The Matador (2005)

Director:

Richard Shepard

Writer (WGA):

Richard Shepard (written by)

Release Date:

27 January 2006 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

Tagline:

A hitman and a salesman walk into a bar...

Plot:

A globetrotting hitman and a crestfallen businessman meet in a hotel bar in Mexico City in an encounter that draws them together in a way neither expected.

Plot Keywords:

Hitman | Mexico | Bar | Bullfight | Businessman

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Pierce Brosnan	...	Julian Noble
Arlin Miller	...	Radio DJ (voice)
Azucena Medina	...	Young Denver Fling
Jonah Meyerson	...	Ten Year Old Boy
Wiveca Bonerais	...	Ten Year Old Boy's Mother
Greg Kinnear	...	Danny Wright
Hope Davis	...	Carolyn 'Bean' Wright
Adam Scott	...	Phil Garrison
Portia Dawson	...	Genevive
Roberto Sosa	...	Skinny Mexican Man
Antonio Zavala	...	Hotel Bartender 1
Ramon Alvarez	...	Shooting Stand Owner
Luz Maria Molina	...	School Girl
Philip Baker Hall	...	Mr. Randy
Carolyn Horwitz	...	Cantina Turista #1

Also Known As:

Mord und Margaritas (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong sexual content and language.

Runtime:

96 min

Country:

USA | Germany | Ireland

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:15 | Ireland:15A | Australia:MA | Finland:K-15 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | Iceland:16 | Sweden:11 | Germany:12 | New Zealand:R13 | Portugal:M/12 | Norway:11 | USA:R | Netherlands:16 (DVD rating) | Peru:14 | Singapore:NC-16 | Italy:T

Filming Locations:

Centro Histórico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Company:

Stratus Film Co.

Trivia:

The film was shot in just 40 days in and around Mexico City.

Goofs:

Continuity: When Julian first meets Danny at the hotel bar in one shot he is seen smoking his cigarette, but when the camera angle changes he is not any more.

Quotes:

Julian Noble: I'd only be interested in your mother if she lost 20 pounds and 30 years.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: (2006-01-07)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Garbageman

Entertaining crime comedy with Pierce Brosnan in a very successful comic turn

Pierce Brosnan has sipped his last Martini and returns, in an outrageous self-parody, as the aging foul-mouthed boozy assassin Julian Noble, who has a particular fondness for teenage girls, bullfights and tacky clothes. During a job in Mexico City he meets Danny (Greg Kinnear), a straight-faced Denver suburban business-man, who's in town to make his deal of-a-life-time, in a hotel bar. Despite their completely different personalities and Julian's crude and insensible remarks, they become friends.

Largely carried by the performances of Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear, director Richard Shepard revealed that he didn't write the film with Pierce Brosnan in mind , but I can hardly imagine this without him. He proves to have a real talent for comedy and can be more than just James Bond or cold-war spies. The scene in which the two meet at a glossy hotel bar (stunning sets and beautifully photographed) really is a bravura piece of acting skills. The scene lasts almost fifteen minutes, and although it was probably carefully scripted, the two actors are largely improvising, but they succeed wonderfully! It almost feels like a new standard in screen acting. Think of Robert De Niro and Harvey Keitel in MEAN STEETS improvising and add one of the most subtle underpinnings of many genre clichés and the actors' own typecasting (Brosnan's James Bond in particular), and you got one of the most delightful pairings in recent Hollywood.

Sadly, the story wears thin after a while. After an hour, the film just runs out of steam. Nevertheless, and I can't put my finger on it exactly, I did enjoy this very much. It just feels very fresh and original, with some imaginative use of sets and lighting, and some hints to Seijun Suzuki and Jean-Pierre Melville. The other characters aren't given much to do, but this film does offer something new, in that respect it almost effortlessly succeeds in blending all conventional genres into quite an entertaining spoof. Very amusing.

Camera Obscura --- 7/10