Organnall Too much about the plot just didn't add up, the writing was bad, some of the scenes were cringey and awkward,

Lollivan It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

Micah Lloyd Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

Sameer Callahan It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

MisterWhiplash Alex de la Iglesias seems to tap so well into Barry Gifford's material that he almost gives David Lynch, who's worked with the man twice (including on the script for near-masterpiece Lost Highway, also released in 1997), a run for his surrealistic-road-movie money. Perdita Durango, aka Dance with the Devil, is a firecracker of a thriller, loaded with so much (controlled) insanity, skillful and even artistically driven film-making, and a dynamite cast, that it threatens to burn off the screen and rape all of our children while it does Santeria in our living rooms. On the surface it's just a, well, crazy exploitation movie premise: two bad-asses, one a big dude with a Mexican mullet and a history of mystical ties to ritual dancing and sacrifices (Romeo), another a long-haired, curvy lover-cum-killer with a tough front and a jealous heart ( Perdita Durango) are on their way to bring a truck full of frozen embryos across the border, with a kidnapped "gringo" couple in tow.But within that surface there's a lot going on. Not that the film goes into the art-house sect like Wild at Heart, but it digs into the meat of its premise and the danger at every turn for all of the characters. The hand of fate slips in probably just as much, if not more-so, than the other infamous Bardem picture No Country for Old Men. At the drop of a hat a character can get run over by a car (sometimes, in the case of Gandolfini's hilariously hammy-pig DEA agent Woody Dumas, more than once), or a score that was scorned can come back to haunt another characters, or dancing out of some old tribal instinct in the middle of a club. It's an absurdist view of material that is on the one hand deranged and funny because of the random outrageousness of the violence, but on the other hand much more well-done because Iglesias doesn't stoop to poor craftsmanship. This is B-movie-making for people who like good, strong, lean direction that can take some detours that don't leave the audience too much in the dust.On second thought, that last point could be contested. I could imagine somebody watching Perdita Durango and not liking it at all, being just completely put off by the violence and (usually) sadistic host of characters, and how it doesn't seem to connect most times with a real sense of reality (as my friend pointed out watching it, early on the film seems to resemble a kind of film vomit, loaded with colors and scenes and bits thrown together). But it's a fair assessment. For those who know what they're getting, they need look no further than the cover, which has Perez &/or Bardem looking like they're right out of a pulp fiction book, with her holding a gun and him with his crazed eyes. If you do give it a chance, however, it does provide more than the expectations for your usual road movie. And the cast is a huge part of this. Aside from Bardem's presence, there's also Perez, who is in one of her very best turns as the title character, as rough as an outlaw but vulnerable. And then there's Gandolfini, great supporting moments from Cox, Hawkins (yes, Screaming Jay), and even the kids playing the kidnapped gringos, making the most of an at-best two-dimensional playing field.The violence is savage, the theatrics go between over the top and startlingly convincing, and the sex is hot and dangerous as possible. Perdita Durango is so good you can smell the sweat pouring off the characters's heads.

fedor8 A movie obviously molded after "Natural Born Killers" and "From Dusk Till Dawn". There was an attempt to give it the attitude of the former and the unpredictability, "comedy" (and kidnapping + "road-movieness") of the latter. However, "NBK" was done with flair and a superior visual style, plus it was surreal so most of its shortcomings could be forgiven. "FDTD" is much weaker than "NBK", but "PD" makes it seem like "Remains Of The Day".It's obvious from the first scenes that there is going to be mayhem and chaos. However, what wasn't to be expected at all was that the title character would almost completely change her personality in the second half; they started her off as a deranged, grinning psychopath with evil to spare, and by the end of the movie she was a sobbing wreck!!!? Her "gradual" progression from psycho-bitch-from-hell to woman-in-love is one of the worst (i.e. best) cases of bad characterization in movies that I've ever seen.It is clear from the start that while Bardem is a merry lunatic, she personifies evil, and is much worse than him. Anyhow, both of them are lunatics. At the outset. But later on, they actually even develop some sort of bond with the kidnapees; while Perez talks about love with Graham (albeit reluctantly), Cross confides to Bardem the way he would to his closest friend. Evidently, the goings-on concerning the kidnapees are meant as comic relief, but it's neither funny nor logical. It isn't logical how Perez and Bardem took the two kidnapees with them after being attacked and interrupted at the sacrificial ceremony. But this is an example of a forced plot-device; the scriptwriter decided that the kidnapees must fulfill their comic purpose throughout so he saw to it that they get dragged along by Perez and Bardem everywhere, when it made sense and when it didn't.The way Graham handles that situation with the gun is hopeless; instead of killing both kidnappers, she has a discussion with Perez, then hands the gun over to her! That was neither funny nor smart nor interesting nor anything; it was just plain idiotic. Generally, the behaviour of the kidnapees was totally absurd a lot of the time. And how about beating a joke to death? First a car hits Gandolfini and this may have been funny to some, but later the same gag is used on Graham's father. Dumb.Overall, I get the strong impression that this movie wasn't much more than a self-indulgence vehicle for the director and its male star.I'm sure this film has many fans, but then again why not? If John Woo, Gus van Sant, and Tom Cruise can have fans

EVOL666 Finally picked DANCE WITH THE DEVIL up after having seen it once or twice on Skinemax a few years back. I remembered it to be a pretty "odd" and violent film, and I was right. There are some problems with the pacing and storyline - but overall, fans of Tarantino-esquire material will probably dig this one.Rosie Perez plays Perdita Durango, a vicious fire-cracker of a woman who seemingly gets by from one con to the next. After she meets up with an equally (if not moreso...) deranged Santeria priest named Romeo - things really go to hell. Romeo is recruited to drive a truckload of frozen fetuses from Mexico to Vegas, and Perdita is along for the ride. Before the trip, the two decide to kidnap a couple of white-bread college students to sacrifice for good-luck. The rest of the film is a cluster-f!ck of Perdita, Romeo, and the two captives - and their "adventures" on the road - all the while being tailed by the Feds...DANCE WITH THE DEVIL is not a "perfect" film - as the plot seems to get lost in itself from time to time, and some scenarios and situations seem to be shown for no apparent reason - when the film could have been focusing more on the "action". There's a good bit of violence - and for the most part the film moves pretty quickly. It's hard to put my finger on it - it just feels disjointed at times and loses some of it's momentum towards the middle. Regardless - it's a pretty decent film with good performances and a pretty "out-there" storyline. James Gandolfini as the main Fed tailing them is a pleasure as always...7.5/10

guyfromjerzee If you like movies that are filled with senseless violence and (literally) contain nothing else, then this may be your cup of tea. I'm surely no anti-violence advocate, but I don't believe in violence for violence's sake. "Dance with the Devil" is pure exploitation. Even outlaw characters can be at least slightly sympathetic. Not this time around. I found no redeeming qualities in Rosie Perez's and Javier Bardem's characters. It's hard to write a lengthy review about this movie, because there's almost nothing to write about. It's just a big dead zone of a movie. Perez and Bardem are both gifted actors, but they're given nothing to work with. James Gandolfini is the type of actor who can breathe life into any role, and he surely goes to town with his small, thankless part. I'll just close by saying that this is the kind of flick that actors cross off their resumes.