2.5/4  Toro!
My least favorite Pedro Almodovar movie, and yet it is still good. It was tough watching it in the theater last year (they did a retrospective of his films). The violent/sexual beginning scene was almost too much and I almost asked for a r... (read full)

5/5 Made me a Fan
  by DAJ (Arizona)
This movie made me a fan of Pierce Brosnan. He's not even acting here. He just is the character....sleazy, unsavory, zany & lovable. I guess you don't win best actor for this type of character or movie, but in my book, the performance is that good. But then again, it doesn't seem like performing at all. PB just has a Julian Noble inside him waiting to come out. Greg Kinnear is great too. This is one of the very few movies I've watched more than once and could watch again. It is admittedly not for everyone's taste however.

4/5 PIERCE BROSNAN AT HIS BEST
  by Geary A., Jones
THE MATADOR is a nicely twisted take on mid-life crisis movies, but it's also a showcase for Pierce Brosnan ( still my favorite 'Bond' ). He plays a hitman that wouldn't know a scruple if he stepped on it, but in his own smarmy-creepy way remains a bit likeable despite his many faults. One day he wakes up in donkey-doo ( literally ), after failing to 'hit' the person he was assigned to kill. He meets a businessman whose own comfortable little life is unraveling. They become uncomfortable 'friends' over drinks, and the story begins to take some, strange, often darkly funny, and somewhat appalling turns. Greg Kinnear is humorous, and convincing in his role as Brosnan's very stiff, new buddy, But Brosnan is sensational. It's well worth a look- or two.

3/5 No James Bond But a little entertaining none the less
  by Paul Sandlin (Grapevine, TX United States)
This movie lets you fill in the blanks about the main character but leaves plenty of questions unanswered. Although the potrayal of the main character was good by Bronsan there was no sharp edge or real character here as in his portrayal as Bond. Supporting cast was ok for what little they had to support. If you can pick up this movie for under $10 it is a good afternoon or late night time killer. Overall the best part of the movie was the ending which was sad because if the entire movie had that kind of twist it would be a lot better.

3/5 The song of the middle aged hit man
  by R. Bagula (Lakeside, Ca United States)
The hit man in Mexico city is getting old and lonely and tells a younger fellow he meets at a bar what he does.
Time flies when you are killing people for a living. The relationship between the Denver businessman and the hit man becomes the theme of the story.
I didn't really much like the movie, how it was filmed or the plot, but the actibg was pretty good overall. Hard to take a hit man as comedy relief
or as a "normal" occupation...

4/5 A Different Kind of Buddy Movie
  by Bryan A. Pfleeger (Metairie, Louisiana United States)
Richard Shepard's The Matador presents a new take on the assassin film. No longer the stuff of the Steven Segal movie of the week, Shepard presents his gunman as a man on the verge of total collapse looking for a friend and loooking for a way out of his profession.

Pierce Brosnan gives a career defining performance as Julien Noble, a burned out hitman, on his way to collapse. After four James Bond films this is the ultimate anti-Bond film. The character is disheveled, unsure of himself and definately not the ladies man we are used to seeing Brosnan play. The other side of the pair is Greg Kinnear as Danny Wright a mid level businessman on the verge of losing his job and possibly his wife played by Hope Davis.

Far from the normal buddy film, Shepard allows his characters to develope slowly so that the audience truly understands their plight. This is a character driven film with intelligent dialogue and few thrills. Give time the audience begins to care about these people and the lives that they lead.

The are fine performances on both sides of the camera. David Tattersall, who shot the last Star Wars film does a great job making the film look like a much more expensive affair than it actually was. Robert Pearson's production design effectively doubles the Mexico City shooting location for many cities keeping things interesting.

The DVD comes packed with many extras including a making of featurette, two complete radio shows in which Shepard discusses the writing of the film and its reception at the Sundance Film Festival, two commentaries featuring Shepard and his stars and a trailer.

Check out this small gem of independant filmmaking.