Rating: 
Summary: soulfully subdued
Review: "The Dancer Upstairs" marks the directorial debut of oddball actor John Malkovich. It stars Javier Bardhem (Oscar nominated actor for Before Night Falls) as a police officer named Rejas tracking a terrorist by the name of Ezequil.
Ezequil has been moving through the Peru countryside and has employed everything from attaching dynamite to chickens and setting them loose in the town square, to recruiting children as suicide bombers to aid in his campaigns.
He hangs the carcusses of dead dogs from lamp posts, with signs attached that read, "Vive El Presidente Ezequil." Simply translated as long live President Ezequil. Rejas' partner informs him that hanging dogs symbolize the need to over throw a tyrant.
Beyond that, we never really learn much about Ezequil except that he is a terrorist who has an axe to grind about the current administration. Bardem's Rejas is equally confused by the terrorist's lack of a manifesto.
"Socrates never wrote anything down," an Ezequil devotee reminds Rejas. So this is the only explanation we get for Ezequil's extrodinary lack of real motivation.
The movie also spends an equal amount of time concetrating on the burgeoning romance between Rejas and his daughter's ballet teacher. The chemistry between Bardhem and the ballet teacher is mostly lost between Bardhem's emotional distance, and her seeming lack of interest. There is nothing in Rejas' home life that would suggest the kind of desperate affection he insists he feels for the ballet teacher.
In the end, the movie ties the two plots together rather predictably with a finale that is so telegraphed and so anti-climatic it almost leaves the audience feeling cheated. What keeps the film interesting is the keen direction provided by John Malkovich. Malkovich is clearly a man enraptured with South American culture as his eye for vistas, and keen appreciation for the region's music makes it hard to believe that such a soulful work is coming from the ranting madman of "In the Line of Fire."
All of the performances in "The Dancer Upstairs" are added with a layer of meloncholoy. All of the actors seem to be hinting at a deep ocean of hurt, and betrayal just beneath the surface. Even Rejas' daughter, Laura's eyes seem to emanate a soft sense of vulnerability and hurt from a girl whose seen too much in her short years.
The film, however, fails to say anything significant about the region it portrays, or to add any meaningful dialouge to a time when terrorism is such a hot button issue. Malkovich is content to move his pained actors across these beautiful backgrounds leaving itself in an uncomforable balance between mainstream and artistic cinema.
Rating: 
Summary: My first question about this loser is....
Review: ...why is it called "The Dancer UPstairs" when the ballet teacher lives in the basement? This is a fine example of folks marketing a movie as though it were about one thing when it is about quite another thing. Look at the lobby card poster--a woman's bare back, evocative of a cello, draped by red material. Look at the trailer, which I must have seen five times: ballet dancer woman going thru her moves, a glimpse of a red skirt spinning round and round, fireworks in the sky as a couple view them from a rooftop. Seems like a...romance? Wrong. It's actually a nasty rebellion-against-the-government movie. Dead dogs hanging all over the place with placards attached to them. Folks have their faces blown off. And actors so bad, they can't even begin to say their improbable lines believably. The absolute worst one is the protagonist's superior officer--stinkeroo, boy. He belongs in camp movies because he is terrible. Also, his brows were so brooding and shadow casting, that he appeared to have no eyes. Really! Check it out (if you want to waste the money) and see for yourself. When the lights came up, the first thing I heard was another audience member blurt out, "Well, that sure was a disappointment!" Another reviewer was right that there was no motivation for the main character Rejas to form an attachment to the dancer-in-the- basement. His homelife seemed fine to me. I guess she was supposed to be more "real" than his wife, who was dyed blonde and wanted a rhinoplasty. The d-in-the-b was a natural brunette forever clad in a danskin, you see. But if 15% of the movie was about this plot element, that was a lot. Something else that was contrived was the mixed use of Spanish and English in the movie. I think the directorial concept was, "Hey, since we're in a South American location, anything that's ever written down, has to be in Spanish...even if the actors themselves are speaking English." I first noticed this when Rejas and his daughter are helping his wife with her speech. The mother is reading from index cards we can't see, speaking in English. However, the kid is holding up giant cards with Spanish words written on them. I mean, that just looked stupid. If Malkovich felt he wanted to be authentic, then he should have had everyone SPEAK Spanish and have subtitles. Most of the people who would go to see this will be able to read. But you see, some of the actors (like the aforementioned stinky superior officer) have no Spanish accent anyway because I don't think they were hispanic to start with. So, this was all just dishonest, wasn't it? A final piece of pure nonsense was that, when it's all under control and the perpetrators have been sentenced, Rejas asks for clemency. Sorry, there's just no way that a policeman who had seen as much bloodshed as this guy had over this issue would ever ask for the criminals to be treated nicely. That's just ludicrous. SO, although viewers might enter the theatre because of that back of the mysterious woman, they will find in the all-too-appropriate words of one character, "All he is, is a fat man in a cardigan." Don't go upstairs; don't go downstairs. Go elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Hints and glimpses; Sound and fury
Review: A subtle movie. When watching The Dancer Upstairs, one must listen between the gunshots and the explosions for the single lines, look for the brief facial expressions, that give the characters away. The brutality of the movie is shocking, but it makes the quiet scenes all the more striking.
Rating:
Summary: 8^ )~~~~~~
Review: A wonderful job of disposing with all but the essential parts of narrative. Levitates above its plot and characters. If you're able to immerse yourself in The Dancer Upstairs you'll love it and come out glowing. It's tragic without being tragitc, joyful without being overjoyed... life lived - extraordinarily and otherwise-, time passed, mysteries solved and unsolved. Obviously not something to watch at times you're craving an action flick, but any other time it's all good. See it, rent it 5 times, buy it....
Rating:
Summary: intriguing if imperfect crime drama
Review: Actor John Malkovich makes an auspicious directorial debut with "The Dancer Upstairs," an intriguing, if not altogether satisfying, police procedural set in an unnamed Latin American country. Javier Bardem ("Night Must Fall") gives a richly textured performance as Detective Augustin Rejas, a man of principle and ethics operating in a world of corruption and violence. Rejas finds himself embroiled in a life-and-death mystery when he investigates an underground terrorist organization that is targeting key government officials for assassination. Who these people are is not at all clear to those in charge and even their motives can only be guessed at. As Rejas studies the clues in search of answers, he becomes drawn to a beautiful young dance teacher with whom he establishes a platonic yet highly charged romantic relationship. It is in the bringing together of these two seemingly disparate plot lines that the movie fails, ultimately, to satisfy. For roughly the first three quarters of the film, as Rejas collects his evidence and unravels the puzzle, we gladly go along where the filmmakers are taking us, fascinated by the setting, the atmosphere and the contemporary relevance of the terrorism theme. But when, towards the end, the story kicks into high tragedy mode, the movie loses us, partly because the plotting itself is not particularly credible and partly because the relationship between Rejas and the woman has not been sufficiently developed to achieve the status of genuine tragedy. The film is much better when it sticks to the business of the case and leaves all the existential navel-gazing out of the mix. This is not to demean either the moving, beautifully modulated performance of Bardem or the stark, self-assured direction of Malkovich, who shows he knows how to function as well behind the camera as he does in front. True, the film is a trifle slow at times but this just shows that Malkovich will not be rushed when the material itself demands deliberation and care. Although the movie is about a half hour too long, real languor begins to set in only during the final stretches. Until then, "The Dancer Upstairs" makes for rewarding viewing.
Rating:
Summary: AMBITIOUS DEBUT NOIR DOESNT REALLY DANCE BUT ENGROSSES..
Review: An interesting choice of subject from Malkovich for a directorial debut. When Nina Simone started crooning "Who Knows Where the Time Goes" in the first few reels I revelled in the choice of music hoping it would be reflective of the director's taste in general, and braced myself for an exquisite movie from an exquisite actor. Unfortunately, in its totality, this movie fell short of my (possibly high) expectations. Let me elaborate. The premise is noble: a political thriller with a romantic undercurrent based on Nicolas Shakespeare's eponymous novel that veers around the "sendero luminoso" (shining path) maoist insurgency in Peru. The indigenous Peruvian life is in distress, there is acute economic disparity across social groups (lots of wealth in few hands), lawyers drive cabs, policemen moonlight to make ends meet. This calls for a revolution against the tyrannical government that is busy mercilessly abandoning its people. Abimael Guzman, an eccentric philosophy teacher with a penchant for women guides the coup(s). Somewhat paradoxical that such blood and gore had to be the expression of a righteous cause but the professor still needs to be brought to book. Couched in all this mayhem, a simple love-story between a policeman Rejas (who's hunting for the crazed professor) and a dance teacher. Sounds so promising! But.. WHAT'S BAD --- Be prepared for longueurs tinged with overdramatized nuances like drawn-out looks at hanging bloody dead dogs or a number of close-ups of people (including children) being destroyed by explosions and/or numerous gunshots. The movie is in English, which may dismay some viewers but it was due to financial reasons (part of the movie was funded by Telefonica, the spanish telecom giant, but English means larger audiences and some extra dough so let's get over linguistic judgments). WHAT'S GOOD --- The soundtrack, they really should release it as a separate album. The cinematography is intimate and moving, but I would stop short of saying that it was deeply compelling. Javier Barclem's acting is marvellous, from simple eye gestures to the nuances of countenance. He commented about the character of Rejas being guided by "duty rather than obsession". This honestly comes off pretty well in the movie and is refreshing in the face of all the obsession we see depicted in Hollywood...people *can* be exceptional and interesting in what they do and still have time to wash their clothes or scramble eggs for their daughter in the morning. OVERALL -- I reckon it will might go down very well with people who hold Peru dear in their hearts but I found the narrative being somewhat grating under its lumbering pace and art-movie stylization. If Malkovich was gunning for an award (and the screenplay clearly betrays such a tack) I bet he had Cannes in mind instead of Oscars. You get the idea. Btw, if you get smitten by the soundtrack as I am, you should be looking for the Spanish name of the movie, "Pasos De Baile".
Rating: 
Summary: VERY WEAK
Review: Before I went to see this film I read the review and saw 3 1/2 stars out of four. I had to see it. Well, this was one of the worst movies I've seen for a while. What do we have there? A very good story, no cinematagraphy, terrible sound,and a very bad acting. Not much, I would say, for a movie. I was very disappointed. I don't think John Malkovich is ready to produce movies. He was not ready to be a good actor and now he is not ready to direct. I say two out of two.
Rating: 
Summary: SUSPENSEFUL SOCIAL UNREST
Review: I didn't know who John Malkovich was before "Being John Malkovich", and since then he has unfortunately rubbed me the wrong way with his prissy characterizations and his cocky self portrait. He redeems himself as director of this engrossing suspense thriller about a law enforcer tracking down a group of mysterious terrorists in a South American republic. I liked the intrigue about the unknown killers being somewhere among the public and the subsequent search for them, but couldn't help but scoff a bit at the 'under your nose' resolution, and the South American detective's unexplained American-like cop buddy ( he behaved as if he just flew in from L.A..) But the film hooks you in the beginning with sustained suspense and doesn't let go, it looks great, and it carries a certain sense of social responsibility in our terror filled times.
Rating:
Summary: A film worth seeing
Review: I found this movie riveting, primarily because of the sensitive and unbelievably graceful performance by Javier Bardem as Agustin Rejas, the policeman whose job it is to capture the mysterious guerilla leader Ezequiel. I felt the political commentary almost became secondary, because Bardem captures the screen with his beautiful, expressive face. His concentration on his job, his patience with his shallow wife, his love for his daughter..... all emotions are eloquently displayed, needing little dialogue. When he does speak, his voice is soft and powerful. Bardem lends a certain nobility to this role, and he really becomes Agustin.
His desire for the ballet teacher is palpable, yet he doesn't rush and is excruciatingly hesitant and tender, waiting for a response from her.
I thought Malkovich did a pretty good job directing his first film, although sometimes the violence was a little gratuitous, and I was bothered by the "scene switching" that goes on occasionally. If a viewer wasn't "up" on the politics of the time, it could be very confusing. Interesting locations in Equador and Peru. I'm kind of surprised that this film was in English, as almost all the actors are Spanish speaking . Bardem rises to the occasion with really fluent English with a charming Spanish accent. The wonderful Nina Simone song at the end leaves a lasting impression. A thoughtful movie really worth seeing!
Rating:
Summary: Mature political thriller
Review: I read the book, which I loved, and was gratified at how well and faithfully John Malkovich brought it to the screen. The acting was superb, especially Javier Bardem. This is not a movie for an audience looking for the typical Hollywood thriller and would be much too violent for those seeking a love story. The tension builds slowly as the police realize that years of apparently unrelated violence were in fact the beginnings of a revolution that is rapidly gathering steam. The violent acts become increasingly ominous as dead dogs are found hung from lampposts, schoolchildren gun down government officials, and the revolutionaries advertise their inevitable arrival in the capitol by staging power blackouts accompanied by surreal fireworks displays. The book and movie are very unusual but this is not an 'art' movie. It plays as a straightforward story of a hunt for the revolutionary leader with a subplot of the chief detective's growing love for his daughter's dance teacher. It is one of the best political thrillers I've seen and, again, the acting was terrific.
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