The Dancer Upstairs (2003)
Written by Nicholas Shakespeare / Directed by John Malkovich
Starring Javier Bardem, Laura Morante and Juan Diego Botto
135 mins / 20th Century Fox / Rated R
Retail: $29.98 / Street: $24
by Alex Mestas 9/17/2003
More info: Fox Store
DVD Cover
The Cover
Somewhere "in Latin America" and "in the past" comes a story of a revolutionary terrorist group trying to topple an entire government. Leading the charge in finding this mysterious group with no manifesto or visible leader, is Detective Rejas (Javier Bardem), a somewhat humorless and stoic detective whose intelligence is only outshined by his determination. The vagueness of the setting and time only add to the feeling that the themes in this film sadly reverberate in many places around the world. There are disturbing scenes of dogs being used as running bombs, and perhaps worst of all children who are drawn into revolutionary acts that require them to sacrifice their lives for something that they do not understand.

At first glance, The Dancer Upstairs appears to be one of those political films in which people talk far too much and scheme with each other in shifts of power. Luckily, we're treated to a fairly intense thriller that only drapes itself lightly in the cloak of political movement. The film is unusual because of the manner in which it is setup as a thriller. From the word go (or va, rather) the audience is aware of everyone who is involved (and you can guess the others), so there's no great reveal and no real surprise in the discovery. Rather, the film's rumination is centered around the discovery of why revolutionaries would go to such lengths for their cause.

As Rejas continues to hunt the terrorists, he falls in love with his daughter's ballet teacher Yolanda. This relationship is peculiar because by all appearances Rejas is happily married and remains so during his affair with Yolanda. Theirs is a love of the courtly kind. Never do we see the couple bickering nor do we see the wife making a surprise visit - something that would be completely expected in any other movie. It's this kind of view of the world that really sets the tone for The Dancer Upstairs.

As a director, John Malkovich's camerawork is pretty straight forward and only notable in the manner by which he allows the actors to play within the frame, rather than relying on cleaver tricks of the camera or staging. Luckily he's got world class actors to work with. Bardem in particular is great as a police officer. It also proves that a police officer, no matter where in the world he works, must also keep a full mustache. The rest of the actors are all Latin (Italian, Mexican, Spanish, etc.) and speak English as a second language. It's a small thing, but the fact that no one here is faking an accent adds to the believability of the goings on.

The Dancer Upstairs is a film that will draw you in, almost lull you, into every violent, poetic moment.

Movie Grade: B+

Video: 3 out of 5
It's a little grainy a points, really good in others, but that's what you'd expect for a low budget flick.
Widescreen Anamorphic 1.85:1

Stinky feet.

Audio: 3 out of 5
The 5.1 audio is a little redundant. Of course, there's a few explosions and some gunfire, so this nice, but it's mostly just music filling the speakers.
English (Dolby Digital 5.1), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)

Extras: 4 out of 5
John Malkovich is a weirdo. That doesn't come as any real surprise, but it's all confirmed when you watch the five minute Sundance piece on him. There's also a 20 minute making of that has its fair share of film clips, but also manages to inject some back story into the film by describing the real life events that influenced it. Scary stuff. There's also two trailers for the film. The best extra is the feature length commentary with Malkovich and Bardem. Both speak about the process, interesting facts and they basically keep it fresh and interesting.

Overall: 3.5 out of 5
The Dancer Upstairs is a rare find: a smart thriller with touches of romance. A fascinating movie.

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