Duvall owns this film, starring, writing, and directing... but he does not seem to know if he wants to make a movie about the beauty of tango or the banality of organized murder. At once it seems like he is trying to draw a parallel between the passion of dance and the intricacies of crime, but he allows scenes to drag on too long without significant action or dialogue.
I get the feeling that Duvall wanted to celebrate the tango in its natural habitat without indulging in the erotic aspects of the dance, just as he wanted to portray a crotchety assassin in a foreign land without speaking of the relevant political context. He wants to keep it all simple: great dancing and a little bit of murder. And that is all we get.
For a movie about such potent subjects as sex and death, dance and crime, loyalty and treachery, Duvall's storytelling here is just lukewarm. The fact that his protagonist meets such a captivating girl and does not consummate the relationship is indicative of the film's own lack of fulfillment. The painfully weak ending further betrays the energy of the dance the film purports to enjoy.
I get the feeling that Duvall wanted to celebrate the tango in its natural habitat without indulging in the erotic aspects of the dance, just as he wanted to portray a crotchety assassin in a foreign land without speaking of the relevant political context. He wants to keep it all simple: great dancing and a little bit of murder. And that is all we get.
For a movie about such potent subjects as sex and death, dance and crime, loyalty and treachery, Duvall's storytelling here is just lukewarm. The fact that his protagonist meets such a captivating girl and does not consummate the relationship is indicative of the film's own lack of fulfillment. The painfully weak ending further betrays the energy of the dance the film purports to enjoy.