The Matador (Widescreen Edition)

Got dvd because I like to watch it occasionally.

When The Matador came out at the theaters back at the beginning of the year, I didn't care much for the trailers and with Pierce Brosnan's portrayal of a somewhat sleazy hit man who's on the verge of a nervous breakdown and needs Greg Kinnear's help with one last job. I read a lot of the reviews about the movie, most of which praised Brosnan's performance. Still, I went, "Nah!" A few weeks ago, I read a review here on Amazon by a friend and what he had to say sparked my interest. I thought about it and then decided to buy the DVD on the off chance that I might actually like the movie. Now, having watched the film, I can honestly say that I enjoyed it more than I originally thought I would. I still didn't care much for Brosnan's character, Julian Noble, throughout most of the movie. The character's a dirt bag! If I'd met him at a bar and started up a conversation with him like Greg Kinnear's character did, it wouldn't have lasted longer than a minute. I would've told him to have a nice evening and then left. I wouldn't have allowed this guy back into my life because you can immediately tell that this person is going to be nothing but trouble. Having said that, the character of Julian Noble did manage to grow on me and by the end of the film I found myself liking him much more than I did at the beginning, though he was still a dirt bag, but in a more likable way. The characters I loved the most, however, were Danny Wright (played by Kinnear) and his wife, Bean (played by Hope Davis). I thoroughly enjoyed their interaction with each other and how they supported one another through all the trials and tribulations that they were experiencing, especially when the tree falls through the side of the house as they're attempting to have a "quickie" before Kinnear heads to the airport. As they both crawl out from underneath the tree, wondering why they've been cursed with such bad luck, Kinnear looks at Hope and wants to know if she's still horny. They both laugh at the question. That seemed like a true moment between a husband and wife who love each other and are just hanging on to life by the tips of their fingernails. One thing the movie does, which I didn't like, is not give you all the necessary information about Brosnan's and Kinnear's relationship with each other till the very end. I would have liked Julian Noble more if I'd had this information sooner. I would've been able to see him in a different light. One thing I want to say is that I've been watching Greg Kinnear since he was the host of Talk Soup, and it's been a sincere pleasure to watch him grow as an actor. He keeps getting better and better with age, and the roles he plays are always fun to watch. Anyway, The Matador proved to be a rather entertaining film about two men bonding in a most unusual way and how the relationship eventually plays out. All three actors do a good job with Brosnan trying something a little different in order to break away from his image as James Bond, which he certainly does in this movie.

A good story that kept me guessing. I liked that bits of it were filmed all over the globe.

I've seen this move three times and I'll see it again.Best performance by far from Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear both.Great characters, funny, unpredictable. Everything a movie should be.

Think you know Pierce Brosnan as an actor? Think again. This film reveals him as the anti-James Bond, a creepy assassin who suddenly grows a conscience in his waning years. No more REMINGTON STEELE, no more 007. This guy needs a serious injection of scruples.When Julian Noble (Brosnan) is assigned to "rub someone out," there's no hope for his target. That is until one day he's contracted to take out a man in Manila and has a nervous breakdown, ending up face-down in a pile of donkey dung.Then we move on to/flashback to Mexico City, where Julian meets up with Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear, ), a down-on-his-luck businessman who tries to befriend Julian in the hotel bar. But Julian's antisocial behavior gets in the way often and nearly forces Danny away. But they form a sort of twisted friendship and Julian takes Danny into his confidence while watching a bullfight and shows him how to function as a killer. Danny is both terrified and exhilarated.Then, six months later, Julian shows up at Danny's house in Denver and ask for an impossible favor.________________________________________________________________________________________Brosnan deserves an Oscar for his performance as the confused and embattled assassin. I never, ever, ever saw Brosnan but always the character he was portraying. He completely creeped me out, even when some of his humanity returned.Greg Kinnear was excellent as Brosnan's alter-ego, a Mr. Goody-Two-Shoes guy who needs an infusion of toughness to get his life back on track. The film is strange like that, too. Both men give some of themselves to the other, but in the process lose a portion of what they once were. For Brosnan's character, that was definitely a good thing all the way around, but for Kinnear's, we're not too sure.The scenes filmed in Mexico were beautifully filmed, too. The shots of the colorful buildings, the huge stadium built for bullfighting, the cheesy bars, etc.If you want to see a movie that'll tickle that dark funny bone, you couldn't go wrong here. Brosnan is masterful!

I kept going back and forth on this somewhat goofy, and quite postmodern buddy movie. First, I loved it, then wasn't sure. Now I think I really like it. Basic plot is Brosnan's character is a "past his prime hitman" (never though I would type those words) who meets Kinnear's character in Mexico City. Both are there on business, but Brosnan's character is there to carry out an "assignment". The assignment is, of course, to kill someone, but the script and film delights in using euphemism and misdirection to not flat out say what deserves saying, and Kinnear delightfully attempts to understand, and believe the truth that Brosnan's character knocks people off for a living.The plot wends its way from major city to minor city and it becomes evident that Brosnan's character has lost his Mojo, and needs Kinnear's character's help to get it back. If that sounds like more than just a Fine Bromance, but maybe a bit HomoSocial, you would not be wrong, and again that subtext is what turns a fairly pedestrian black comedy into one with real, dare I say it, balls. And then there are fine supporting performances form the always wonderful Phillip Baker Hall and the too-seldomly-used Hope Davis. Good stuff.

good show.

The Matador is one of the greatest movies of the last decade. It's probably Pierce Brosnan's best performance to date.The main reason of this review is to warn UK (Region B) buyers that this release is not 'Region Free'. Various sites confirm it is region free, however that is for the recent American (Dec 2010)Blu Ray release. This is the Canadian release, which has been available for some time, which is Region A locked.UK buyers are to buy the U.S edition which has a totally different sleeve to this one, so you can't go wrong.I hope that info helps.

Arrived quickly, have loved this film for many years and just had to see it, you can’t seem to stream it anywhere so had to get a hard copy and it’s still as good as I remember

Embroidering (and then some) on his sleaze-ball pervert in The Tailor of Panama, Brosnan gives an outstanding comic turn as Julian Noble, a going-to-seed hitman looking for an alternative to drinking, shagging and killing for a living. He discovers dull but endearing, Danny (a superb Greg Kinnear holding down a perfect melody to brosnan's soaring harmonies) and is increasingly drawn to the attractions of a 'normal' life.Plot-wise there's little to get worked up about - but that's because the plot is a distant second to a bravura character study and an outrageous narrative. (The scene where Brosnan is 'servicing' a lady in Vienna whilst coping with the distractions of a toy dog still has me laughing)The whole is a very likeable, flies-past comedy thriller which takes some clever risks of levity and depth. But it's Brosnan's wonderful career-best performance that makes this a very fine piece of entertainment indeed.

Enjoyable alternate buddy movie with Brosnan and Kinnear in great form as mismatched assassin and salesman whose paths cross in Mexico City. Humour and pathos in a well paced film which I first encountered on a flight to the US. Had to get the movie from the US as the European version is for some reason very expensive. Well worth a look.

PB good to watch, but this is full of weird head stuff, seems like some kind of psychological sub-text (about what goes on in men's heads, surely not women's). Not especially funny. Not a great story. If you want a really good hit man movie try Wild Target with Bill Nighy, now that's got some class.