DVD Features:
- Rated: R
- Closed captioning available
- Run Time: 1 hours, 54 minutes
- Video: Color
- Released: December 9, 2003
- Originally Released: 2003
- Label: MGM (Video & DVD)
- Encoding: Region 1; USA & Canada
- Packaging: Keep Case
- Aspect Ratio: Widescreen - 1.85
- Audio:
- Dolby Digital 5.1 - English
- Stereo Surround - Portuguese
- Stereo Surround - Spanish
- Additional Release Material:
- Alternate Ending
- Deleted Scenes
- Audio Commentary: Robert Duvall - Writer/Director/Star, Luciana Pedraza - Star
- Text/Photo Galleries:
- Behind-the-Scenes Photo Gallery
Performers, Cast and Crew:
Entertainment Reviews:
New York Times - 03/28/2003
"...Mr. Duvall's performance exhibits his characteristically taut command..."
Rolling Stone - 04/17/2003
"...The scenes with John J. and Manuela have the improvisatory feel of a John Cassavetes film..."
Entertainment Weekly - 04/04/2003
"...One of the most spry and irresistible character studies of Duvall's career....The dance scenes are lovely..."
Chicago Sun-Times - 04/04/2003
"...A fascinating effort..."
Los Angeles Times - 03/28/2003
"...Keep your eye on the small touches, the personal vision that Duvall has imprinted on his film with the reckless abandon of a true artist..."
Product Description:
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.
Plot Keywords:
Assassination |
Assassins |
Dance |
Music (General) |
Theatrical Release |
World Music
Production Notes:
- Theatrical Release Date: March 28, 2003 (NY/LA)
- This film screened at the SXSW 2003 film festival in Austin, Texas.
