SnoopyStyle Romeo Dolorosa (Javier Bardem) is a voodoo Santeria priest bank robber. He meets hardcore Perdita Durango (Rosie Perez) at the Mexico-America border. The two criminals connect for an odyssey of lawlessness. The couple kidnaps blonde young couple Duane (Harley Cross) and Estelle (Aimee Graham) off a busy street to be raped and used for sacrifice. Romeo gets a truckload of fetus to be used for cosmetics on their way to Las Vegas. They are pursued by DEA agent Willie 'Woody' Dumas (James Gandolfini).It's crazy. It's wild. It's also a mess. Bardem and Perez are simply superb as this insane criminal couple especially Bardem. The movie is filled with unforgettable scenes. It has some dark humor and some disturbing parts. Graham and Cross add a nice foil. Their fight is comedic. The chaos and insanity do wear thin after awhile but this is something uniquely memorable.

merklekranz "Perdito Durango" ( "Dance With the Devil") is the most surprisingly entertaining movie I have viewed in a very long time. The acting by Rosie Perez and Javier Bardem rises to the occasion, with performances that make the viewer feel like you are actually witnessing two very damaged individuals on the road to disaster. Their totally unacceptable ultra violent behavior is both repulsive and fascinating. The film is not at all predictable, has unusual and colorful locations, along with plenty of dark humor. The only drawback might be the difficulty understanding a lot of the dialog, but the pictures pretty much tell the story anyway. Special mention must be made of James Gandolfini and Don Stroud's excellent performances in supporting roles. This is a winner, worth seeking out. - MERK

malkane316 Based on Barry Gifford's novel, Perdita Durango follows the exploits of the mysterious, dark, violent and sexual creature of the same name- a woman with a violent and criminal past (who incidentally pops up for a few scenes in Wild At Heart, played by Isabella Rossillini). Full of dislikeable characters, violence, voodoo, and sex, Perdita Durango is an intriguing film which attempts to say something about the state of the modern, stupid white America whose lives are defined by the shows they watch, and the kids who have no real opinions of their own. Unfortunately, we must sympathise with this group as they have been kidnapped by the malevolent Perdita and her lover Romeo so the message is not as strong as it should have been. On the other side though, the kids are very annoying and we cannot feel much sympathy for them, and just when we think we are disgusted by Perdita and Romeo, we find ourselves rooting for them. It is a strange film, messing with our conceptions of good and evil, and by the end we have the feeling that there is no good or evil, only stupid and lucky.Perdita, played by Rosie Perez meets the mysterious and deadly Romeo, played by Javier Bardem who is planning to hijack a truck load of foetuses and bring them over the boarder from Mexico to N. America. They team up and have a fiery partnership which eventually leads to lots of dark sex and some semblance of love. Before they can do the job though, Romeo needs human victims to sacrifice to his Gods so that they will give him favourable odds. They kidnap two typical naive American teens, Duanne and Estelle, and begin their journey. As they travel, they get to know each other more, but just when you think they will become friendly and the kids might be saved, the two Mexicans soon show their dark sides again. On their tales are some DEA agents, including James Gandolfini, the girl's obsessive but stupid father, and a couple of groups from Romeo's past who want him dead. Things are looking bleak for all concerned, and perhaps not even Romeo's Gods can save him. As all the groups come together, Duanne and Estelle manage to escape for the moment, and Perdita tries to persuade Romeo to forget about the job. He will not give in though.Banned and cut to shreds in many countries for its violence, nudity and use of other shows and films. It is dark, there is quite a lot of violence and sex and drug-use, but there is a wry sense of humour throughout, and everything is so fantastical and bizarre that it is difficult to take any of it seriously. We do not get a grasp on any of the characters as none are likable, but each have some good points. The performances of Perez and Bardem are both extremely good so we are drawn to them more than any other character, they seem so frantic and their faith is so strong that we cannot help to enjoy a few scenes they have. Gandolfini and Alex Cox are also good in smaller, comic roles, the two kids do everything they can, but are just there to annoy the viewer. There are many bizarre and funny moments, Estelle's father's final scene is one of the best moments. Definitely a film for those willing to see something out of the ordinary, it is rewarding and has some strong performances, good action, dark humour and an insane plot. If only there was a greater emotional content which only appears in the last few minutes.7 out of 10

ant-78 Following the success of El Dia De Bestia and Accion mutante, once again the director pursues the nature of dark obsession. The two main leads are dysfunctional amoral sadists who re in some ways rediscovering a part of them that they miss - love. It's a story of trying to move on but the main characters are very amoral however there's darker circles than them, which pulls them further down the spiral. In essence this movie is an antithesis of a glamour Mafia movie and I believe represents Mafia dealings in a very dark fashion. In some ways I believe there's a nod to David Lynch with the actor playing the Mafia boss.The film is not a sick puppy nor is it banal. For those that have followed this director they will read between the lines to discover some salient points of US government intervention out of the states and human traffic - in this case embryos used for beauty products. Like 'clean Madrid' in El Dia de Bestia there were fascist movements in the capital at the time. Iglaisia puts this on the screen as a cultural reminder.Watching this movie at face value will seem very ultra violent and in some places extremely disturbing. Unlike other cult producers like Tarintino Iglasia uses a loot of cult cultural references to make his films extremely dark and funny (like La Communidad). If you're Latin or Spanish I feel there would be a lot more in this movie for you. Recommended viewing - but not for the faint hearted.