The Matador (Full Screen Edition)

The story was mostly entertaining and interesting. An international assassin and a midwestern businessman meet in Mexico and somehow become friends of a sort.Pierce Brosnan is an incredible actor and he makes a perfect sleazy yet professional hitman. He's an interesting character who has no friends and family and who kills business people for top dollar. His personal life is a mess, he drinks too much, he is inappropriate socially, he can't form a platonic relationship and he has a strong preference for underage girls and possibly boys. His character is well played but personally I am repulsed by the guy and I didn't really want him to survive the movie.Greg Kinnear is likable as always and his character shows a lot of emotional depth and growth and his relationship with his wife is special and tender and truly what he values most in life.His wife Bean steals every scene she is a part of and I would have liked her to play a larger part in the movie. She is completely left out of the end scenes.The best scene of the movie is where Pierce tells Greg what he does for a living and then teaches him how he does it. It was truly a fascinating and well written and expertly acted scene that left one wondering if he was truly going to kill a random guy at a bullfight.

This movie has plenty of twists and surprises that make it enjoyable. Great acting, funny, crazy characters and a well-made film make this a delight.

It definitely was a slow started but pierce brosnan stole this story with his performance.

Boy, is Piece a charming mofo. And Kinner was awesome. This was a really great movie with touching parts and good dialogue and well shot and directed. I think it got good reviews but it probably should've won more accolades than it did. A rare 5 for a movie that wasn't Epic or Compelling or Super Emotional. Might be the only one like it I put in that rating.

Light fare, but still thoroughly entertaining. Felt like there was a great deal of wasted potential.

Cute, funny, sweetMen bonding

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.

Loved the story, fun to watch.

I loved this movie. It's a sharp, enjoyable and very funny buddy-comedy with great character development and a big heart. Pierce Brosnan gives one of the best performances of his career, he looks like he's having a hell of a time post-Bond in this film showing a wild and fun new side. Greg Kinnear is terrific. Both leads just knock it out of the park

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

What a great find - a black comedy, of unlikely relationship between bawdy hit man and Average-Joe businessman.. The closest I can think of in terms of tone, is Grosse Pointe Blank. However, this is not a laugh out loud comedy of one liners, the comedy here is in seeing Pierce Brosnan playing so brilliantly against type. He wanted to ditch the James Bond tag, he's done it.Music is fine and quirky, photography frequently imaginative - love the scene where we see Brosnan walking away in the wing mirror of a car. Best of all, the script is sharp, and full of black humour. The situation is surprisingly original, thanks in large part to the enthusiasm of the cast. Brosnan has been rightly praised for his bravery at being such a down and out drunken character, but Greg Kinnear is satisfyingly restrained and effective as the at first unbelieving businessman who becomes a confidante and friend, when the hitman has no-one else to turn to.To say more, would spoil the plot. Not everyone will like this - the language is fruity to say the least, and there are brief explicit scenes, but for once this is intirely in keeping with the character and actually adds to the comedy.Might not bear many repeated viewings, but will make a good rental for the open-minded.

This is an excellent exposition of the hit man genre. Pierce Brosnan joyfully rips his Bond image to shreds as sleazy messed up hitman Julian, the only commonality with Bond is an occasional view down a sniper's rifle.His life coincides with Danny(an excellent Greg Kinnear) an all round American nice guy in Mexico City on business. Julian realises the emptiness of his sniper's life and befriends Danny in a Mexican bar. The two become friends against the throbbing Latino backdrop of this fascinating city.Danny and wife(an excellent Hope davis) are reeling from bad luck after the death of their son Henry. the two spend a few days together in Mexico City. The second act occurs 6 months later in snowy Denver. Julian pitches up to Danny's house. He has botched 2 jobs due to an exhaustion fuelled breakdown and now is being hunted.The 3 of them share a night of drunkeness and Julian asks Danny to help him on one last hit job to save his life. they fly to Tucson, Arizona to a date with destiny... this is an original excellent film, American but with an independent heart just like Martin Blank! It is amazing to see how Julian helps the nervous Danny who 6 months later helps him, The music is excellent, the jam' The Killers and erm Besame mucho. an excellent film with Brosnan cast against type (and fortunately doesn't sing if I hear right about Mame Mia!)

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.