Perdita Durango

{{Infobox film

| name = Perdita Durango

| image = Cartel_perdita.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster by Oscar Mariné

| director = Álex de la Iglesia

| producer = Andrés Vicente Gómez

| screenplay = {{Ubl|Barry Gifford|David Trueba|Jorge Guerricaechevarría|Álex de la Iglesia}}

| based_on ={{based on| 59° and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango

by Barry Gifford}}

| starring = {{Plain list|

}}

| music = Simon Boswell

| cinematography = Flavio Martínez Labiano

| editing = Teresa Font

| distributor =

| released = {{Film date|1997|10|31|Spain|df=y}}

| runtime = 126 minutes

| language = {{Ubl|English|Spanish}}

| country = {{Ubl|Spain|United States|Mexico}}

| budget =

}}

Perdita Durango, released as Dance with the Devil in the United States, is a 1997 action-crime-horror film directed by Álex de la Iglesia, based on Barry Gifford's 1992 novel 59° and Raining: The Story of Perdita Durango. It stars Rosie Perez as the title character and Javier Bardem. Harley Cross, Aimee Graham, James Gandolfini, and Screamin' Jay Hawkins appear in supporting roles. It is a Spain–United States–Mexico coproduction.{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=183}}

In the film, an imposter Santeria priest resorts to bank robbery to pay his debts. Afterwards, he finds a new partner in a woman he randomly met. She convinces him to include human cannibalism in his ceremonies, and to kidnap gringo college students with her. The priest heads to Las Vegas with his new companions, to meet with a gangster. Unfortunately for the priest, his supposed business associate wants him dead and has already hired a hit man for the job.

Plot

Perdita Durango has gone to Mexico to scatter the ashes of her dead sister. There, she is picked up by bank-robbing drug dealer Romeo Dolorosa. Dolorosa had robbed the bank to pay off his debt to loan shark "Catalina". He also engages in scams in which he pretends to be a Santeria priest and hacks up corpses while snorting cocaine.

Romeo's latest scam is working for gangster Mr. Santos transporting refrigerated human fetuses to Las Vegas where they will be used to make cosmetic moisturizer.

Perdita devises a plan that they should capture a gringo and eat him as part of Romeo's ceremonies. They kidnap randomly chosen geeky college student Duane and his girlfriend Estelle. First, Perdita rapes Dwayne while Romeo rapes Estelle. They hold a ceremony to sacrifice Estelle while they force Duane to watch. Before the girl can be killed, the sacrifice is interrupted by a gang of men led by Shorty Dee, a betrayed former partner of Romeo.

Romeo and Perdita escape with Duane and Estelle still their captives. The four go to the meeting with Santos' people to pick up the truckload of fetuses. However, the hand-off is interrupted by drug enforcement agent Woody Dumas. Santos' men are all killed. Romeo escapes and drives to Vegas with Dwayne, while Perdita follows with Estelle.

On the trip, Romeo finds out his grandmother's house was raided by some of Catalina's men as punishment for Romeo's unpaid debt. Romeo visits Catalina in a club, pretending to offer Estelle as payment. When he gets Catalina alone, Romeo kills him.

Romeo, Perdita, Duane and Estelle finally get to Vegas. However, Dumas has been following them all the way. Moreover, the drop has become a trap for Romeo; Santos is upset about all the deaths at the pickup so he has hired Romeo's cousin Reggie to kill Romeo.

Romeo and his one-armed ex-Marine buddy Doug go to the drop, tipped off about the double-cross. Romeo leaves Perdita to watch the hostages, but Perdita's nervousness overcomes her. She lets Estelle and Dwayne go so she can check on her lover.

Reggie kills Doug and Perdita arrives just in time to see Reggie shoot Romeo in the back, killing him. Perdita shoots and kills Reggie and then flees as the cops bust in, led by Dumas, intending to arrest the men but instead finding them all dead.

Alone now, Perdita walks the Las Vegas Strip mourning Romeo.

= Versions =

The original Spanish version runs 10 minutes longer and features more sex and violence and ends with some characters digitally morphing into the scene finale from Vera Cruz.

The film is available in the United States on VHS/DVD in two versions: the edited 115 min. R-rated version and a 121 min. unrated version. Both of these are shorter than the Spanish version which has gotten a Blu-ray release in the United States.{{cite web| url=http://sensesofcinema.com/2000/feature-articles/perdita/| title=Perdita Durango: A Case Study| date=26 July 2004| publisher=sensesofcinema.com}} the cuts made from the Spanish version for the U.S. release.{{cite web | url=https://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=25311 | title=Perdita Durango Director's Cut Blu-ray }}

Cast

{{Cast listing|

Rosie Perez as Perdita Durango {{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Javier Bardem as Romeo Dolorosa{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Harley Cross as Duane{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Aimee Graham as Estelle{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
James Gandolfini as DEA Agent Willie "Woody" Dumas{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Screamin' Jay Hawkins as Adolfo{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Demián Bichir as Catalina{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Santiago Segura as Shorty Dee{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Harry Porter as "Rip" Ford{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Don Stroud as Marcello "Mad Eyes" Santos{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Alex Cox as Doyle{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}
Miguel Galván as Doug
César Rodríguez as Dedo Peralta
David Villalpando as Skinny
Josefina Echánove as Romeo's Grandmother
Miguel Iglesias as Danny Mestiza
Katie Barberi as Stewardess
Roger Cudney as Herbert
Carlos Bardem as Reggie San Pedro{{Sfn|Buse|Triana Toribio|Willis|2007|p=184}}

}}

Awards and nominations

| rowspan = "4" align = "center" | 1998 || rowspan = "4" | 12th Goya Awards || Best Production Supervision || José Luis Escolar || {{won}} || rowspan = "4" | {{Cite web|url=https://www.premiosgoya.com/pelicula/perdita-durango/|website=Premios Goya|access-date=19 December 2021|title=Perdita Durango}}

| Best Original Score || Simon Boswell || {{nom}}

| Best Costume Design || María Estela Fernández, Glenn Ralston || {{nom}}

| Best Makeup and Hairstyles || José Quetglás, Mercedes Guillot || {{won}}

References

Bibliography

{{cite book|first1=Peter|last1=Buse|first2=Núria|location=Manchester and New York|publisher=Manchester University Press|last2=Triana Toribio|first3=Andy|last3=Willis|year=2007|isbn=9780719071362|title=The cinema of Álex de la Iglesia}}