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, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 5 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:

hitman | bisexual man | mexico city | bar | mexico | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexual content and language

Details

Official Sites:

Production Notes

Country:

Ireland Germany USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

27 January 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Matador

Filming Locations:

Camino Real Hotel, Mexico City, Mexico

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$92,312, 1 January 2006, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,594,698, 30 March 2006

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$17,297,244, 6 October 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

Mortdecai (2015) and this film feature the Tom Jones song "It's Not Unusual" (1965), the latter in a montage sequence in the middle of the movie, and the former used the track particularly with its promotional trailers and television spots. The central characters, played by Johnny Depp and Pierce Brosnan, respectively, noticeably sport a moustache. This film debuted in the 40th Anniversary year of the famous song, while Mortdecai (2015) premiered in the classic track's 50th Anniversary year.

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Goofs

When Julian and Danny are at the bullfight, Danny is wearing a light blue shirt and khaki pants. Afterwards when they're both having a drink at the outdoor cafe, Danny appears to be wearing a yellow button down shirt under his jacket with dark blue pants. The scene immediately after, when Danny is sitting on the floor listening to a message from his partner, he is back to wearing the light blue shirt and khaki pants.

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Quotes

Julian Noble: I lie when I need to, tell the truth when I can.

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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

Referenced in Yes Man (2008)

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Soundtracks

Hunt Quartet-Adagio
Written by Franz Joseph Haydn
Courtesy of Extreme Music

User Reviews

Humorous and multi-location story with a hit-man at the core.

The delivery of some very humorous rude lines by Pierce Brosnan is alone worth the price of admission. He plays a kind of "James Bond's psycho twin brother", separated at birth, no doubt. As an intense hit-man, his character is very sexual but even better, very funny. Add the kind-hearted, uber-likable American "guy next door', Greg Kinnear, to set up contrast. The myriad locations, vivid colors, and quick-witted humor provide great entertainment. Hope Davis is well cast as the "gem of a wife". But the focus of the film is on the two fellows, a new "Odd Couple", and that's the part that works very well. Have a great (probably R-rated) laugh, and look for the places where the story goes a little deeper.