say the least - along with some wonderfully-colorful cinematography, great dance scenes and intrigue about how an assassination plot will turn out, I found this film very pleasing.

This is unknown film that isn't fully appreciated not only with the public but with the reviewers here.

The tango scenes were absorbing. But they seemed to be just kluged on to a movie about an aging, warm-hearted gangster. I kept waiting for something to tie these seemingly disparate plot lines together. Nothing ever did. See it to admire a great actor. See it to admire some wonderful dancing and scenery. Just don't try to make sense of it.

In `Assassination Tango,' a film for which he provided both script and direction, Robert Duvall plays an aging professional killer who also happens to be a tango aficionado. Like the gangsters in `The Godfather,' John J. Anderson is able to compartmentalize the morally contradictory elements of his life: he can gun down in cold blood a total stranger, while at the same time lavishing limitless love and affection on his girlfriend and the ten-year old `stepdaughter' whom he worships and adores. When he is sent to Buenos Aires to take out a disreputable retired general, John falls in love with both a lovely young dancer and the style of `genuine' tango dancing to which she introduces him.

`Assassination Tango,' despite the unsavory elements of the story, is a quiet, muted film that is more about this strangely paradoxical character than it is about either assassination or tango. John is a man who has kept his emotions pretty well in check his whole life and now, as he begins to see the end of that life coming, he feels the need to make some kind of meaningful connection with the people around him. What makes John interesting is the way in which Duvall has chosen to portray him. For the most part, John seems totally subdued in his mannerisms and tone of voice, but he often erupts unexpectedly in fits of uncontrolled mania and violence – aimed more at objects like payphones or people who annoy him than at his carefully chosen victims, whom he liquidates with an emotional detachment worthy of his profession. Duvall hits all the right notes in making his character both frighteningly bizarre and strangely sympathetic all at the same time.

As a writer, Duvall does better with dialogue than with the narrative framework as a whole. Particularly effective is John's constantly asking the Argentineans with whom he's conversing to repeat what they have just said. Most writer/directors would not be shrewd enough to add this calculated bit of realism, which seems just right given the bilingual situation he has set up. Unfortunately, Duvall's considerably less successful with the story itself, which often wanders aimlessly, lacks clarity (particularly in the cloak-and-dagger sequences) and suffers from an overall failure to meld the various elements into a compelling whole. The supporting performers are all good, but, ultimately, we are left wondering just what Duvall had in mind when he set about making this film. If his purpose was to show that even coldhearted killers can love their kids and appreciate art and beauty, then that ground was pretty much covered by `The Godfather' movies. Even the tango scenes are generally blasé and uninspiring, forcing us to wonder just what it is about this dance that both intoxicates John and leads one of the women in the film to say that the tango is `life, love, hate,' an encomium that certainly doesn't seem justified by the dance sequences in this film.

`Assassination Tango' deserves to be seen for Duvall's performance and for the uniqueness of both its setting and its main character. Just don't expect to be swept off your feet by the dancing.

I love this movie. Beautiful. Thank you. The cast, the scenes, the music, the story, the cinematography. Perfect. Total entertainment. The drama, the comedy, the dance, even the smells. Robert Duvall's name in a picture guarantees great value. I wish to see many more of these superb works from the director and all the actors, and other creators of this film. Here is another example of great American movie making. I also want to say thanks to Sundance to show this piece on TV, unfortunatelly there aren't any movie theaters that would show this and similar movies. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys watching a movie with great acting, nice music, and not the usual boring plot.

Robert Duvall directed this film, which seems first of all made in order to allow Robert Duvall the actor to play a pretended complex character of a paid killer with a soul. From this point of view the film is a failure. The character does not succeed to gain the sympathy of the viewer, and the complexity of the character is faked. Too much is badly written or un-explained in this movie. Even if action is not supposed to be in the focus, the reasons and details of the murder conspiracy and the events around are left too much in the fuzzy zone.

What remains is the well described atmosphere of Argentina, and the love of the character with tango dancing, and the beautiful Argentinian who introduces him to the secrets of tango. These are indeed the best moments of the film, but it is still to little to sustain the film, and left me with the feeling that they are strangely disconnected from the rest.

An un-satisfactory film experience. 6/10 on my personal scale.