I remember seeing Emir Kusturica’s Underground, liking it, then admitting that if I knew anything about Balkan history, I probably would have understood it better. Same goes for Tony Manero, which, I’m sure, is some kind of allegory for American intervention in Chilean politics. . . .I just don’t really get it.
On a more shallow level, however, kudos to Tony Manero for telling an unpredictable tale about an obsessed Saturday Night Fever freak who will kill anything in his path from achieving his goal of imitating the film. A group of prostitutes and criminals (or are they political leaflet distributors?) aid him (kinda) as he figures out a way to make a scummy bar look like 2001.
This sounds very droll, but it isn’t. It is 100% straight and ugly and has one or two shockingly vulgar moments.
One of the odder films I’ve seen in a while. Not really “fun,” but big points for strangeness.
