Critic Reviews

• Jay Boyar, Orlando Sentinel

  The Dancer Upstairs is, like its director, sleek, mysterious and intelligent. But until its last-half hour or so, it is also, unfortunately, mind-numbing.

• Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee

  While The Dancer Upstairs may have nothing else to remind us of [Malkovich], it does have a certain mystique itself.

• Rene Rodriguez, Miami Herald

  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.

• Tom Long, Detroit News

  It is not revolutionary, but it brims with promise and a love of film, and is a fine if worried dance indeed.

• Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

  Moving, melancholy, and, yes, political.

• Terry Lawson, Detroit Free Press

  Reflects its director, being intelligent and elegantly turned-out but distant.

• Emanuel Levy, EmanuelLevy.Com

  Though flawed and listless as a political drama or thriller, Malkovich's feature debut deserves credit for itis ambition and for tackling an overtly political theme (guerrilla wars in Peru), a rare sight in today's indie milieu.

• Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena

  Em sua estréia na direção, Malkovich conduz a história com segurança e sem exibicionismo, enquanto Bardem oferece mais uma grande atuação.

• Matt Kelemen, Las Vegas CityLife

  'Shakespeare retooled his novel for the screen adaptation ... It is Malkovich who reinjects the mystery, along with a little magic.'

• Brian Gibson, Vue Weekly (Edmonton, Canada)

  Malkovich's take on a world of corruption, intrigue and terrorism is elegantly mysterious, but...leaps in plot and missteps in character trip up The Dancer Upstairs.

• Jurgen Fauth, About.com

  Engaging.

• Kurt Dahlke, Apollo Guide

  A bit like an adolescent - desperate to be taken seriously, yet still self-consciously goofy and immature.

• John J. Puccio, Movie Metropolis

  Malkovich and Shakespeare seem content to linger over minor things, possibly to let the audience absorb them better but to the detriment of the movie's tempo.

• Urban Cinefile Critics, Urban Cinefile

  Filled with tension and a genuine air of uncertainty, Malkovich has delivered a truly riveting film.

• Lawrence Toppman, Charlotte Observer

  This is John Malkovich's directing debut, and it has elements we associate with his personality: puckishness, dark humor, questioning of authority, villains on all levels who can be charismatic.

• Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star

  All the dots are there but Malkovich and Shakespeare (who adapted his book for the screen) are very stingy about providing the connecting lines.

• Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews

  One of the most chilling political thrillers in years.

• Forrest Hartman, Reno Gazette-Journal

  As complicated and turtle-slow as any picture you're likely to see, and there's no emotional or intellectual payoff to reward the viewers who struggle to keep up.

• Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

  I'm not sure that I have ever seen a more compelling picture of sudden violence as is depicted here - Malkovich's approach is apt, since the film takes place in a world where terrorist acts are the order of the day.

• Steven Snyder, Zertinet Movies

  Suddenly, the film's contrivances make sense and its shortcomings are nearly made up for in a final, haunting sequence.

Read all 25 critic reviews