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Customer Reviews of The Matador (Widescreen Edition)

Ole
Very entertaining flick with terrific chemistry between the main players. A story of fate that brings together an unlikely pair. Julian Noble, finally becomes noble, at least for a little while. Wright surprises, swerving from his rock-steady morals to aid Noble in his final hit. The movie is a good time, without a doubt.

Brosnan strikes gold as he plays against type
Richard Shepard's "The Matador" has a great core cast of Pierce Brosnan, Hope Davis, and Greg Kinnear. These three actors eat up the lions' share of screen time in this tight, surprisingly endearing black comedy, with Philip Baker Hall making some fun brief appearances. But make no mistake, this is Pierce Brosnan's movie. And he makes elevates it to fun, surprising heights. <
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>Brosnan has played against type before (by "type," I mean the super-suave Hero role of James Bond and "The Thomas Crown Affair" - Brosnan's "type" is how Austin Powers sees himself) in "The Tailor of Panama." And it worked famously. But his failed, desperate spy in "Tailor" was only a shade off from his usual role. In "Matador," Brosnan grows a hilarious mustache, adds a few pounds and some stubble, and broadens his accent to hilarious lengths. His Julian Noble is not James Bond on a bad hair day - he's the kind of guy who doesn't get admitted to the casinos where Bond plays baccarat. <
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>Struggling with the prospect of "losing his nerve," Noble drunkenly lurches toward a lifeline of friendship tossed to him by Kinnear, who plays Danny Wright. Wright is in Mexico City attempting to put together a business deal that will save himself from financial ruin. Wright is also struggling with the weight of the death of his son almost four years ago in a school bus accident. Kinnear plays Wright as a hilariously normal guy who can't believe (at first) that he's met up with an actual hit man in Noble. It's fun to watch these actors stumble toward friendship, but they are reminders that both of these guys can flat-out act. Noble needs Wright because Wright is a nice "regular" guy, and Wright latches on to Noble because Noble is an exciting tonic in Wright's rather depressing life. (Depressing, that is, with the exception of his marriage to "Bean," played by Hope Davis. This is one of the better on-screen marriages in a while.) <
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>"Matador" adopts a non-linear plot, which is essential to masking a key plot point from Mexico until the very end. I did not see this revelation coming, but it justifies the dramatic lengths Wright ultimately goes to in order to save Noble from a frustrated former employer. To say that this plot point was surprising in an otherwise ebon-black comedy is an understatement. <
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>"Matador" is by no means a "classic" film, but it is a solid, intelligent, quirky, uplifting story of love and friendship revolving around three real characters. Once it's censored, it's sure to have a long run on basic cable. But get yourself the uncensored DVD so you can romp in the fleshy, profane world of Julian Noble. He'll make you smile. A lot.