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Assassination Tango
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Disappointingly shallow tale of a Brooklyn hit man (Robert Duvall) on assignment in Buenos Aires where he becomes involved with an expert tango dancer (Luciana Pedraza). Also written and directed by Duvall, the tango dancing is entrancing in an otherwise bland and morally bankrupt exercise in which cold-blooded murders are treated with casual indifference. Sporadic violence, a shadowy sexual encounter, crude expressions and recurring rough language. O -- morally offensive. (R) 2003
Full Review
Robert Duvall wrote, directed and starred in "The Apostle" in 1997, an insightful story of faith and failings, so it comes as quite a disappointment that his similar commitment to "Assassination Tango" results in such a morally bankrupt film.
Duvall plays aging Brooklyn hit man John J. Anderson, who owns several beauty salons and keeps his true profession hidden from his live-in beautician girlfriend, Maggie (Kathy Baker). John loves her 10-year-old daughter Jenny (Katherine Micheaux Miller) much more, and only accepts his latest assignment in Buenos Aires when he is assured he will be back in time for Jenny's birthday.
However, once in Argentina, the fastidious hit man does not trust his local contacts (Ruben Blades and Julio Oscar Mechoso) and becomes infuriated when they tell him his target, a murderous retired general, won't be in the area for a few weeks and he must stay.
To fill his time he wanders into a dance club and becomes fixated on sleek tango dancer Manuela (Luciana Pedraza). Already a fan of the tango, John becomes immersed in the tango culture and flirting with Manuela when not making exacting preparations for murder.
He tells her about Maggie and how her daughter may be the reason for their relationship and laughingly admits to cheating on her as well. Single mom Manuela suggests she's sexually available but he seems more interested in embracing her vertically than horizontally.
On the appointed day of the assassination, John does not follow the schedule and doesn't hesitate to kill a few more individuals to accomplish his goal and escape capture. Surprisingly, he does spare one cop's life before resuming his pleasant existence -- apparently without the slightest pang of conscience, only pride in his killing skills.
As its co-producer, writer, director and star, Duvall's movie sadly smacks of a vanity production to indulge his real-life love of the tango, and of his girlfriend, Pedraza, who makes her film debut here. While he gives a reliably credible performance, the script is quite bland, populated by underdeveloped characters, such as Manuela, Maggie and the four men involved in the assassination planning. They are all colorless ciphers the audience has no emotional investment in and what should then at least be a character study of hit man John is utterly shallow. The film has almost no pulse except for the sensual dancing sequences, which are alluring to behold but can't carry the entire movie.
Neither the romantic elements nor what should build to the suspenseful aspect of the crime ever comes to life. With its flat dialogue and lack of any moral sensibility, "Assassination Tango" ends up a wallflower.
Because of sporadic violence, a shadowy sexual encounter, crude expressions and recurring rough language, the USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is O -- morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted.
Movies have been evaluated by the U.S. Conference of Catholic
Bishop's Office for Film and Broadcasting according to artistic
merit and moral suitability. The reviews include the USCCB rating,
the Motion Picture Association of America rating, and a brief
synopsis of the movie.
The classifications are as follows:
- A-I -- general patronage;
- A-II -- adults and adolescents;
- A-III -- adults;
- A-IV**
- L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. L replaces the previous classification, A-IV.
- O -- morally offensive.
** Discontinued classification. All archived movies that were originally in the A-IV category are now classified as L.
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