Assassination Tango (Region 1 Import DVD)

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.