Name: Retro Film Review: Perdita Durango (Dance with the Devil, 1997)
Item: Perdita Durango
Rating: 70
Author: @drax

(source:tmdb.org)

Of all European cinema industries Spanish gives impression of being the most vital. This is could be explained with the most successful Spanish film makers finding a balance between Hollywood-like commercial content and European artistic sensibilities. Good example is given by Alex de la Iglesia, Spanish director known for adopting Hollywood exploitation film material and bringing to another level, unrestrained by 1990s American censorship. In late 1990s de la Iglesia felt comfortable enough to try outclassing Quentin Tarantino. Result of his efforts is 1997 crime drama Perdita Durango.

The plot is based on the novel by Barry Gifford, author who gave basis for David Lynch's Wild at Heart. Two films share one of the protagonists - Perdita Durango, who briefly appeared in David Lynch's version and was played by Isabella Rossellini. In this film she is the main character, played by Rosie Perez. She starts as a young woman from US-Mexican border, traumatized in childhood with the murder of sister and forced to earn her living through illegal activities. One day she meets Romeo Dolorosa (played by Javier Bardem), flamboyant bank robber and murderer who practices Santeria magic. Romeo is so confident of the ancient gods' protection that he doesn't care much about police. His confidence makes Perdita fall in love with him and two of them begin passionate romance. On the other hand, Romeo is less confident of his Santeria abilities when it comes to the debt owed to powerful mobster. In order to pay it, he agrees to drive cargo of human fetuses across the border for the powerful crime lord Santos (played by Don Stroud). Before taking a job, Romeo and Perdita decide to secure gods' favour with human sacrifice. The candidates come in the form of Duane (played by Harley Cross) and Estella (played by Aimee Graham), American teenage couple vacationing in Mexico. Two youths are kidnapped and subjected to all kinds of physical, psychological and sexual abuse. In the meantime, US federal agent Willy "Woody" Dumas (played by James Gandolfini) is on Romeo's trail.

Because of two protagonists being killers on the run (just like Natural Born Killers) and US-Mexican border setting (used in From Dusk Till Dawn) some critics saw Perdita Durango as nothing more than just another attempt to exploit Tarantino phenomenon. De la Iglesia, however, draws his inspiration from more sources - 1970s exploitation cinema and classic Hollywood films featuring Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner. One thing, however, sets Perdita Durango apart from many other Tarantino knock-offs. The directing style is more polished and the film has more of an epic atmosphere, partly due to the heavy use of flashbacks. De la Iglesia directs the film confidently and it is seen at the end, when he shows that these days directors can pay homage to classic films in ways that are as effective as obvious. Another major difference is in the "problematic" content being pushed to another level - humour is much more sinister, violence is more graphic and sex more explicit. It is, for example, really hard to imagine contemporary Hollywood film featuring aborted human fetuses as commodity.

Another thing that sets Perdita Durango apart is de la Iglesia's depiction of cultural differences between people who inhabit two sides of US-Mexican border. Perdita and Romeo's murderous hedonism represents sharp contrast to the values and lifestyle of their reserved WASP victims. Of course, this conflict only spices the film because it, just like anything else in the film, can't be taken seriously.

Quality of acting in the film is mostly good. Javier Bardem chews the scenery, almost turning his portrayal of macho Latin lover into parody. Rosie Perez, on the other hand, is at times too irritating to be accepted as film's protagonist. Supporting actors are much better, including Don Stroud as villain and Heather Graham's sister Aimee in thankless role of protagonists' captive.

Perdita Durango is not one of those films that would enter history books, but it entertains audience and shows that European film makers are more than capable of beating even the hippest Hollywood film makers at their own game.

RATING: 7/10 (+++)

(Note: The text in its original form was posted in Usenet newsgroup rec.arts.films.reviews on April 7th 2004)