The Dancer Upstairs
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Movie Reviews of The Dancer Upstairs
Movie Review: well acted and tense drama
Summary: 4 Stars
An interesting film with fine acting - the threatening political situation is a shadowy force throughout and the moral dilemmas are interesting. Bardem is wonderfulMovie Review: intriguing if imperfect crime drama
Summary: 3 Stars
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.
Movie Review: Good effort
Summary: 3 Stars
Malkovich made a worthy effort to carry this movie to the promised land but the script is the ship that allows you to reach the goal and this is the fault of this movie.The script lacks the dramatic continuity , you feel the ravishing presence of Javier Bardem , but a good cast doesn't garantee you a good result.
The narrative web which supports the drama is fragile , and obviously the film results predictable at the end. Laura Morante makes a good work .
Stunning visual locations.
Movie Review: Entertaining, Yet Abridged
Summary: 3 Stars
I got the feeling while watching this film that a good 30-45 minutes of worthwhile film ended up on the virtual cutting room floor. I never quite bought into the Captain's emotional attachment to the Dance teacher, and thought this was just one area that could have been flushed out a bit more. The film started out with a solid foundation and premise, but then seemed to rock-skip toward the end. I wish I had seen an extended version.Movie Review: 2.5 stars out of 4
Summary: 3 Stars
The Bottom Line:
With a central mystery that never captivates the audience and a vacant performance by Javier Bardem in the lead, The Dancer Upstairs is a draggy and ho-hum political thriller that can be safely left on whatever shelf you find it.