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Amazon.com 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 ... Read more Reviews (32) 
Great performances, visuals, atmosphere
This film, directed by and starring Robert Duvall, is an odd hybrid between a suspense thriller and a dramatic character study. It also uses the sensual tango dance as a theme in itself. These elements do not always gel in this slow paced film, but I found it captivating all the same.
Duvall plays John, a contract killer who is sent to Argentina to kill a prominent general. He is reluctant to go, mainly because he doesn't want to miss his stepdaughter's birthday. His attachment to this young girl, which, the film suggests, may cross the line beyond paternal affection, is one of the many aspects of this complex character. If there is any point to the film that I could discern, it is that John is a person who lacks integration. It is Duvall's ability to portray this character that makes the film. He is moody, volatile, introspective and passionate, often in inappropriate ways. He is able to rationalize his violent profession by having the attitude that "it's just a job." When he sees a beautiful tango dancer (Luciana Pedraza, who also gives a great performance), he develops a new obsession. While stalking his victim in the streets of Buenos Aires, he gets to know the dancer and their often meandering conversations are some of the best scenes in the film. During the long stretches when there is not much going on, there is still a sense of lurking menace. John is in a foreign country and doesn't know if he can trust his employers. I actually appreciated the disjointed quality of the film, which might be a turnoff for some viewers. Real life does not always follow a formula the way most movies do, and it is refreshing to see events unfold in an unpredictable, haphazard way.
This is clearly an act of love for Duvall.
Robert Duvall is one of the best actors of the late 20th Century. We are aware of Duvall's versatility in movies in everything from "The Godfather" and "The Apostle" to "Gods and Generals." Few people outside the tango community know that he is a passionate tango dancer. It is obvious that this production was an act of love. This movie will probably not go into general release at your local theater. I really expect it to have a limited release. Notwithstanding that, my advice to you is to see it even if you have to drive two hours [one way] to go to a theater as my wife and I did recently. It was really worthwhile.
It is a movie that did not do well in the Toronto Film Festival in 2002. Because of that, certain portions of the film were re-shot in Buenos Aires. Even still, the movie provoked discussion on the Tango-L listserv. It has been criticized for its "weak" plot. I find the plot less complicated than Sally Porter's "Tango Lesson," and the style of dancing to be less of the "fantasy tango" style and more of the salon style that you see in Buenos Aires today. This movie will have definite appeal to milongueros and tango junkies, as well as some die-hard ballroom dancers. I loved the dancing in the movie, and I really wish there was more of it. A few years ago, I was pleased to have seen some of the people in the movie dance several years ago at Duvall's farm in northern Virginia. This is the kind of dancing I like. I would love it if there were a "director's cut" of this movie available soon. I would be the first to buy it.
Where is Tango?
Where is Tango in this movie? Ah, yes, it's at the end, when the final credits appear. Everything else is just a bunch of extremely short clips, as if it were a TV commercial. Acting by all the characters is horrible. The plot is not too bad, but the script and editing are not good at all.
Yawn...
Obviously an endorsement for his girlfriend's passion...the tango. The dance scenes are the only thing worth watching. Unfortunately, Robert Duvall lacks the testosterone level to successfully portray an assassin, let alone dance the tango...Go Papito!
Fascinating
I was intrigued from beginning to end. It's laced with violence, moreso the precarious nature of being human, touching on nuances of community, human sexuality, relationships, psychology, and the meaning of dance. The Argentine tango is a fascinating culture in and of itself. Not for everyone, perhaps, but what is? Another fine film.
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