Bardem's character, police detective Agustin Rejas, is Malkovich's attempt to place high minded dedication, intelligence and sensitivity into a system sustained by corruption, greed and unfettered power.
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05/17/03
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The Dancer Upstairs (2003)
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Reviews Counted:112
Fresh:71
Rotten:41
Average Rating:6.4/10
Consensus: Bardem is compelling in the lead role, and Malkovich proves adept at crafting mood.
Theatrical Release:May 2, 2003 Limited
Box Office: $2,282,798
Synopsis: The directorial debut of John Malkovich, THE DANCER UPSTAIRS is a riveting political drama set in an undetermined Latin American city. A revolution has started, and the local police have been... [More]
Starring: Javier Bardem, Laura Morante, Oliver Cotton, Luis Miguel Cintra
Director: John Malkovich
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Reviews for The Dancer Upstairs
While The Dancer Upstairs may have nothing else to remind us of [Malkovich], it does have a certain mystique itself.
05/16/03
It thrives on the hush before the explosion instead of its aftermath, and it's that eerie sense of expectation that gives the film its thick aura of suspense.
05/16/03
It is not revolutionary, but it brims with promise and a love of film, and is a fine if worried dance indeed.
05/16/03
Moving, melancholy, and, yes, political.
05/16/03
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05/16/03
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05/16/03
Reflects its director, being intelligent and elegantly turned-out but distant.
05/16/03
Top CriticBardem's performance lingers in ways that give the movie resonance.
05/16/03
Top CriticDramatic-thriller mix of the personal and the political makes John Malkovich's directorial debut good; Xavier Bardem's performance makes it great.
05/16/03
Delivers a haunting story of crime and passion.
05/15/03
Top CriticA welcome throwback to a time when political thrillers relied more on character and tone than on car chases and gun battles.
05/15/03
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05/15/03
Adapted by Nicholas Shakespeare from his own novel, the screen version is a muddled mess of nutty political shenanigans, murky thought processes and a doomed love story.
05/13/03
Nicholas Shakespeare's script (from his own novel) is limp and cursory, and the plot, being a foregone conclusion, lacks suspense.
05/12/03
It's a wishy-washy picture; Malkovich should have whole-heartedly embraced either the politics or the pulp.
05/11/03
[A] stunning exploration of passion and delusion.
05/11/03
A slow-burning affair that may seem exotic but mainly crawls from cliche to cliche.
05/09/03
Top CriticIt's not a great film, but in its reckless audacity ... it's reassuring. Someone's still willing to take a big chance.
05/09/03
Top CriticThe film may strike some viewers as slow-paced -- it certainly struck me that way, at least some of the time -- but it's a pleasure seeing actors, particularly Bardem, given time to breathe.
05/09/03
Latest News for The Dancer Upstairs
February 17, 2006:
Newell & Bardem Come Down with "Cholera"
International acting stud Javier Bardem and well-rounded movie director Mike Newell are about to bring the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Love in the Time of Cholera" to the... More...
May 06, 2003:
. . . this is a thriller that means to get under your skin rather than make you leap from your seat. 
More...
September 25, 2002:
From the Oscar nominated dramatic powerhouses, John Malkovich and Javier Bardem, comes an English language drama exploring real life terrorism in 1980s Latin America. As the opening film at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival, 'The Dancer Upstairs' is hoping
More...
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