The Matador

[june]

Please wait for this one on cable. Blockbuster owes me another free rental.

[Chris D]

:T Thanks for the warning!

[George Bellefontaine]

Brosnan likes to do offbeat stuff now and then and I love it when he does: remember The Tailor Of Panama ? I knew The Matador was going to be different and I am looking forward to purchasing it.

[aud19]

That's strange I've heard it's quite good and one of Brosnan's best performances...I'm looking forward to it as well George :T

[Kevin D]

We've got it for tonight, I'll post my opinion later.. It's like 72% on RT.

Kevin D.

[Azeke]

My wife and I viewed this movie, and it certainly was a very different role for Pierce Brosnan. I found it somewhat entertaining, but I had to adjust to Pierce in this role, it was almost appauling at some points, but he made his character believable. Get ready for something different.

4 stars out of 5 for the abstract nature of this film, you'll know what I mean when you view it. Worth a rental, but not a purchase, IMHO.

Peace and blessings,

Azeke

[George Bellefontaine]

Picked up my copy at Walmart Saturday morning and watched it that night. Wow, I was absolutely blown away by the story, the acting and the soundtrack.

Brosnan is an assassin in Mexico on a job. After the job is done he realizes it is his birthday. Alone in Mexico with no friends and no family, he becomes melancholy, goes to the bar , gets a little drunk and strikes up a conversation with Greg Kinnear's character, who is also alone and worrying about a deal he is trying to make to jumpstart his sagging career. This is the beginning of a friendship that will change both men's lives. A few years later, Brosnan is going through a burnout crisis. He fails two jobs and then discovers there is a contract on him. He goes to Denver and looks up Kinnear and asks for help. It seems Brosnan has one more chance and if he is successful the contract will be removed. Kinnear reluctantly agrees to help. Why would a clean cut, and now mildly successful business man agree to help an assassin ? Well the answer becomes clear in the denoument. It is not so much a plot twist, but rather a revelation and it works.

Okay, if you only like the James Bond Pierce Brosnan, then you will probably not like this one. But if you liked what he did in The Tailor Of Panama, you will likely go for The Matador. He does a magnificent job creating the portrait of a cool assasin's slow descent into a near mental collapse. This is a very dark comedy and Brosnan will make you chuckle, especially the scene where he strolls through the lobby of the hotel in Mexico, clad only in brief bathing trunks and touting a highly visible paunch, and he couldn't care less about the people staring at him in shock. Now this is not a family film. There are a few sex scenes and the language is raw. The violence is handled quite well; it's more implied than shown.

I really loved this film and will watch it again often. Be forwarned though about the audio. The soundtrack is loud and you'd be wise to cut the volume back a couple of clicks, especially before the electrical storm.

:T :T :T :T

[Alloroc]

Really liked this one myself. Brosnan's character was definitly a different turn for him. There was a real sense of menace about him. Even though, as you said George, that the 'violence was mostly implied', you just knew that this guy did some really nasty things!

In adition he actually looked his age, or older even!

I found myself expecting some really bad things to happen during the movie.

Like when he pitched up at the house at Christmas for example....!

Anyhow. A good movie overall.

V.

[John Holmes]

Thanks George. I will bump this one up in my queue.

[George Bellefontaine]

Thanks George. I will bump this one up in my queue.

Hi, John, good to hear from you.

[wkhanna]

I passed this over just today at the rental store. I did not even pick it up to investigate further. Had no idea Brosnan was in it, and I liked The Tailor Of Panama.
Thanks guys, I might have missed this one entirely if not for you!

[Chris D]

I borrowed it from a friend in the last few days. Definitely in the "different" category for Brosnan. I found myself asking the question towards the end of the movie, "was this story worth telling?"

Not bad, but not great. I did like seeing Brosnan do a role where he was in a similar profession to other characters he's done (assassin) but playing a completely different character.

[George Bellefontaine]

Yeah I can see where many wouldn't like this kind of film. Myself, I am big on off the wall dark comedy, and I really like watching Brosnan do this different stuff.