Imagine if John Wayne had played a rodeo cowboy. Or Clint Eastwood played a mall security guard. That's pretty much what happens to Pierce Brosnan in The Matador.
The Matador (2005)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:146
Fresh:110
Rotten:36
Average Rating:6.7/10
Consensus: This humorously amoral, oddball comic thriller features strong performances by Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear as a flamboyant, aging hit-man and an out of work suburban businessman, respectively.
Theatrical Release:03-03-2006
Synopsis: Pierce Brosnan is outstanding as an international hit man falling apart at the seams in Richard Shepard's dark comedy THE MATADOR. Brosnan, riffing on his success playing the very well groomed and... Pierce Brosnan is outstanding as an international hit man falling apart at the seams in Richard Shepard's dark comedy THE MATADOR. Brosnan, riffing on his success playing the very well groomed and genteel James Bond and Remington Steele, stars as Julian Noble, a no-longer-noble hit man who spends his free time getting drunk and chasing impossibly young skirts. In Mexico he meets Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear), an average Joe trying to land an important business deal. Jealous of Danny's simple life, Julian becomes friends with the Denver suburbanite, who married his high school sweetheart, Bean (the very good Hope Davis), but lost his young son in a terrible accident. One day at a bullfight, Julian tells Danny what he does for a living, but Danny doesn't believe him--until Julian shows him an example of his expertise. But when Julian asks Danny to help him with his next assignment, Danny is dead-set against it, and ready to end their brief friendship. Little does he know that he has not seen the last of the rather unique hit man. Writer-director Shepard, whose previous work includes the indie films OXYGEN, MERCY, and THE LINGUINI INCIDENT, shows a deft hand for offbeat comedy in THE MATADOR, a very funny movie with a razor-sharp edge to it. Brosnan and Kinnear make a great duo, the latter the straight man to the former's reckless abandon. Shepard keeps the laughs coming with huge titles announcing the different locations as well as with a brilliant soundtrack featuring songs by Tom Jones and Asia in addition to the Jam, the Killers, and the Cramps--whose "Garbageman" anchors a hysterical scene involving Julian, a can of beer, a pair of Speedos, a hotel lobby, and a shark. [More]
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis, Dylan Baker
Starring: Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, Hope Davis, Dylan Baker, Philip Baker Hall
Director: Richard Shepard, Bob Yari
Director: Richard Shepard
Screenwriter: Richard Shepard
Producer: Pierce Brosnan, Sean Furst, Mark Gordon, Brad Jenkel, Beau St. Clair
Director: Bob Yari
Composer: Rolfe Kent
Studio: Weinstein Company
Reviews for The Matador
its best trait [is] the unique ability to walk the fine line, as Spinal Tap's David St. Hubbins would say, between stupid and clever.
This warmly-inviting black comedy plays like a David Mamet remake of Pulp Fiction.
... a dark comedy that is missing the laughs to be funny and the darkness to be, well, dark.
... a wicked comedy with just the mildest amount of pathos to season the blend.
An entertaining caper anchored by great acting and a couple terrific plot twists.
Pierce Brosnan's 'facilitator of fatalities' is a great character, but the story that houses him is as ersatz as the recording of 'In the Wee Small Hours' the assassin plays on the businessman's turntable (that's not Sinatra singing).
After the lights have gone up and the movie's mild jokes and predictable reversals have evaporated, you might still be haunted by the grinning rictus of Pierce Brosnan's dubiously groomed, ghastly attired hit man Julian Noble.
You can almost feel Brosnan's glee as he allows himself to let it all hang out, both figuratively and (almost) literally.
[It] comes across... as a somewhat incoherent story told by a stranger in a hotel lobby bar.
Though violent and funny, and often both at the same time, the film by writer-director Richard Shepard is also a subtle and slightly skewed inversion of Brosnan's suave image.
You've never met anybody quite like the The Matador, even though you may think you have Pierce Brosnan pegged.
After you see this delightful black comedy about a hit man gone to seed, you'll never again pigeonhole Brosnan as a tuxedo-clad sophisticate with nerves of steel.
Whenever you think you know where the story is headed, Shepard unleashes another hard twist. Much of his excellence comes not in his storytelling but in the way he sets up situations that ooze with comic conflict.
Latest News for The Matador
November 23, 2007:
Total Recall: Thank Goodness For Hit Men
This week, Timothy Olyphant stars in Hitman, the tale of a skilled contract killer who finds himself in the midst of deadly political intrigue. Here at RT, we thought it would... More...
September 10, 2007:
RT Goes Behind The Lines With The Hunting Party's Richard Shepard
Richard Shepard recently sat down with Rotten Tomatoes to discuss gallows humor, international conspiracy, why wartime cameramen think they're invincible, and (because why not?)... More...
July 30, 2007:
Frank Miller Faults Weinsteins for Sin City 2 Delay
While sitting on a Comic Con panel, Frank Miller was asked about the hold-up on Sin City 2. (Numerous times, probably.) And it looks like the celebrated author / artist /... More...
January 26, 2007:
Another "Crown" for Brosnan
Pierce Brosnan took a detour into indie productions after hanging up his Bond tux and martini -- most recently in "The Matador" and "Seraphim Falls" -- but... More...
More DVDs
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 14% 14% | The Ugly Truth |
| 98% 98% | Up |
| 36% 36% | G.I. Joe: The Rise of … |
| 52% 52% | The Taking of Pelham 1… |
| 45% 45% | Ice Age: Dawn of the D… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 32% 32% | Terminator Salvation |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| 86% 86% | A Christmas Tale |
| 60% 60% | Paper Heart |
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
Sponsored Links
Around The Network
- The Matador at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Matador at IGN
- The Matador at AskMen
Fresh Links
Featured

Subscribe to RT's YouTube channel and don't miss a second of our cracking video content.

Follow Rotten Tomatoes and join us as we tweet about the week's releases.





