Assassination Tango
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Distributing Corporation (MGM) | Release Date: March 28, 2003 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
51
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
12
Mixed:
13
Negative:
5
Watch Now
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
91
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Acting doesn't get more personal, or much greater. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesManohla Dargis
A wonderfully eccentric piece of filmmaking -- to demand it cohere to formula would be to miss the point. Read full review
75
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
A wonderfully crafted, smartly acted study of a complex old coot. Read full review
75
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
Like "The Apostle," it exists off the beaten path and will not satisfy mainstream viewers. Yet, for those who do not demand a firm adherence to formulas and genre-driven expectations, this movie offers the chance to see something a little different. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneMichael Wilmington
The movie is an odd mix of tones and styles, and the thriller plot is casually introduced, shoved aside and reintroduced. But, like all Duvall's work, Assassination Tango breathes with humanity. Read full review
75
USA TodayMike Clark
There isn't any kind of dance you can compare to Robert Duvall's latest as an actor/director, though a slo-mo minuet might come close. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie is not quite successful. It is too secretive about its heart. Read full review
75
Christian Science MonitorDavid Sterritt
The willingness to blend professionals and nonprofessionals is Duvall's most interesting directorial trademark. Most commercial filmmakers hesitate to use this technique, but he doesn't see it as risky. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderJonathan Rosenbaum
The thriller plot, while serviceable, registers as somewhat gratuitous, but the Buenos Aires locations are nicely used. Read full review
67
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Disconnected and even disoriented, Assassination Tango is an atmosphere in search of a reason. Read full review
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Jennie Punter
Assassination Tango is about one commanding performance, fascinating to watch but not strong enough to redeem the muddled story line on which it hangs. Read full review
63
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Since its maker is one of the least vain of Hollywood actors, it's one that is worthy of indulgence and respect. Read full review
50
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Duvall missteps in trying to mesh suspense with a love story that also involves the woman (Kathy Baker) John J. lives with and her young daughter (Katherine Micheaux Miller), on whom he disturbingly dotes. Read full review
50
The New York TimesStephen Holden
If Mr. Duvall's finely textured performance is a testament to the power of good screen acting to lift a film above the mundane, the movie's many irritating tics demonstrate that he is much more at home in front of the camera than behind it. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
At heart, ridiculous -- ludicrous in its conception and silly in its spectacle. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
Dramatically lopsided, Assassination Tango is a spontaneous life-slice in which John J. (standing in for Duvall) fumbles like a besotted granddad toward empathic connections. That it doesn't "work" is a measure of its sincerity. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
A supremely unhurried filmmaker, Duvall lets the story meander sleepily en route to a conclusion as ho-hum as everything preceding it. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsElizabeth Weitzman
The story line is frustratingly haphazard, spreading out in several directions without ever focusing on one. Read full review
50
L.A. WeeklyElla Taylor
The plot is slow and absurdly contrived, and if you're looking for a thriller, look elsewhere. If you love dance movies, Assassination Tango is worth a go. Read full review
50
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
An odd little thriller that celebrates, in order of importance, Mr. Duvall, tango and his real-life significant other, Luciana Pedraza, who makes her attractive debut as a screen actress and, yes, tango dancer.
50
New York PostLou Lumenick
The most interesting parts of the movie are the long, sexy and well-staged dance sequences, some of them involving a very nimble Duvall. Read full review
50
Film ThreatMerle Bertrand
With its clumsy storytelling and lack of someone to filter Duvall's gushiness about the subject matter, Assassination Tango winds up shooting itself in its own dancing feet. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldConnie Ogle
Assassination Tango offers little heat. In dancing with death, Duvall stumbles a few too many times. Read full review
42
Seattle Post-IntelligencerWilliam Arnold
As a thriller it's dull and incomprehensible; as a romance it's empty and emotionally uninvolving; and as a character study it's strangely repulsive. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
Duvall at his worst is still an accomplished performer; Pedraza is a modern-day Ali McGraw, lithe and beautiful but no kind of actress. For all her fluidity on the dance floor, she's a dead weight who drags the film down. Read full review
30
Washington PostStephen Hunter
Duvall is a great actor in the homestretch of a great career; it's hard to hold this trifle against him, and certainly nobody will. Read full review
30
The New RepublicStanley Kauffmann
A series of disconnected scenes alternating between two story lines, neither of which is cogent or concluded. The picture is tinged with the irrational. Read full review
30
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Someone forgot to remind Duvall to write an ending. Read full review
30
VarietyDavid Stratton
On just about every level -- as a thriller, as a romance and as a character study of a complicated man nearing the end of his professional life -- the film fails, and the meandering, sub-Cassavetes approach is likely to be a turnoff for all but the most indulgent viewers. Read full review
30
Dallas ObserverLuke Y. Thompson
Assassination Tango is Duvall's fourth, yet it still feels like a first film; worse yet, it feels like a waste of an undeniably great actor. Read full review
More From This Movie

51 Critic Reviews

tbd User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL