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| The Dancer Upstairs |  | Director: John Malkovich
Actors: Montserrat Astudillo, Javier Bardem, Marie-Anne Berganza, Juan Diego Botto, Luís Miguel Cintra
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.98
Buy Used: $1.50
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Seller: previously-enjoyed
Rating:  55 reviews
Sales Rank: 18,441
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Dubbed), Spanish (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 132 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5.1 x 0.6
MPN: 024543088295
UPC: 024543088295
EAN: 0024543088295
ASIN: B0000AGQ5V
Theatrical Release Date: 2002
Release Date: September 23, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
The story of a police detective who searches for an anarchist in an unnamed Latin American country, and has an extra-marital affair with his daughter's mysterious ballet teacher.
Genre: Feature Film-Drama
Rating: R
Release Date: 7-FEB-2006
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com
Marking an assured directorial debut for actor John Malkovich, The Dancer Upstairs is a tense, nerve-jangling political thriller that values adult storytelling and emotional depth over cheap thrills. It's a challenge for those accustomed to the frantic pace of Hollywood thrillers, but attentive viewers will be richly rewarded by Malkovich's slow-burn approach to the film's terrorist plot, adapted by Nicholas Shakespeare from his own novel, based on the "Shining Path" movement that terrorized Peru in the 1980s. The plot unfolds in an unnamed Latin American capital, where a lawyer-turned-police detective named Rejas (Javier Bardem) leads an investigation to locate Ezequiel, a terrorist whose followers have left a trail of fear, death and destruction across the city. Rejas falls in love with his daughter's ballet teacher (Laura Morante), but the film's ultimate revelation--a coincidence that Malkovich handles with credible delicacy--throws this simmering drama into stark relief, bringing Bardem's character (and his subtle performance) to a greater awareness of his own personal and political humanity. --Jeff Shannon
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
 Texture Over Flash and Bang.... September 26, 2009
D. S. Thurlow (Alaska)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
2003's "The Dancer Upstairs" is an underappreciated but very worthwhile departure from the standard movie drama. It is a thinly fictionalized account of the pursuit of the murderous head of the Peruvian Maoist terrorist group Sendero Luminoso (Shining Path). What could easily have been a flashy, violent thriller is, in Director John Malkovich's treatment, a slow-burning, richly textured movie centered on its characters and its location.
Javier Bardem is superb, and subtle, as a middle-aged detective charged with the pursuit of the leader of the terrorists. His edge is a chance encounter with the otherwise faceless suspect many years earlier. His methodical pursuit of a thin trail of clues is complicated by competition and corruption within the law enforcement community and by his own troubled personal life, not least his interest in his daughter's ballet teacher.
The movie's studiously even-handed presentation provides a textured look at the Peruvian society of the day, including our detective's uncertain links to his own Quechua heritage. This approach may distract viewers looking for police procedural content, but it imparts significant emotional content to the ending of the movie. "The Dancer Upstairs" is very highly recommended to the patient viewer looking for something different in a movie drama.
 2.5 stars out of 4 April 20, 2009
One-Line Film Reviews (Easton, MD)
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.
 well acted and tense drama December 14, 2008
Peregrine Reader (USA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
An interesting film with fine acting - the threatening political situation is a shadowy force throughout and the moral dilemmas are interesting. Bardem is wonderful
Malkovich being Malkovich March 7, 2008
Judith Chapman-Ward (Chi-town)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Whether he is in front of the screen or behind the screen, John Malkovich is my guy!
 Dissapointing February 3, 2008
C. Merced (Stamford, CT and sometimes in Puerto Rico)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was disappointed by this movie. Although it has Laura Morante and Javier Bardem in it, and their acting is well done, the movie itself lacks so many things it I couldn't wait for it to be over. The film is slow, tedious and somewhat boring. Also, the plot is a bit confused and convoluted. The film fails to draw the viewer in and fails to tie many many things together. Several things are never explained which left me feeling confused and unable to better appreciate this movie. I just didn't like it much.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 55
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