The directorial debut of John Malkovich, The Dancer Upstairs also represents Javier Bardem's first English speaking role since his Oscar nominated performance in Before Night Falls. And though Malkovich's debut is never less than interesting, it ultimately falters in a disappointing final ten minutes, due to the director's insistence on attempting to resolve too much, too quickly. Set in an unnamed South American country, Bardem plays Rejas, an ex-lawyer turned policeman. A series of terrorist activities have been slowly building up momentum in the city and Rejas and his team are instructed to find the head of this movement, the elusive Ezekiel. That search is a thankless one as soon the government and country finds itself under threat from a guerrilla organisation, which is intent on imposing its will on the people. A visually compelling movie, The Dancer Upstairs shimmers majestically thanks to the cinematography by Jose Luis Alcaine. It's not all surface sheen as for the most part Malkovich handles the mature material (penned by Nicholas Shakespeare) with a sure hand, only faltering in the final stages. Needless to say, he's an actor's director and the performances he coaxes out of his cast, especially the deeply affecting, human turn from Bardem, are worth noting. The final minutes rankle a little as does the resolution of the relationship between two of the central characters, but this is impressive stuff.
