Assassination Tango Details

Robert Duvall allows a private passion to cloud his professional judgement with this Argentina-set thriller, his third film as writer/director. Indeed, his portrayal of a hitman who is seduced by dancer Luciana Pedraza while on a mission to Buenos Aires ranks among the worst of an illustrious career, as there's no nobility or heart in the meticulous killer. Moreover, there's too little narrative justification (beside Duvall's genuine fascination with the tango) for stalling an already turgid thriller to put Pedraza through her paces. Much more interesting is the hitman's affection for girlfriend Kathy Baker's daughter, which suggests the suppressed decency of a man dehumanised by his trade.