THE MATADOR - 8/10 (A-)

One of the biggest surprises of the year. A hilarious and fast-paced comedy with great performances and a story that is both funny and touching. Pierce Brosnan is excellent as Julian, giving one of the year's best male performances. His character is a strange individual, one who is likable and charming despite his profession. He pulls off the role with excellent comic timing, adding a layer of depth as well. This easily outdoes his work in the James Bond series. Greg Kinnear is also great as the upstanding yet determined Danny who will do anything for his wife, and Hope Davis is memorable and charming in her few scenes. The film also has a surprising amount of heart to it, something I wasn't expecting at all. Anyways, this is easily one of the year's best comedies and it is one of the most entertaining films of the year. Highly recommended.

The Matador is a story about a hitman, yes, but it is ultimately an endearing buddy film, a sweetly humorous tale of friendship. It is unconventional but effective. Pierce Brosnan makes anyone forget he has played James Bond as Julian Noble, a burned-out, lonely "facilitator of fatalities." Julian meets nice guy businessman Danny (Greg Kinnear) with a loving wife back at home named Bean (Hope Davis) while each are on "business" in Mexico. Julian and Danny develop a quasi-friendship after Julian treats Danny to a bullfight, eventually confessing his profession and taking him on a rather amusing "Assassin 101" lesson. The Matador avoids the cliche of Danny becoming angry about Julian's profession. He may not agree with it but he does understand it. Julian later ends up in a dynamic with Danny and Bean, where he is intrigued by the relationship of two people devoted to each other's needs, not realizing how lonely he has felt all throughout his life. Writer/Director Richard Shepard fashions a wonderful script that gives Brosnan, Kinnear and Davis strong opportunities to shine. The Matador is a funny and touching concoction that will likely leave you in a good mood when you leave. B+

Hm. I dunno. It's pretty funny, and I liked the style. Nice and bright and colorful and fun. Brosnan's pretty good, but I wasn't sure if he was supposed to be English, Irish or Real English (aka American). Or maybe Brosnan really does have some weird accent? I've forgotten all the bond films. :O

Anyway..

.,.

So I guess, yeah, I liked it well enough, but it didn't do too much to convince me of it's deservance of any higher praise.

Meh.

This looked really good, and I do love Brosnan, but this film just didn't meet the high praise it's been getting. It was decent, at best, and that's pretty much because of Brosnan and Kinnear.

C+

We haven't had a really good black comedy in a heck of a long time!!!

(Okay, okay - Kiss, Kiss, Bang, Bang was only 3 months ago - but besides that!)

This is a super sharp, subversive, honest, cynical, and hilarious view of relationships. Particularily friendship, but also spousal. Pierce Brosnan is just too darn perfect in his role -- only cementing a place in film history that goes far, far beyond 007. Greg Kinnear, someone who has heretofore always irritated me to no end, turns in a stellar performance as "Ordinary Guy". And finally, Hope Davis, who've we seen stand out in movies such as American Splendor (!), Proof, and The Weatherman, adds a small yet essential and impressive spin to the mix here.

Directed by the (keep your eyes on them) team of Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini, The Matador is a very. very, very special treat!

Made in 2005 and viewed in 2006, I can't decide which top ten list to put it on, but it's goin', it's goin' alright!

6 out of 5.



(PS: Did I mention? It is funny! )

What he said

Definitely fun. Brosnan and Kinnear are great, and it's just some fun with a good story.

Grade: B+

I haven't had much motivation to see any movies for weeks now, but this is playing at my local specialty theater, so I'm going to try my best to see it. They need to get Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, too.

Starts hilarious and if they had stayed with the Buddy movie angle of the story it would have been a real treat. Unfortunately they decided to put a bit drama, kitsch, thriller and totally stupid twists into it, completely messing with the integrity of the movie. However the movie should be seen for a) the fantastic intro for Brosnan, completely tarnishing his Bond image within seconds and b) the mock-assasination scene in Mexico. It is hilarious.
B-

I really, really liked it. I didn't really care for Brosnan in the Bond films but he's excellent in this, so is Kinnear, and the relationship between them really worked for me. A great watch.

A-/B+

I thought it was tremendous.

Hmm.

Brosnan was great, Kinnear proves that though he has no mainstream appeal anymore, he is a very good actor. I guess I was a little hyped for it, but it was still a great ride, the fake assassination was great, and actually I really liked the double twist in the movie.

Solid A-

Fairly enjoyable, but drags on a bit and doesn't really have a concise story. There's a clear gap between the scenes in Mexico and the scenes in Denver, and they never really flow together. Brosnan is terrific as the anti-Bond, and Kinnear and Davis are likeable enough. Some of the scenes are pretty entertaining - like the fake assassination - others, not so much. Tries too hard to be indie and un-mainstream a lot of the time. Not great, but not bad, just fairly decent.

I liked it. It was quirky and endearing, but in a much more subtle fashion than something like Little Miss Sunshine. Both of the leads shine with the wonderfully crafted script. All in all I had a fun time and I'd definitely recommend the movie.

A-

B+


This was very enjoyable, I recommend everyone to go out and check this one out simply for seeing Brosnan in his career-best turn. He has never been as good as this. I'd seriously consider him for an Oscar nom with this performance. The movie itself drags a bit at some points, but is insanley hilarious at others (all of those involving the interaction between Brosnan and Kinnear, they've got great chemistry!).

Don't know where I got that info from...

Matador was directed by Richard Shepard, and I can't wait to see his new movie Dom Hemingway, scheduled for release in April 2014!

Looking forward to that too.