The Dancer Upstairs (2002)

Director:

John Malkovich

Writers:

Nicholas Shakespeare (novel)
Nicholas Shakespeare (screenplay)

Release Date:

20 September 2002 (Spain)

Genre:

Drama | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

An honest man caught in a world of intrigue, power and passion.

Plot:

A police detective in a South American country is dedicated to hunting down a revolutionary guerilla leader.

Plot Keywords:

Detective | Revolutionary | Revolution | Government | Love

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Javier Bardem	...	Agustín Rejas
Juan Diego Botto	...	Sucre
Laura Morante	...	Yolanda
Elvira Mínguez	...	Llosa
Alexandra Lencastre	...	Sylvina Rejas
Oliver Cotton	...	Merino
Luís Miguel Cintra	...	Calderón
Javier Manrique	...	Clorindo
Abel Folk	...	Ezequiel / Durán
Marie-Anne Berganza	...	Laura
Lucas Rodríguez	...	Gómez
Xabier Elorriaga	...	Pascual
Natalia Dicenta	...	Marina
Wolframio Sinué	...	Santiago
Ramiro Jiménez	...	Sergeant Pisac

Also Known As:

Pasos de baile (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong violence, and for language.

Runtime:

132 min

Country:

Spain | USA

Language:

English | Quechua | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | France:U | Germany:12 | Peru:14 | Spain:18 | UK:15 | USA:R | Canada:14A (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Espinho, Aveiro, Portugal

Company:

Fox Searchlight Pictures

Trivia:

In the beginning of the film, one of the revolutionaries tells a checkpoint security guard that his dead dog's name is Tupac. Tupac Amaru was the last indigenous leader of the Inca people in Peru and Tupac Amaru II was the leader of the 1780s uprising in colonial day Cusco, Peru. (The late hip-hop artist Tupac Shakur is named after the latter).

Goofs:

Continuity: When they are searching through garbage, the female officer's mask (which is around her neck) appears on her mouth for one shot.

Movie Connections:

Featured in Revealing 'The Dancer Upstairs' (2003) (V)

Soundtrack:

Le Cygne

imperfect but intriguing crime drama

Actor John Malkovich makes an auspicious directorial debut with `The Dancer Upstairs,' an intriguing, if not altogether satisfying, police procedural set in an unnamed Latin American country.

Javier Bardem (`Night Must Fall') gives a richly textured performance as Detective Augustin Rejas, a man of principle and ethics operating in a world of corruption and violence. Rejas finds himself embroiled in a life-and-death mystery when he investigates an underground terrorist organization that is targeting key government officials for assassination. Who these people are is not at all clear to those in charge and even their motives can only be guessed at. As Rejas studies the clues in search of answers, he becomes drawn to a beautiful young dance teacher with whom he establishes a platonic yet highly charged romantic relationship. It is in the bringing together of these two seemingly disparate plot lines that the movie fails, ultimately, to satisfy. For roughly the first three quarters of the film, as Rejas collects his evidence and unravels the puzzle, we gladly go along where the filmmakers are taking us, fascinated by the setting, the atmosphere and the contemporary relevance of the terrorism theme. But when, towards the end, the story kicks into high tragedy mode, the movie loses us, partly because the plotting itself is not particularly credible and partly because the relationship between Rejas and the woman has not been sufficiently developed to achieve the status of genuine tragedy. The film is much better when it sticks to the business of the case and leaves all the existential navel-gazing out of the mix.

This is not to demean either the moving, beautifully modulated performance of Bardem or the stark, self-assured direction of Malkovich, who shows he knows how to function as well behind the camera as he does in front. True, the film is a trifle slow at times but this just shows that Malkovich will not be rushed when the material itself demands deliberation and care. Although the movie is about a half hour too long, real languor begins to set in only during the final stretches. Until then, `The Dancer Upstairs' makes for rewarding viewing.