Main Cast: Robert Duvall, Rubén Blades, Kathy Baker, Luciana Pedraza, Julio Oscar Mechoso
Release Year: 2002
Country: US
Run Time: 114 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Leading man Robert Duvall writes and directs his third feature, the romantic thriller Assassination Tango. John J. (Duvall) is an aging hit man who has settled down into family life in New York with teacher Maggie (Kathy Baker). After he is offered a good sum of money, he accepts a job to kill an Argentinean General in Buenos Aires. When he gets there, he finds out he has to wait three weeks to finish the job, so he stays in Argentina and studies the tango. He meets young dancer Manuela (real-life girlfriend Luciana Pedraza making her film debut) and the two become dance partners and begin to flirt with one another. Meanwhile, the assignment lingers. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
James Keane - Whitey; Frank Gio - Frankie; Frank Cassavetes - Jo Jo; Michael Corrente - Cop at the newsstand
Credit
Ed Johnston - Casting, Renee Rousselot - Casting, Miguel Angel Zotto - Choreography, Steven Brown - Co-producer, Raul Outeda - Co-producer, Beatriz di Benedetto - Costume Designer, Fernando Altschul - First Assistant Director, Robert Duvall - Director, Stephen Mack - Editor, Francis Ford Coppola - Executive Producer, Linda Reisman - Executive Producer, Luis Enriquez Bacalov - Composer (Music Score), Charlie Feldman - Musical Direction/Supervision, Stefania Cella - Production Designer, Felix Monti - Cinematographer, Robert Duvall - Producer, Rob Carliner - Producer, Benjamin Cheah - Sound/Sound Designer, Frederico Cueva - Stunts Coordinator, Robert Duvall - Screenwriter, Jennifer Lane - Post Production Supervisor, Howard A. Anderson Company - Title Design
For Duvall, the making of Assassination Tango is the culmination of a long-held dream, combining two worlds he loves so much. In the tango, Duvall finds an amalgam of contradictions, which is what makes it so appealing and also parallels his character in the film. "Tango is sweetness. Some people call it sensual. Some call it sexual. Others would disagree because a mother can tango with her son, a father with his daughter. It's a very personal kind of thrust and a world that's very special."
