_**Dynamic Latin dance performers in America in the 50s**_
Two brothers flee Cuba in the early 50s in search of the American Dream playing mambo music. The older sibling, Cesar, is a natural showman and businessman (Armand Assante) whereas the younger brother, Nestor, is a reserved composer (Antonio Banderas). The women in their lives are played by curvy Cathy Moriarty and Maruschka Detmers.
"The Mambo Kings" (1992) is reminiscent of “The Cotton Club” (1984) mixed with the later “Pollock” (2000) and maybe a little “Dirty Dancing” (1987). While not quite as good as those, it’s still worth checking out, especially if you like mambo or energetic Latin music in general, not to mention the setting of 50’s America.
Assante is convincing, performing with charisma and gusto, while Banderas is effective as the sensitive and sincere younger sibling, although he’s a far cry from the brooding Brando. This was Banderas’ first English-speaking role; he learned his lines phonetically and worked with a dialect coach throughout pre-production and filming.
Too much of the movie takes place in clubs or apartments with people smoking, drinking and emoting for my tastes. But the story perks up in the third act with a notable sequence featuring Desi Arnaz, Jr. (I don’t want to say more because I don’t want to give anything away).
The film runs 1 hour, 44 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles.
GRADE: B-
CinemaSerf
November 23, 2025
6
It’s the early 1950s in Cuba when, after a violent near-death experience, talented musicians “Cesar” (Armand Assante) and his brother “Nestor” (Antonio Banderas) decide that they can make more of a go of things, and stay safer, if they move to the New York. There, their lively and vibrant styles of Latin themed music and dance quickly go down a storm. The former falls for the cigarette seller “Lanna” (Cathy Lake) whilst the latter marries and has a child with “Delores” (Maruschka Detmers) and things look set fair. Their success hasn’t gone unnoticed by local kingpin “Perez” (an unconvincing choice in Roscoe Lee Browne), either, but neither are keen to become one of his earners, so with work becoming just that little bit harder to find, the siblings and their band have tough, even dangerous, choices to make. The story here moves along adequately, and both leads deliver with a confidence that belies their respective limited knowledge of both English and Spanish, but the film is really all about the music and if you’re into your tunes with real heart and soul, and a fair dose of sexually charged rhythm, then these orchestrations are just the ticket. Both Banderas and Assante are capable crooners - especially the former when singing lyrics written in his own native language and ”Beautiful Maria Of My Soul” is really well presented in traditionally theatrical ensemble fashion. The characterisations are a bit on the shallow side, and the film does rather rely on it’s classy production design so what we do end up with here is a bit on the lightweight side, but seeing Desi Arnaz Jr. pop up as his own dad is quite a nice touch as I just sat back and allowed a tide of acoustic nostalgia to engage my ears.
