The Dancer Upstairs (2002)

"Half the people we meet, we get wrong."

Agustín Rejas (Javier Bardem), a former attorney in search of a more honest way of practicing the law, is now a police detective trying to track down the revolutionary Ezequiel, an anarchist who has incited the downtrodden to overthrow the fascist government. The elusive Ezequiel inspires children and teenage girls to carry bombs into the center of activity and to shoot goverment leaders.

Rejas has his self respect, a beautiful but shallow wife (Alexandra Lencastre), a talented young daughter (Marie-Anne Berganza), and the intensity of his work. With the increase of Ezequiel's directed violence and the declaration of martial law, Rejas becomes quite smitten with his daughter's dance teacher, Yolanda (Laura Morante). But is she a shelter in the storm or is she the eye of the storm?

Others in the cast include Juan Diego Botto and Elvira Mínguez as two of Rejas' fellow detectives, Oliver Cotton as the chief of detectives, Abel Folk as Ezequiel Durán, and Luís Miguel Cintra as Calderón, the military investigator.

This first directorial effort of John Malkovich spun an interesting story that held my interest, however it could have been edited down by about 30 minutes. I suspect it earned my personal rating on the basis of Bardem's bedroom eyes and dimpled cheeks.

Run time: 2 hours, 12 minutes

Rated R for strong violence, and for language.

My personal rating: B