Timothy Shary Duvall owns this film, starring, writing, and directing... but he does not seem to know if he wants to make a movie about the beauty of tango or the banality of organized murder. At once it seems like he is trying to draw a parallel between the passion of dance and the intricacies of crime, but he allows scenes to drag on too long without significant action or dialogue.I get the feeling that Duvall wanted to celebrate the tango in its natural habitat without indulging in the erotic aspects of the dance, just as he wanted to portray a crotchety assassin in a foreign land without speaking of the relevant political context. He wants to keep it all simple: great dancing and a little bit of murder. And that is all we get.For a movie about such potent subjects as sex and death, dance and crime, loyalty and treachery, Duvall's storytelling here is just lukewarm. The fact that his protagonist meets such a captivating girl and does not consummate the relationship is indicative of the film's own lack of fulfillment. The painfully weak ending further betrays the energy of the dance the film purports to enjoy.

XweAponX Someone else states that the assassin as played by Robert Duval does not make you sympathize with the role, which is so wrong... I do not agree with that, as I was captivated by this man. From the start, it is clear that "John J. Anderson" is a cold blooded mafia assassin. That he performs his job with no moral issues or other qualms is quite clear, yet he has a complicated and satisfying personal life and a special relationship with his girl friend and her adolescent daughter- which he keeps very differentiated from his "job". He is also a very likable but cranky older man, much like many of other Duval roles in the past decade.What is also clear is that he is being set up from the start by the "client" his "boss" is dealing with, and the boss is even daring the client to make the job more difficult for Anderson - And so you are expecting a double cross, and we are not surprised when it happens, and of course, John J. Anderson, having done this job so efficiently and so well that he has lived to become an older man, smells it in the wind and knows just what to do.Not needing to go into the details of this it is clear that any lesser man with the same profession would have been sacrificed up to some Argentinian political agenda- Anderson has to extricate himself, and that he does. It does not matter that as the film viewer you expect him to do it... The way that he extricates himself is both amusing and interesting.Due to unexpected delays, Anderson has to spend more time in Argentina than he originally thought, missing his "Little Girl's" birthday, which upsets him more than the delay itself. But to take up time as he is waiting for the go, he has been intrigued by Tango and he gets to see Tango dancers in the country where the dance form originated. So, what makes this film ultimately pleasurable and interesting, is that Anderson starts to frequent dance halls where he eventually sees a dancer Manuela (Luciana Pedraza) and is instantly connected to her. And so he takes steps to meet her and begins an interesting relationship with her, not an affair, but a true friendship, and in this time he gets real Tango lessons and is brought to some clubs where the art form is being shown in full blossom. To see the various dancing by Professional Tango dancers in various places in the film-- Is just wonderful and a good side twist to the film, bringing your attention away from the fact that Anderson is quite probably trapped in Argentina and is being hunted. Maybe not the ideal film to represent "Tango" in itself, but this film is at least a curt nod to the art form, a genuine homage. The character Anderson, upon seeing his own inadequacies with his dancing, never postures or pretends that he knows more than he does, he meekly accepts Tango lessons from Manuela's sister and forms a bond with her whole family.And so as Anderson Tangos in his Mind with Luciana Pedraza, he also dances with his Argentinian Handlers, Police, and even Argentinian Government officials... All the way back to NYC. One of the better films I have seen lately, rates multiple viewings. I would say to any hard core Tango people, this film is not all about Tango, it simply includes Tango, so it is not meant to show us everything about that art form, just to give us a short look at how it is really done in Argentina.

Wayne Dear Robert Duvall made two mistakes in making Assassination Tango. First, he hired the wrong director. So watch this some evening on the IFC channel and imagine Woody Allen behind the script and the camera.Really, people, it has the classic Woody elements: an older, ratty-looking leading man; way younger hot women as romantic interests; and barely suppressed angst.Oh, yeah...the second mistake: Duvall gives up the story in the title. So after viewing this film, compare it to his work and make up your own tag. How about Invasion of the Tango Snatchers?One more observation: Manuela, the tango teacher, is played by Duvall's wife, Luciana Pedraza. Never direct your wife in a movie, or her ass might look big as it does in some tango shots.

neighbourcarol I loved this! There a dark element to it ,but also a very romantic side. I've read Robert Duvall loves to tango in real life, and his dancing in this is so graceful and talented. The dancing in this is exquisite and the women so lovely and natural. They have the most beautiful legs I've ever seen. I was entranced by the dancing and Robert Duvall's performance was, as usual, without fault. I highly recommend it for Robert Duvall fans. The film makes me want to visit Argentina and see in person their beautiful dancing. I read somewhere that Duvall said that as writer, producer and actor he had trouble getting financing from the major studios, so he did it himself. Most of the scenes were filmed in New York for that reason. In my opinion, the final result is stellar!