Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		3.5

Assassination Tango Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 14, 2022

Robert Duvall's "Assassination Tango" (2002) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures. The only bonus feature on the release is a vintage trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".

The gringo that came to Buenos Aires to do a job

I went to see Robert Duvall’s Assassination Tango when it opened at my local theater in 2002. I recall my expectations of this film being pretty low because I am a big fan of the younger Duvall, the one that appeared in the likes of Badge 373 and The Outfit. I do not dislike the older Duvall, but he made too many films that I would not revisit. Oddly enough, two of the older Duvall’s cheesiest films, Days of Thunder and Gone in 60 Seconds, might be the ones that I have revisited the most. What is my excuse? Hold on, let me invent one. I have screened them for a lot of friends. Is this a good excuse? The real answer is that both films are a lot of fun. They produce spectacular visuals and force great actors to recite some of the whackiest but great lines ever scripted. “He rubbed you. And rubbing, son, is racing.” Now, this is a true classic, and the old Duvall delivers it as one.

Duvall scripted and shot most of Assassination Tango in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where his character, John J., an aging hitman, must take out some retired general with a bad past. Duvall agrees to do the job almost as a favor to his old pal and boss (Frank Gio) in New York City, where he resides with his younger girlfriend and her daughter. The compensation for the job is good, but Duvall is not desperate to get paid. He is just one of the best in the business, an old-school pro who always delivers, and this job requires the involvement of a real pro. Shortly after Duvall lands in Buenos Aires and connects with the people seeking his expertise, however, he meets a beautiful and emotionally available tango dancer (Luciana Pedraza) who unexpectedly steals his heart. It feels wrong because back home Duvall has a woman and a little girl that he loves as his own daughter, but his relationship with the tango dancer might be his last chance to be spontaneous. Also, it is not just the personality of the tango dancer that makes the relationship irresistible, it is the local culture too. The locals tell Duvall that to tango is to be alive, and while waiting for the right moment to take out the retired general, he realizes that they are speaking the truth.

I recall enjoying Assassination Tango quite a bit but thinking that it could have been balanced better. The other night, I sat down to revisit Assassination Tango for the first time in well over a decade and after its final credits rolled on my screen I was convinced that Duvall had done what was right. Assassination Tango speeds up and slows down because it mimics the temperament of tango but does not become consumed by it. It is still a thriller about a hitman who has a job to do in a place that is utterly foreign to him, so its evolution into an undercooked art film that some critics have described does not materialize.

The progression of Duvall’s relationship with the tango dancer makes perfect sense, too. It looks like it is going to follow a predictable path and then quickly blossom but nothing substantial comes out of it -- until it does. It is a mirror that allows you to see into Duvall’s soul. As he talks and tries to learn about tango, you begin to realize that his pragmatism, which defines him, is nothing more than a facade hiding many scars and regrets, a loner who desperately wants to have an ordinary family. Back home in New York City, he is part of something that resembles one, so his short relationship with the tango dancer strengthens his appreciation of it.

Duvall is fully in control of the hitman. It is not easy because the hitman’s interactions with his boss, clients, the tango dancer and her friends keep revealing different layers of his complex personality. Pedraza is a perfect match for Duvall, too. Like Duvall, she has been through a lot and in a way is also using their relationship to reevaluate what matters the most in her life.

Cinematographer Felix Monti effortlessly captures the aura of Buenos Aires. His camera does not produce any striking visuals but you can almost feel the unique pulse of the city. (Some years earlier, Monti did equally great work in Luis Puenzo’s Oscar winner The Official Story).

The unsurprisingly lush soundtrack was created by the legendary maestro Luis Bakalov, who scored such cult and acclaimed Italian films as Django, We Still Kill the Old Way, Milano Calibro 9, City of Women, and Il Postino.

Assassination Tango Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Assassination Tango arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Sandpiper Pictures.

The release is sourced from an older master that was supplied by MGM. The master isn't plagued by compromising digital adjustments and gives the film a mostly decent organic experience. However, in some areas, its limitations are rather easy to spot. For example, close-ups usually look good or very good, plus some of the indoor footage retains surprisingly good nuances. Virtually all of the larger panoramic shots and nighttime footage reveal softness and ultimately have native detail that isn't properly exposed (see screencaptures #11, 17, and 18). To be clear, they do not disappoint either, but have a dated appearance and on a larger screen it becomes very easy to tell that they should be more convincing. Color balance is good. If the film is fully and properly remastered in 2K or 4K, saturation levels will be improved and some supporting nuances expanded, but at the moment I do not see any serious issues. Image stability is good. I noticed a few dark flecks and spots, but there are no distracting large cuts, debris, warped or torn frames to report. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Assassination Tango Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature. Yellow subtitles appear for the small portions of dialog in Spanish.

The audio is clear and sharp. The range of nuanced dynamics is lovely, too. While viewing the film, I felt that a couple of sequences where the music suddenly becomes prominent could have been balanced slightly better, but this is probably something that only a brand new mix can address. Overall, the current 5.1 track, which was almost certainly prepared during the DVD era, handles the original soundtrack very well.

Assassination Tango Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - vintage trailer for Assassination Tango. In English, not subtitled. (2 min).

Assassination Tango Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

What happens to professional hitmen that live long enough to begin feeling old? I have pondered this very interesting question in the past and think that it depends on what era they came from. There are a few quite intriguing books about professional hitmen that were active during the Cold War, and of course, there are plenty of good books about hitmen that did various jobs for the mafia. I have gone through quite a few and my impression is that usually the former were very carefully trained perfectionists, while the latter were mostly a motley crew of hired executioners. The best of the best were probably a lot like the character Robert Duvall plays in Assassination Tango, incredible chameleons but loners that quietly aged and then exited the business the right way. I liked this film when I saw it theatrically some years ago and think that it has aged very, very well. Duvall is outstanding in it. Sandpiper Pictures' Blu-ray release is sourced from an older but pretty decent master that was supplied by MGM. RECOMMENDED.