I just got back from the Sundance Film Festival and I was lucky enough to attend the world premier of THE MATADOR at the Eccles theatre in Park City. Having read Roger Ebert's review of the film, I don't know what exactly I can add. If I were to sit here and describe the film it would sound very fomulatic -- which THE MATADOR is not. I also agree with Ebert when he says this is Brosnan's best role yet. And the reason I say that is because this film is the proof that Brosnan is a fine actor. Some may argue that fact and claim that I was drunk (which I was, actually. Very) but I kid you not that Brosnan shines -- as does Greg Kinnear, which I never thought I'd say -- in this film. I've never seen an audience enjoy themselves as much as they did at THE MATADOR. Laughing, wooing, applauding the audience was into this film. Some may say that is was just because it was the premier and the people in the film were physically there with them watching, but I've been to a few premiers in my day and there was never this sort of audience reaction. I think the biggest reaction was when a drunken Brosnan in a black "speedo" (which seemed more like a tight-fitting adult diaper) and cowboy boots goes for a swim in a pool which is actually a shark tank.
As for whether or not this film is going to be released nationally, the director, Richard Shepard, said at the premier that they didn't have a distributor for the film yet. Don't worry, though, because it probably has one now.
The Matador (2005)
Started by
templer1972
, Mar 08 2004 02:30 AM
203 replies to this topic
#31
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Posted 24 January 2005 - 04:37 AM
#32
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Posted 24 January 2005 - 04:49 AM
The best performance of Brosnan's career? Shouldn't be too hard then.
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Posted 24 January 2005 - 07:23 AM
This sounds terrific, thanks for your review Jordan!
Hopefully this'll be distributed in the near future!
Hopefully this'll be distributed in the near future!
#35
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Posted 24 January 2005 - 02:48 PM
I had no doubt that this film would be picked up.
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 01:35 AM
The Matador (review from hollywood reporter)
By Kirk Honeycutt
PARK CITY -- "The Matador" gets a 151-proof tequila shot of sharp comedy from the droll byplay between Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. Brosnan is the ironically named Julian Noble, a margarita-soaked hit man with degenerate tastes and disgusting habits, while Kinnear plays Danny Wright, a grown-up Boy Scout, who married his high-school sweetheart and lived happy ever after -- except it hasn't worked out that way.
Writer-director Richard Shepard's quirky black comedy never quite figures out where to do with these unlikely soul mates. Then a lame third act leaves one with the feeling of a great barroom joke, elaborately told, that lacks a solid punch line. At least the comedy is wonderfully off-kilter and the performances, including Hope Davis as Danny's faithful wife, Bean, contains buoyancy to give "The Matador" definite commercial potential.
After a lackluster feint in that direction with "After the Sunset," Brosnan has hit upon the perfect anti-Bond role here. The ignoble Mr. Noble travels the world eliminating people for unseen corporate interests, whiling away the hours between jobs by fornicating with whores or underage girls and gulping down huge quantities of liquor. Meanwhile, Kinnear's Mr. Wright has seen his life go wrong in a devastating "losing streak" that began over three years before with the loss of his son and then the loss of a job.
Each man finds himself in Mexico City, pursuing career opportunities. For Julian, it's a big hit commissioned by his handler, Mr. Randy (Phillip Baker Hall). For Danny, it's a competitive pitch to a Mexican firm for an assignment that will pull his wife and him out of severe financial distress. The two wind up in the same starkly modern but soulless hotel bar.
The initial get-acquainted bar talk goes seriously wrong right from the start. But Danny's deal grows complicated, forcing him to stay on a few days, so Julian, suddenly lonely when he realizes it's his birthday, takes Danny under his wings for a trip to the bullfights and into his confidence when he reveals his occupation as a "facilitator of fatalities." He, of course, must prove this to Danny, and it is only a matter of time before he requests Danny's help as a co-facilitator.
The comedy may be character-driven, but the vehicle stalls frequently. The extremes between the two buddies cover up most deficiencies, but eventually audiences may wonder if Shepard has a point or a destination. It's a movie-long struggle to find a meaningful way for the lives of two disparate characters in a hotel to intersect as they did in, say, "Lost in Translation."
Scenes grow dialogue-heavy and the thriller aspect to the tale never takes hold. One also becomes aware that despite the fact the movie jets away to Manila, Budapest and Vienna, it clearly never leaves Mexico City. (The U.S. sequences and designer Rob Pearson's sets for the Wrights' suburban Denver home, build at Churubusco Studios, are much more effective.)
Which is not to say that production values aren't excellent for a movie made for much less than a studio would spend. Pearson, cinematographer David Tattersall and composer Rolfe Kent give the film a definite sheen.
Ultimately, just in a nick of time, the movie does discover a destination, one that gives the comedy something of a moral lift despite the fact Danny does indeed briefly become a facilitator of a fatality. And, if nothing else, no one seeing "The Matador" will ever quite forget the indelible image of the former James Bond striding through the hotel lobby, clutching a beer and wearing only a black Speedo and boots.
By Kirk Honeycutt
PARK CITY -- "The Matador" gets a 151-proof tequila shot of sharp comedy from the droll byplay between Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. Brosnan is the ironically named Julian Noble, a margarita-soaked hit man with degenerate tastes and disgusting habits, while Kinnear plays Danny Wright, a grown-up Boy Scout, who married his high-school sweetheart and lived happy ever after -- except it hasn't worked out that way.
Writer-director Richard Shepard's quirky black comedy never quite figures out where to do with these unlikely soul mates. Then a lame third act leaves one with the feeling of a great barroom joke, elaborately told, that lacks a solid punch line. At least the comedy is wonderfully off-kilter and the performances, including Hope Davis as Danny's faithful wife, Bean, contains buoyancy to give "The Matador" definite commercial potential.
After a lackluster feint in that direction with "After the Sunset," Brosnan has hit upon the perfect anti-Bond role here. The ignoble Mr. Noble travels the world eliminating people for unseen corporate interests, whiling away the hours between jobs by fornicating with whores or underage girls and gulping down huge quantities of liquor. Meanwhile, Kinnear's Mr. Wright has seen his life go wrong in a devastating "losing streak" that began over three years before with the loss of his son and then the loss of a job.
Each man finds himself in Mexico City, pursuing career opportunities. For Julian, it's a big hit commissioned by his handler, Mr. Randy (Phillip Baker Hall). For Danny, it's a competitive pitch to a Mexican firm for an assignment that will pull his wife and him out of severe financial distress. The two wind up in the same starkly modern but soulless hotel bar.
The initial get-acquainted bar talk goes seriously wrong right from the start. But Danny's deal grows complicated, forcing him to stay on a few days, so Julian, suddenly lonely when he realizes it's his birthday, takes Danny under his wings for a trip to the bullfights and into his confidence when he reveals his occupation as a "facilitator of fatalities." He, of course, must prove this to Danny, and it is only a matter of time before he requests Danny's help as a co-facilitator.
The comedy may be character-driven, but the vehicle stalls frequently. The extremes between the two buddies cover up most deficiencies, but eventually audiences may wonder if Shepard has a point or a destination. It's a movie-long struggle to find a meaningful way for the lives of two disparate characters in a hotel to intersect as they did in, say, "Lost in Translation."
Scenes grow dialogue-heavy and the thriller aspect to the tale never takes hold. One also becomes aware that despite the fact the movie jets away to Manila, Budapest and Vienna, it clearly never leaves Mexico City. (The U.S. sequences and designer Rob Pearson's sets for the Wrights' suburban Denver home, build at Churubusco Studios, are much more effective.)
Which is not to say that production values aren't excellent for a movie made for much less than a studio would spend. Pearson, cinematographer David Tattersall and composer Rolfe Kent give the film a definite sheen.
Ultimately, just in a nick of time, the movie does discover a destination, one that gives the comedy something of a moral lift despite the fact Danny does indeed briefly become a facilitator of a fatality. And, if nothing else, no one seeing "The Matador" will ever quite forget the indelible image of the former James Bond striding through the hotel lobby, clutching a beer and wearing only a black Speedo and boots.
#38
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 01:38 AM
THE MATADOR (review from Film Threat)
by Daniel Wible
(2005-01-24)
2004, Un-rated, 97 Minutes,
Pierce Brosnan as an international man of mystery. Been there. Pierce Brosnan as a world-class thief. Done that. Pierce Brosnan as a depraved, smooth-operating
by Daniel Wible
(2005-01-24)
2004, Un-rated, 97 Minutes,
Pierce Brosnan as an international man of mystery. Been there. Pierce Brosnan as a world-class thief. Done that. Pierce Brosnan as a depraved, smooth-operating
#39
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 01:39 AM
Source: JoBlo.com/FilmBitch
By: Scott Weinberg
THE MATADOR is one of the festival's most pleasant surprises thus far. It stars Pierce Brosnan (who is drop-dead hilariously brilliant here) as a burnt-out assassin and Greg Kinnear as a nice-guy businessman who finds himself pals with the gleefully profane hitman. Hope Davis delivers a great supporting turn, the flick is directed with big doses of colorful zing, and the screenplay delivers surprises that don't feel tacked on or stupid. It's consistently funny, lovely to look at...and it even gets bizarrely sweet when all's said and done. Good stuff!
By: Scott Weinberg
THE MATADOR is one of the festival's most pleasant surprises thus far. It stars Pierce Brosnan (who is drop-dead hilariously brilliant here) as a burnt-out assassin and Greg Kinnear as a nice-guy businessman who finds himself pals with the gleefully profane hitman. Hope Davis delivers a great supporting turn, the flick is directed with big doses of colorful zing, and the screenplay delivers surprises that don't feel tacked on or stupid. It's consistently funny, lovely to look at...and it even gets bizarrely sweet when all's said and done. Good stuff!
#40
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 01:42 AM
Review from Screen Daily
Mike Goodridge in Park City
THE MATADOR
Pierce Brosnan's deliciously uninhibited performance lifts this crime caper above the ordinary, says Mike
Goodridge
A crime comedy which plays like Pulp Fiction-ultra-lite, The Matador is an unlikely fit for the Sundance Film Festival where it world premiered on Saturday night. Broad, benign and cheerfully implausible, it is an independently financed film with mainstream sensibilities and distributors who have already committed will be pleased with their purchase.
Chief among its pleasures is a deliciously uninhibited performance from Pierce Brosnan, whose post-Bond career looks promising if he continues to subvert his screen persona like this.
At time of writing, The Matador hadn
Mike Goodridge in Park City
THE MATADOR
Pierce Brosnan's deliciously uninhibited performance lifts this crime caper above the ordinary, says Mike
Goodridge
A crime comedy which plays like Pulp Fiction-ultra-lite, The Matador is an unlikely fit for the Sundance Film Festival where it world premiered on Saturday night. Broad, benign and cheerfully implausible, it is an independently financed film with mainstream sensibilities and distributors who have already committed will be pleased with their purchase.
Chief among its pleasures is a deliciously uninhibited performance from Pierce Brosnan, whose post-Bond career looks promising if he continues to subvert his screen persona like this.
At time of writing, The Matador hadn
#41
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 01:50 AM
Review from Variety
Deftly maneuvering through audacious mood swings and tonal shifts, "The Matador" emerges as a quirky yet commercial commingling of black comedy, seriocomic psychodrama, heart-tugging sudser and buddy-movie farce. Propelled by a fearlessly self-mocking perf by Pierce Brosnan as a swaggering vulgarian who's losing his edge as an international hit man, writer-director Richard Shepard's eccentric amalgam remains funny and sustains interest even during a shaky third act. Still, pic will require critical kudos and clever marketing to maximize bullish theatrical potential before charging into ancillary venues.
Pic pivots on a chance meeting between strangers in a hotel bar, the kind of latenight interlude that encourages complete honestly between lonely travelers who feel secure in their anonymity. Denver businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) is in Mexico City to close a deal that he desperately hopes will end a long string of bad luck that includes the loss of his son in a school bus accident.
As he nurses a margarita in the wee small hours, Danny shares his not-so-quiet desperation with an improbably simpatico stranger: Julian Noble (Brosnan), a vet assassin marking time after his latest "corporate gig" as a "facilitator of fatalities."
The first meeting ends badly when Julian, chronically averse to emotional displays, tries to change the subject with a crude joke. The next day, however, Julian apologizes and invites Danny to a bullfight.
After a popular matador ends a mano a toro matchup with a single, graceful sword thrust -- and Julian pointedly admires the bullfighter's professionalism -- Danny again asks Julian what he does for a living. So Julian tells him. Danny is incredulous, then horrified -- and, ultimately, genuinely curious.
Throughout pic, but especially in the early scenes, Shepard does bang-up job of lacing humorous scenes with an undercurrent of threat, hinting that gregarious Julian is capable of turning fatally violent without warning.
Danny rebuffs Julian when the latter attempts to enlist the businessman's assistance in an upcoming killing. Six months later, however, Julian appears on Danny's Denver doorstep, teetering on the brink of professional burnout and psychological meltdown. After bungling two assignments due to panic attacks, blurred vision and other psychosomatic ills, Julian has been marked for termination.
Once again, the hit man asks the businessman to collaborate on a killing. This time, however, Julian plays a trump card. "You owe me," he tells Danny, cryptically alluding to something heretofore unrevealed. When Danny reluctantly agrees, the audience is left to imagine why.
Bedecked in gold chains and loud clothing, and seldom far from a potent drink or a nubile hooker, Brosnan exuberantly trashes his slick screen persona from the James Bond pics, "The Thomas Crown Affair" remake (1999) and other bigscreen outings. (A wink-wink sight gag recalls 007's penchant for shaken-not-stirred martinis.) Coming off as a cross between a sleazy used-car salesman and a party-hearty conventioneer, actor continues to be boisterously likable even after pic shows Julian's dead-serious approach to killing.
But "Matador" wouldn't be nearly as much fun if Brosnan didn't develop an aptly edgy give-and-take with Kinnear. Latter roots pic in some semblance of reality with his subtle portrayal of a decent fellow who has been driven close to despair by tragedy, and who finds himself by turns appalled, intrigued and unexpectedly supportive while forging a most unlikely friendship.
Unfortunately, pic's refusal to risk aud's regard for Danny by cutting away from the outcome of a key scene in the final reel bespeaks a last-minute failure of nerve.
In the underwritten role of Danny's wife, Hope Davis makes a strong impression while conveying character's lusty regard for her husband and unseemly interest in Julian's firepower. Pic is basically a three-hander, with only notable support coming from Adam Scott as Danny's business partner and Philip Baker Hall and (fleetingly) Dylan Baker as Julian's overseers.
Filmed on location in Mexico City, which doubles nicely for Denver, Budapest and several other locales, "The Matador" benefits from vividly colorful production design by Rob Pearson and sharp lensing by David Tattersall.
Costumer Catherine Thomas also merits accolades for providing Brosnan with attire garish enough to serve as a running sight gag. And speaking of sight gags: Scene in which Brosnan parades through hotel lobby clad only in cowboy boots and skimpy Speedo is drop-dead hilarious.
Deftly maneuvering through audacious mood swings and tonal shifts, "The Matador" emerges as a quirky yet commercial commingling of black comedy, seriocomic psychodrama, heart-tugging sudser and buddy-movie farce. Propelled by a fearlessly self-mocking perf by Pierce Brosnan as a swaggering vulgarian who's losing his edge as an international hit man, writer-director Richard Shepard's eccentric amalgam remains funny and sustains interest even during a shaky third act. Still, pic will require critical kudos and clever marketing to maximize bullish theatrical potential before charging into ancillary venues.
Pic pivots on a chance meeting between strangers in a hotel bar, the kind of latenight interlude that encourages complete honestly between lonely travelers who feel secure in their anonymity. Denver businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) is in Mexico City to close a deal that he desperately hopes will end a long string of bad luck that includes the loss of his son in a school bus accident.
As he nurses a margarita in the wee small hours, Danny shares his not-so-quiet desperation with an improbably simpatico stranger: Julian Noble (Brosnan), a vet assassin marking time after his latest "corporate gig" as a "facilitator of fatalities."
The first meeting ends badly when Julian, chronically averse to emotional displays, tries to change the subject with a crude joke. The next day, however, Julian apologizes and invites Danny to a bullfight.
After a popular matador ends a mano a toro matchup with a single, graceful sword thrust -- and Julian pointedly admires the bullfighter's professionalism -- Danny again asks Julian what he does for a living. So Julian tells him. Danny is incredulous, then horrified -- and, ultimately, genuinely curious.
Throughout pic, but especially in the early scenes, Shepard does bang-up job of lacing humorous scenes with an undercurrent of threat, hinting that gregarious Julian is capable of turning fatally violent without warning.
Danny rebuffs Julian when the latter attempts to enlist the businessman's assistance in an upcoming killing. Six months later, however, Julian appears on Danny's Denver doorstep, teetering on the brink of professional burnout and psychological meltdown. After bungling two assignments due to panic attacks, blurred vision and other psychosomatic ills, Julian has been marked for termination.
Once again, the hit man asks the businessman to collaborate on a killing. This time, however, Julian plays a trump card. "You owe me," he tells Danny, cryptically alluding to something heretofore unrevealed. When Danny reluctantly agrees, the audience is left to imagine why.
Bedecked in gold chains and loud clothing, and seldom far from a potent drink or a nubile hooker, Brosnan exuberantly trashes his slick screen persona from the James Bond pics, "The Thomas Crown Affair" remake (1999) and other bigscreen outings. (A wink-wink sight gag recalls 007's penchant for shaken-not-stirred martinis.) Coming off as a cross between a sleazy used-car salesman and a party-hearty conventioneer, actor continues to be boisterously likable even after pic shows Julian's dead-serious approach to killing.
But "Matador" wouldn't be nearly as much fun if Brosnan didn't develop an aptly edgy give-and-take with Kinnear. Latter roots pic in some semblance of reality with his subtle portrayal of a decent fellow who has been driven close to despair by tragedy, and who finds himself by turns appalled, intrigued and unexpectedly supportive while forging a most unlikely friendship.
Unfortunately, pic's refusal to risk aud's regard for Danny by cutting away from the outcome of a key scene in the final reel bespeaks a last-minute failure of nerve.
In the underwritten role of Danny's wife, Hope Davis makes a strong impression while conveying character's lusty regard for her husband and unseemly interest in Julian's firepower. Pic is basically a three-hander, with only notable support coming from Adam Scott as Danny's business partner and Philip Baker Hall and (fleetingly) Dylan Baker as Julian's overseers.
Filmed on location in Mexico City, which doubles nicely for Denver, Budapest and several other locales, "The Matador" benefits from vividly colorful production design by Rob Pearson and sharp lensing by David Tattersall.
Costumer Catherine Thomas also merits accolades for providing Brosnan with attire garish enough to serve as a running sight gag. And speaking of sight gags: Scene in which Brosnan parades through hotel lobby clad only in cowboy boots and skimpy Speedo is drop-dead hilarious.
#42
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 01:52 AM
Review from David Poland/MCN
The Matador is a crowd pleaser... my only question is whether any distributor can find a crowd that's willing to go to the movies to see this story with these stars. Pierce Brosnan is excellent as an assassin on the road to burnout. And Greg Kinnear, who I never quite like as an actor, was quite good here as a regular guy who gets drawn into a world he secretly digs.
The style of the film, directed by Richard Shepard, emulates Guy Ritchie and other hipster directors to little advantage. And the script, while charming for not falling into stereotypes, isn't quite clever enough But this could be a really, really good HBO movie... really. That is not meant to be damnng with faint praise. It's just that line of what is marketable and what is not. The audience, including me, really did enjoy this film.
The Matador is a crowd pleaser... my only question is whether any distributor can find a crowd that's willing to go to the movies to see this story with these stars. Pierce Brosnan is excellent as an assassin on the road to burnout. And Greg Kinnear, who I never quite like as an actor, was quite good here as a regular guy who gets drawn into a world he secretly digs.
The style of the film, directed by Richard Shepard, emulates Guy Ritchie and other hipster directors to little advantage. And the script, while charming for not falling into stereotypes, isn't quite clever enough But this could be a really, really good HBO movie... really. That is not meant to be damnng with faint praise. It's just that line of what is marketable and what is not. The audience, including me, really did enjoy this film.
#43
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 02:28 AM
Thanks for the reviews, templer1972, now I'm really looking forward to watching this film, I hope it does well, but given the nature of this movie and as some critics say it will be hard to find a big audience for it, which kind of backs my theory, that Brosnan is really looking for different roles in his new projects, regardless of blockbuster appeal, so James Bond box-office success maybe is a "Been there, done that" affair for Brosnan, who just wants to act now.
#44
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 04:36 AM
Another very positive review from www.aintitcool.com
Matador - 5 out of 5 (some minor spoilers)
This movie blew my mind. I saw the premier screening right after seeing Layer Cake and I was expecting Matador to be similar. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Julian (Pierce Brosnan) is an aging hit man ("facilitator of fatalities") whose days are filled with killing, drinking and sex (almost exclusively with prostitutes). While on a job in Mexico City he meets Danny (Greg Kinnear), a down on his luck salesman who has lost his son and is almost pathetically nice. Danny, being a nice guy, tries to strike up a drunken conversation with Julian at the hotel bar. A hilarious and offensive conversation ensues and Danny storms off to his room. The next day Julian, in an uncharacteristic move, invites Danny to a bullfight to make amends. At the fight Danny learns that Julian is a hit man. The scene that convinces him that Julian is in fact an assassin is riveting, with Julian picking out a stranger from the crowd and detailing how he would go about "facilitating" his death. Later that day Julian offers Danny $50k to help him with a hit he has to do. Danny initially refuses but Julian comes back that night to ask again. As Julian is pounding on the door begging Danny to help him out the scene ends and we cut to 6 months in the future without knowing what happens that night.
We see Julian lose his edge and botch two hits. His problem is that every time he goes to pull the trigger or jab the knife he sees the target as himself. His clients are understandably upset and his boss, Mr. Stick, wants him dead. Having no friends and no home he shows up on Danny's doorstep in the middle of the night. While Julian's life has been going to
, Danny's life has been rosy. Danny and his wife Bean (Hope Davis) seem to have come to grips with their son's death 4 yrs prior and have a happy and loving relationship. Danny's home also suggests that he has come into money, either through business or accepting Julian's offer in Mexico. At this point we don't know.
Danny and Bean take Julian's arrival in stride and welcome him into their home. After Bean goes to bed Julian tells Danny about his botched hits and the hit that is out on him. He asks Danny to help him do one last job that will get him out of trouble with Mr. Stick and save his life. After much begging Danny still refuses and Julian ominously declares "You owe me." That convinces Danny that he must help Julian and they're off to Tucson to complete the job. This is where I'm going to stop as the ending contains a plot twist that nobody I saw the movie with came close to guessing.
The brief description from the Sundance website and my summary above don't do justice to the film. The story is interesting but its the characters and their strengths and flaws that make this movie. Pierce Brosnan is amazing playing a character that is the polar opposite of James Bond. It would have been very easy for Julian to be an unlikable character who is as one dimensional as Bond but Brosnan was able to allow the audience to identify with a cold hearted and debaucherous killer. The same can be said of Greg Kinnear's handling of Danny who could easily have come off as a pathetic nice guy. Seeing the transformation that the characters make throughout the film and believing it illustrates how convincing the performances were.
Richard Shepard (writer/director) has crafted a fantastic film with sharp, funny dialogue that adds depth to the characters. Some of Julian's one liners are destined to enter pop-culture (the one that comes to mind is "I wouldn't do that for all the teenage in Thailand"). During the post-screening Q&A it came out that upon being contacted by Pierce's production company Richard Shepard initially thought they wanted to buy his Thomas Crown Affair 2 script. Thankfully we got Matador instead of a formulaic sequel.
Matador - 5 out of 5 (some minor spoilers)
This movie blew my mind. I saw the premier screening right after seeing Layer Cake and I was expecting Matador to be similar. I couldn't have been more wrong.
Julian (Pierce Brosnan) is an aging hit man ("facilitator of fatalities") whose days are filled with killing, drinking and sex (almost exclusively with prostitutes). While on a job in Mexico City he meets Danny (Greg Kinnear), a down on his luck salesman who has lost his son and is almost pathetically nice. Danny, being a nice guy, tries to strike up a drunken conversation with Julian at the hotel bar. A hilarious and offensive conversation ensues and Danny storms off to his room. The next day Julian, in an uncharacteristic move, invites Danny to a bullfight to make amends. At the fight Danny learns that Julian is a hit man. The scene that convinces him that Julian is in fact an assassin is riveting, with Julian picking out a stranger from the crowd and detailing how he would go about "facilitating" his death. Later that day Julian offers Danny $50k to help him with a hit he has to do. Danny initially refuses but Julian comes back that night to ask again. As Julian is pounding on the door begging Danny to help him out the scene ends and we cut to 6 months in the future without knowing what happens that night.
We see Julian lose his edge and botch two hits. His problem is that every time he goes to pull the trigger or jab the knife he sees the target as himself. His clients are understandably upset and his boss, Mr. Stick, wants him dead. Having no friends and no home he shows up on Danny's doorstep in the middle of the night. While Julian's life has been going to
, Danny's life has been rosy. Danny and his wife Bean (Hope Davis) seem to have come to grips with their son's death 4 yrs prior and have a happy and loving relationship. Danny's home also suggests that he has come into money, either through business or accepting Julian's offer in Mexico. At this point we don't know. Danny and Bean take Julian's arrival in stride and welcome him into their home. After Bean goes to bed Julian tells Danny about his botched hits and the hit that is out on him. He asks Danny to help him do one last job that will get him out of trouble with Mr. Stick and save his life. After much begging Danny still refuses and Julian ominously declares "You owe me." That convinces Danny that he must help Julian and they're off to Tucson to complete the job. This is where I'm going to stop as the ending contains a plot twist that nobody I saw the movie with came close to guessing.
The brief description from the Sundance website and my summary above don't do justice to the film. The story is interesting but its the characters and their strengths and flaws that make this movie. Pierce Brosnan is amazing playing a character that is the polar opposite of James Bond. It would have been very easy for Julian to be an unlikable character who is as one dimensional as Bond but Brosnan was able to allow the audience to identify with a cold hearted and debaucherous killer. The same can be said of Greg Kinnear's handling of Danny who could easily have come off as a pathetic nice guy. Seeing the transformation that the characters make throughout the film and believing it illustrates how convincing the performances were.
Richard Shepard (writer/director) has crafted a fantastic film with sharp, funny dialogue that adds depth to the characters. Some of Julian's one liners are destined to enter pop-culture (the one that comes to mind is "I wouldn't do that for all the teenage
in Thailand"). During the post-screening Q&A it came out that upon being contacted by Pierce's production company Richard Shepard initially thought they wanted to buy his Thomas Crown Affair 2 script. Thankfully we got Matador instead of a formulaic sequel.
#45
mccartney007
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 05:25 AM
I swear if I see the "facilitator of fatalities" thing mentioned one more time, I'm going to go crazy. It wasn't that effin' clever.
#46
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 07:06 AM
Miramax have closed the deal for the film. Both Newmarket Films and Mel Gibson's Icon Productions were also competing for the distribution of The Matador.
#47
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 07:23 AM
Review from Entertainment Insider
"The Matador" is all about Pierce Brosnan. Of course, I've always been a fan of the suave actor but it always seems as though he is playing the same guy. In "The Matador" we see the vulnerable side of him as he plays what his character refers to as a "parody." You see, Brosnan plays a hitman who has broken down emotionally and just can't do it anymore. Greg Kinnear is solid as the everyman who attempts to help the hitman end his career with dignity. Oddly and darkly funny with a hint of sadness "The Matador" ought to play well throughout the world having something for just about all tastes. And Brosnan is a delight when he reels off crude one liners or melts into an emotional puddle.
"The Matador" is all about Pierce Brosnan. Of course, I've always been a fan of the suave actor but it always seems as though he is playing the same guy. In "The Matador" we see the vulnerable side of him as he plays what his character refers to as a "parody." You see, Brosnan plays a hitman who has broken down emotionally and just can't do it anymore. Greg Kinnear is solid as the everyman who attempts to help the hitman end his career with dignity. Oddly and darkly funny with a hint of sadness "The Matador" ought to play well throughout the world having something for just about all tastes. And Brosnan is a delight when he reels off crude one liners or melts into an emotional puddle.
#48
Seannery
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 06:49 PM
These reviews are great--good for Pierce. Now I can't wait for this to come out. It still probably won't be box office unless they market it cleverly and they get lucky and it catches fire. Regardless it's a triumph for Pierce and a knock against those who have said he isn't much of an actor.
#49
Qwerty
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Posted 26 January 2005 - 07:06 PM
These reviews are great--good for Pierce. Now I can't wait for this to come out. It still probably won't be box office unless they market it cleverly and they get lucky and it catches fire. Regardless it's a triumph for Pierce and a knock against those who have said he isn't much of an actor.
Most likely, eye of the beholder. Alot of the reviews for this film are quite good, compared to alot of his past non-Bond films before.
#50
Athena007
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Posted 05 February 2005 - 05:49 AM
I'm so glad Pierce doesn't have a tattoo in real life... "Mother" 
Attached Files
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Matador_tattoomother.jpg 51.19KB
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#51
templer1972
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Posted 02 March 2005 - 07:53 AM
The review so far for Matador has been fantastic .What is Brosnan chances to be nominated Best Actor for next year Oscar? Is Matador an Oscar worthy ?
#52
mccartney007
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Posted 02 March 2005 - 04:23 PM
I'd be surprised if THE MATADOR was nominated for anything at the Oscars. Not that it isn't a fine film, but it just strikes me as the type of film that the Oscars overlook.
#53
Athena007
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Posted 06 March 2005 - 10:55 PM
Some Really Amusing (and caption contest worthy) pictures from the film...
PB_TM_bathroom.jpg 18.49KB
80 downloads
PB_TM_bedroom.jpg 19.45KB
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PB_TM_inbed.jpg 20.91KB
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Especially this one... LOL...
PB_TM_pompoms.jpg 31.55KB
82 downloads
PB_TM_bathroom.jpg 18.49KB
80 downloads
PB_TM_bedroom.jpg 19.45KB
82 downloads
PB_TM_inbed.jpg 20.91KB
82 downloadsEspecially this one... LOL...
PB_TM_pompoms.jpg 31.55KB
82 downloads
#54
Qwerty
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Posted 06 March 2005 - 11:33 PM
OMG, that last one HAS to be in the next caption contest.
#55
Athena007
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Posted 06 March 2005 - 11:36 PM
I think I'm just going to start a "extra credit" caption contest with it... it's too good to resist. 
#56
Qwerty
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Posted 06 March 2005 - 11:37 PM
Should be one of the best yet.
#57
templer1972
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Posted 05 April 2005 - 09:14 AM
A Collection of Review for Matador.Just wondering is Matador really this great?
THE BEST PERFORMANCE PIERCE BROSNAN HAS EVER GIVEN
THE MATADOR springs a sunny surprise. It's funny, quirky and sad, and wonderfully well acted. The Sundance audience walked out astonished. Writer/director Richard Shepard finds an eerie balance of the macabre, the delightful and the sentimental; the movie is so nimble it sometimes switches tones in the middle of a sentence. Everything centers on the best performance Pierce Brosnan has ever given. The direction, writing and acting elevate THE MATADOR into something very special. It's SIDEWAYS with death instead of wine.
-- Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times
A FEARLESSLY SELF-MOCKING PERFORMANCE BY PIERCE BROSNAN
Deftly maneuvering through audacious mood swings and tonal shifts, THE MATADOR emerges as a quirky yet commercial co-mingling of black comedy, seriocomic psychodrama, heart-tugging sudser and buddy-movie farce. Propelled by a fearlessly self-mocking performance by Pierce Brosnan as a swaggering vulgarian, writer-director Richard Shepard's eccentric amalgam remains funny and sustains interest, and he does a bang-up job of lacing humorous scenes with an undercurrent of threat. Brosnan exuberantly trashes his slick screen image, but the film wouldn't be nearly as fun if Brosnan didn't develop an aptly edgy give and take with Greg Kinnear. The scene where Brosnan parades through a hotel lobby clad only in cowboy boots and skimpy speedo is drop-dead hilarious.
-- Joe Leydon, Variety
THE MATADOR GETS A 151-PROOF TEQUILA SHOT OF SHARP COMEDY
THE MATADOR gets a 151-proof tequila shot of sharp comedy from the droll interplay between Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. Writer/director Richard Shepard's quirky black comedy is wonderfully off-kilter, and the performances, including Hope Davis, give THE MATADOR definitive commercial potential.
-- Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
PIERCE BROSNAN BLOWS US AWAY
In Richard Shepard's highly satisfying THE MATADOR, Pierce Brosnan screws, chews and woos the scenery like it's none of your business. It's a slam-bang revelation for the actor. Yes, this is basically a buddy picture, but one with a fresh, vaguely deviant sensibility. With focused direction and engaging screenplay by Richard Shepard, you might actually find yourself feeling for this troubled hit man and his more domesticated buddy. The film has a really great look with bold colors and in your face attitude. Above it all is Brosnan's refreshingly bold performance, probably his finest, that really makes this picture seethe and breathe with nasty abandon. He blows us all away.
-- Daniel Wible, Film Threat
THE MATADOR IS LOST IN TRANSLATION SET IN MEXICO CITY WITH GREG KINNEAR IN THE SCARLETT JOHANSSON ROLE-- Ruth Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
IT'S SORT OF LIKE SIDEWAYS WITH SNIPER RIFLES AND HOOKERS
Pierce Brosnan plays a cheesy, heartbreaking hit man on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He befriends regular guy Greg Kinnear for some sad/hilarious male bonding. It's sort of like Sideways with sniper rifles and hookers.
-- E! Entertainment Television Online
PIERCE BROSNAN IS DROP DEAD HILARIOUSLY BRILLIANT
THE MATADOR is one of the Sundance Film Festival's most pleasant surprises. It stars Pierce Brosnan (who is drop-dead hilariously brilliant here) as a burnt-out assassin and Greg Kinnear as a nice-guy businessman who finds himself pals with the gleefully profane hit man. Hope Davis delivers a great supporting turn. The flick is directed with big doses of colorful zing, and the screenplay delivers surprises that don't feel tacked on or stupid. It's consistently funny, lovely to look at... and it even gets bizarrely sweet when all's said and done. Good stuff!--Scott Weinberg, JoBlo.com
YOU'VE NEVER SEEN PIERCE BROSNAN QUITE LIKE THIS. AND DAMN IF HE ISN'T HILARIOUS
You've never seen Pierce Brosnan quite like this. And damn if he isn't hilarious. THE MATADOR floats such a familiar boat about opposites attracting and hitman cliches that we've probably already made up our minds on exactly where it's heading. Well you'll be right and quite wrong. Richard Shepard's script takes us right up to the moment of inevitability and then veers us just slightly off path enough to keep us from getting settled onto the same old road. It moves along so briskly and confidently that we're thinking anything but 'are we there yet?' Plus, any film that can turn a song by Asia into a perfectly rousing anthem has to be given its props. Brosnan's performance here is a sincere treasure; possibly the most entertaining of his career. Greg Kinnear is a great straight man for him and Hope Davis delivers a giddily funny turn as the wife who goes all gooey not for the man, but for his gun. Writer/director Shepard certainly deserves his share for putting the words into Brosnan's mouth. Julian and Danny are rich characters, grasping for something more but not ready to come to terms with what they wish for. The Matador is solid entertainment through and through and will be worth seeing again and again just to watch Brosnan mop up the scenery. Hopefully, future Bonds will be given such the chance.-- Erik Childress, eFilmCritic.com
PIERCE BROSNAN'S PERFORMANCE IS AS FUNNY AND FEARLESSLY ABSURD AS ANYTHING HE'S EVER DONE
Pierce Brosnan's performance as a once-smooth hitman who has lost his mojo is as funny and as fearlessly absurd as anything he's ever done. The quintessential moment in the film is the one in which Brosnan, hungover and dressed only in a Speedo and a pair of boots, walks into a hotel swimming pool. It's delightfully wacky, an indication Brosnan is willing to go the distance to create a memorable character. And the dedication pays off. Danny and Bean's loving marriage is played nicely by Kinnear and Davis, and their interaction with Julian when he comes to visit six months after the Mexico City incident is just one of the film's many well-oiled comedic sequences. But Julian himself steals the show, a hopeless man with a vulgar sense of humor whose crass remarks ("I look like a Bangkok hooker on a Sunday morning after the Navy leaves") seem more pitiful than offensive. He's like a once-powerful man who's doing his best to convince you he's still "got it," when in fact "it" left him some time ago. Could such a description apply to Brosnan himself? Yes, maybe so -- which is why his performance here is all the more daring and outrageous. Sometimes you have to shed all traces of dignity and simply start over, rebuilding yourself from the ground up. That's what Julian does, and THE MATADOR may be a sign that Brosnan will do it, too. In both cases, it bodes well for the future.-- Eric D. Snider, eFilmCritic.com
THE MATADOR is MADLY POPULAR -- Seattle Weekly
MADE WAVES -- NY Daily News
5 OUT OF 5 STARS -- Ain't it Cool News
BROSNAN IS VERY FUNNY -- NY Post
BEST SIGHT GAG FROM FILMS AT SUNDANCE: PIERCE BROSNAN CLAD ONLY IN A BLACK SPEEDO AND MATCHING ANKLE BOOTS MARCHING DRUNKENLY THROUGH A HOTEL IN THE LARKY COMIC THRILLER THE MATADOR -- People Magazine
CHIEF AMONG THE FILM'S PLEASURES IS A DELICIOUSLY UNINHIBITED PERFORMANCE BY PIERCE BROSNAN -- Screen International
THE MATADOR IS ODDLY AND DARKLY FUNNY WITH A HINT OF SADNESS. BROSNAN IS A DELIGHT -- EInsiders
THE BEST FILM I SAW AT SUNDANCE -- SportsIllustrated.com
THE BEST PERFORMANCE PIERCE BROSNAN HAS EVER GIVEN
THE MATADOR springs a sunny surprise. It's funny, quirky and sad, and wonderfully well acted. The Sundance audience walked out astonished. Writer/director Richard Shepard finds an eerie balance of the macabre, the delightful and the sentimental; the movie is so nimble it sometimes switches tones in the middle of a sentence. Everything centers on the best performance Pierce Brosnan has ever given. The direction, writing and acting elevate THE MATADOR into something very special. It's SIDEWAYS with death instead of wine.
-- Roger Ebert, The Chicago Sun-Times
A FEARLESSLY SELF-MOCKING PERFORMANCE BY PIERCE BROSNAN
Deftly maneuvering through audacious mood swings and tonal shifts, THE MATADOR emerges as a quirky yet commercial co-mingling of black comedy, seriocomic psychodrama, heart-tugging sudser and buddy-movie farce. Propelled by a fearlessly self-mocking performance by Pierce Brosnan as a swaggering vulgarian, writer-director Richard Shepard's eccentric amalgam remains funny and sustains interest, and he does a bang-up job of lacing humorous scenes with an undercurrent of threat. Brosnan exuberantly trashes his slick screen image, but the film wouldn't be nearly as fun if Brosnan didn't develop an aptly edgy give and take with Greg Kinnear. The scene where Brosnan parades through a hotel lobby clad only in cowboy boots and skimpy speedo is drop-dead hilarious.
-- Joe Leydon, Variety
THE MATADOR GETS A 151-PROOF TEQUILA SHOT OF SHARP COMEDY
THE MATADOR gets a 151-proof tequila shot of sharp comedy from the droll interplay between Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. Writer/director Richard Shepard's quirky black comedy is wonderfully off-kilter, and the performances, including Hope Davis, give THE MATADOR definitive commercial potential.
-- Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter
PIERCE BROSNAN BLOWS US AWAY
In Richard Shepard's highly satisfying THE MATADOR, Pierce Brosnan screws, chews and woos the scenery like it's none of your business. It's a slam-bang revelation for the actor. Yes, this is basically a buddy picture, but one with a fresh, vaguely deviant sensibility. With focused direction and engaging screenplay by Richard Shepard, you might actually find yourself feeling for this troubled hit man and his more domesticated buddy. The film has a really great look with bold colors and in your face attitude. Above it all is Brosnan's refreshingly bold performance, probably his finest, that really makes this picture seethe and breathe with nasty abandon. He blows us all away.
-- Daniel Wible, Film Threat
THE MATADOR IS LOST IN TRANSLATION SET IN MEXICO CITY WITH GREG KINNEAR IN THE SCARLETT JOHANSSON ROLE-- Ruth Stein, San Francisco Chronicle
IT'S SORT OF LIKE SIDEWAYS WITH SNIPER RIFLES AND HOOKERS
Pierce Brosnan plays a cheesy, heartbreaking hit man on the verge of a nervous breakdown. He befriends regular guy Greg Kinnear for some sad/hilarious male bonding. It's sort of like Sideways with sniper rifles and hookers.
-- E! Entertainment Television Online
PIERCE BROSNAN IS DROP DEAD HILARIOUSLY BRILLIANT
THE MATADOR is one of the Sundance Film Festival's most pleasant surprises. It stars Pierce Brosnan (who is drop-dead hilariously brilliant here) as a burnt-out assassin and Greg Kinnear as a nice-guy businessman who finds himself pals with the gleefully profane hit man. Hope Davis delivers a great supporting turn. The flick is directed with big doses of colorful zing, and the screenplay delivers surprises that don't feel tacked on or stupid. It's consistently funny, lovely to look at... and it even gets bizarrely sweet when all's said and done. Good stuff!--Scott Weinberg, JoBlo.com
YOU'VE NEVER SEEN PIERCE BROSNAN QUITE LIKE THIS. AND DAMN IF HE ISN'T HILARIOUS
You've never seen Pierce Brosnan quite like this. And damn if he isn't hilarious. THE MATADOR floats such a familiar boat about opposites attracting and hitman cliches that we've probably already made up our minds on exactly where it's heading. Well you'll be right and quite wrong. Richard Shepard's script takes us right up to the moment of inevitability and then veers us just slightly off path enough to keep us from getting settled onto the same old road. It moves along so briskly and confidently that we're thinking anything but 'are we there yet?' Plus, any film that can turn a song by Asia into a perfectly rousing anthem has to be given its props. Brosnan's performance here is a sincere treasure; possibly the most entertaining of his career. Greg Kinnear is a great straight man for him and Hope Davis delivers a giddily funny turn as the wife who goes all gooey not for the man, but for his gun. Writer/director Shepard certainly deserves his share for putting the words into Brosnan's mouth. Julian and Danny are rich characters, grasping for something more but not ready to come to terms with what they wish for. The Matador is solid entertainment through and through and will be worth seeing again and again just to watch Brosnan mop up the scenery. Hopefully, future Bonds will be given such the chance.-- Erik Childress, eFilmCritic.com
PIERCE BROSNAN'S PERFORMANCE IS AS FUNNY AND FEARLESSLY ABSURD AS ANYTHING HE'S EVER DONE
Pierce Brosnan's performance as a once-smooth hitman who has lost his mojo is as funny and as fearlessly absurd as anything he's ever done. The quintessential moment in the film is the one in which Brosnan, hungover and dressed only in a Speedo and a pair of boots, walks into a hotel swimming pool. It's delightfully wacky, an indication Brosnan is willing to go the distance to create a memorable character. And the dedication pays off. Danny and Bean's loving marriage is played nicely by Kinnear and Davis, and their interaction with Julian when he comes to visit six months after the Mexico City incident is just one of the film's many well-oiled comedic sequences. But Julian himself steals the show, a hopeless man with a vulgar sense of humor whose crass remarks ("I look like a Bangkok hooker on a Sunday morning after the Navy leaves") seem more pitiful than offensive. He's like a once-powerful man who's doing his best to convince you he's still "got it," when in fact "it" left him some time ago. Could such a description apply to Brosnan himself? Yes, maybe so -- which is why his performance here is all the more daring and outrageous. Sometimes you have to shed all traces of dignity and simply start over, rebuilding yourself from the ground up. That's what Julian does, and THE MATADOR may be a sign that Brosnan will do it, too. In both cases, it bodes well for the future.-- Eric D. Snider, eFilmCritic.com
THE MATADOR is MADLY POPULAR -- Seattle Weekly
MADE WAVES -- NY Daily News
5 OUT OF 5 STARS -- Ain't it Cool News
BROSNAN IS VERY FUNNY -- NY Post
BEST SIGHT GAG FROM FILMS AT SUNDANCE: PIERCE BROSNAN CLAD ONLY IN A BLACK SPEEDO AND MATCHING ANKLE BOOTS MARCHING DRUNKENLY THROUGH A HOTEL IN THE LARKY COMIC THRILLER THE MATADOR -- People Magazine
CHIEF AMONG THE FILM'S PLEASURES IS A DELICIOUSLY UNINHIBITED PERFORMANCE BY PIERCE BROSNAN -- Screen International
THE MATADOR IS ODDLY AND DARKLY FUNNY WITH A HINT OF SADNESS. BROSNAN IS A DELIGHT -- EInsiders
THE BEST FILM I SAW AT SUNDANCE -- SportsIllustrated.com
#58
mccartney007
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Posted 05 April 2005 - 06:49 PM
Has there been a negative review of THE MATADOR yet? I haven't seen one.
#59
Marquis
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Posted 11 April 2005 - 07:32 PM
I can't wait for this film, especially as word of mouth and the great reviews indicate that it's a career best performance from Pierce.
Edited by Marquis, 11 April 2005 - 07:38 PM.
#60
THORP_APPS
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Midshipman
Posted 11 April 2005 - 07:47 PM
When is it going to be released? And where are the teasers or trailers for this film, cause I wanna see some footage!