Code Name: Dancer, Kate Capshaw as a Secret Agent

The U.S. and Cuba insist on living in the past. The 1960s are gone, thank God! Still U.S. Neo-Cons hang onto the myth that the Cubans will host an initial Communist invasion of the Florida keys. The Cubans still think Communism is a good idea even though the Russian threw it out with the trash. Then there is Kate Capshaw, a sultry dame, with some gratuitous swimsuit scenes, baring lots of cleavage, and playing a secret agent. Set in 1987, our feature today was made before the end of the Cold War.  Let us look at 1987's "Code Name: Dancer," a TV movie directed by Buzz Kulik.

She has a perfect life.  Annie (Capshaw) is a sultry schoolteacher with a rich, handsome, and doting husband (Cliff De Young). Paul and Annie even have a great kid in mind they are talking about adopting. Then Annie gets a mysterious phone call, "The Dancer is locked in the candy store and only you have the key." What does that mean? Annie's past, and very secret life has caught up to her. She flees her comfortable and loving California life, and sneaks into Cuba. Yep, her old CIA buddy, Vic (Gregory Sierra) apparently has been captured by Fidel Castro's forces. Now back in Cuba, reactivated CIA agent Annie contacts a hunk, Malarin (Jeroen Krabbe). The Cuban hunk is Castro's best buddy and Annie seduced him eight years earlier in order to gain information of Soviet troop deployments in Cuba. They had a lot of pre-marital sex and legitimately fell in love before Annie had to betray him.

Now eight years later Annie shows up at Malarin's mansion to beg him to spare Vic's life. Hey, it's Kate Capshaw showing a lot of cleavage, Malarin immediately has more pre-marital sex with her. However much he was betrayed by this CIA operative, he still loves her.  Hey, it's Kate Capshaw! Uh oh...yep, you guessed it.  The CIA and the Soviets are involved and we know what that means.  Not all is what it appears.  It also means that Annie's allies may not be allies.  Now Annie is on the run in Cuba, and to make matters worse, her lover has been arrested by Fidel Castro's security forces. 

Kate Capshaw is stunning in every moment she is on screen.  Sadly, this is not the feel good movie of 1987, as the Cold War was not the feel good story spanning four decades. The allure of Annie in a swimsuit or sweating in the Cuban heat is matched by danger at every turn and betrayal is also lurking.  For a great Cold War film with a very alluring performance by Ms. Capshaw, see "Code Name: Dancer" and see how it plays so well here in 2025.