The Matador (2005)

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.

Director:

Richard Shepard

Writer:

Richard Shepard

Stars:

Pierce Brosnan, Arlin Miller, Greg Kinnear

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 Kugler	...	Hotel Bartender 1
Ramon Alvarez	...	Shooting Stand Owner
Luz Maria Molina	...	School Girl
Philip Baker Hall	...	Mr. Randy
Carolyn Horwitz	...	Cantina Turista #1

Storyline

A chance encounter between a travelling salesman and a lonely hitman triggers a strangely profound relationship which provokes each to act in ways neither would have imagined possible. Fate steps in to form a friendship between two men from irreconcilable worlds that will alter the lives of both forever.

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Plot Keywords:

mexico city | bar | hitman | mexico | drink | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Miramax [United States] Official site [Russia]

Country:

USA Germany Ireland

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

27 January 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Matador

Filming Locations:

Centro Histórico, Mexico City, Distrito Federal, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$37,999 (Argentina) (17 March 2006)

Gross:

$12,570,442 (USA) (17 March 2006)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stratus Film Co., DEJ Productions, Equity Pictures Medienfonds GmbH & Co. KG II

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Hope Davis was pregnant during the filming of the movie.

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Goofs

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.

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Quotes

Julian Noble: An assassin without confidence is a horrible thing to behold. It's like a relief pitcher who fumbles the ball.
Danny Wright: Please tell me you know you mixed two sports in a metaphor.
Julian Noble: Huh? Yeah, I can't do that.

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Crazy Credits

"The filmmakers do not condone bullfighting, but respect its long tradition in the Mexican culture. It was extremely important to the producers that no bulls were harmed because of the production of 'The Matador'. In no way did the producers of this film create, arrange or organize any of the bullfights seen within this movie. Sequences staged by the producers employed fake and computer-generated bulls exclusively. Absolutely no animals were harmed by the production of this movie."

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Connections

Features Holiday in Mexico (1946)

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Soundtracks

"No Te Rajes"
Written by Daniel Indart
Performed by Mariachi La Estrella
Courtesy of LMS Records

User Reviews

Blushy, Blushy ...

Greetings again from the darkness. Much anticipated, twisted comedy from writer/director Richard Shepard is a coming out party for Pierce Brosnan the actor. That Bond guy is gone. This new guy is something else entirely!! Have read that Shepard thought Brosnan was too much the pretty boy for this plum role, but Brosnan proves to be the perfect Julian Noble, "Facilitator" ... and is anything but pretty! Do not underestimate how twisted the humor is in this one. If you go, expect punch lines and sight gags regarding all types of sex, killing, religion, sports, business and anything else you might deem politically incorrect. Brosnan takes an excellent script to another level with his marvelous facial gestures and physical movements. Even sitting on a hotel bed (with or without a sombrero) is a joy to behold.

Greg Kinnear is the straight guy to Brosnan's comic and has plenty of depth and comic timing to make this partnership click. Hope Davis has a small, but subtly effective supporting role as Kinnear's wife (what's with her name "Bean"?) who happens to get a little excited when she has a facilitator in her living room.

The visuals and settings are perfect - including a bullfight, racetrack and Denver suburb. And how often do we get The Killers and Xavier Cugat on the same soundtrack? This one is definitely not for everyone, but if your sense of humor is a bit off center and you enjoy risky film-making, it could be for you.