Assassination Tango 2003

Glenn Lovell, San Jose Mercury News: An exercise in narcissism and nepotism that scoots by, not on story or suspense, but on [Duvall's] Old World charisma. Read more

Ty Burr, Boston Globe: A great character actor's love letter to the one art form that makes him feel like a star. Read more

Scott Von Doviak, Fort Worth Star-Telegram/DFW.com: Moves to an off-kilter rhythm that seems at times to be locked away in the head of its writer/director/star. Read more

Connie Ogle, Miami Herald: A film that uses tango as a metaphor for life ought to generate some fire. But Assassination Tango offers little heat. Read more

Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times: It's an uneven but occasionally fascinating film, as labors of love so often are. Read more

Michael Wilmington, Chicago Tribune: It's a film whose pleasures creep up on you. Read more

Stephen Holden, New York Times: If Mr. Duvall's finely textured performance is a testament to the power of good screen acting to lift a film above the mundane, the movie's many irritating tics demonstrate that he is much more at home in front of the camera than behind it. Read more

Manohla Dargis, Los Angeles Times: Written and directed by Duvall, Assassination Tango is a wonderfully eccentric piece of filmmaking -- to demand it cohere to formula would be to miss the point. Read more

Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle: While the assassination plot is interesting, the rest of Tango is dramatically flaccid. Read more

Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly: The dance scenes are lovely, but by the end it hits you that the assassination is the movie's real tango, and that few artists have caught the swirl and kick of modern male aggression better than Duvall. Read more

Jennie Punter, Globe and Mail: About one commanding performance, fascinating to watch but not strong enough to redeem the muddled story line on which it hangs. Read more

Jane Sumner, Dallas Morning News: Yes, it's murky, but if you enjoy watching Mr. Duvall dig into a gnarly character, the script's flaws fade in importance. Read more

Ella Taylor, L.A. Weekly: If you love dance movies, Assassination Tango is worth a go. Read more

Jan Stuart, Newsday: Assassination Tango runs aground with an accumulation of small illogicalities. Read more

James Berardinelli, ReelViews: For those who do not demand a firm adherence to formulas and genre-driven expectations, this movie offers the chance to see something a little different. Read more

Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times: Duvall has created it from the inside out, seeing it not through the eyes of the audience but through the mind of Anderson. Read more

Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle: It's hard to see what Duvall thinks is so interesting about the hit man, aside from the fact that he's playing him. Read more

Colin Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Read more

Peter Howell, Toronto Star: The studied pace of Duvall's film, and his carefully measured performance, will win over more patient patrons. Read more

Mike Clark, USA Today: Even Marlon Brando wouldn't be able to keep this from being the last tango in Buenos Aires that anyone is likely to see on screen for a while. Read more

Michael Atkinson, Village Voice: The film is scrupulously posture-free. Read more

Stephen Hunter, Washington Post: Generally delivers in none of the areas it penetrates, not as a thriller, not as an encomium to the tango, not as a tribute to a passionate relationship. Read more