The Matador [DVD]

What a great find - a black comedy, of unlikely relationship between bawdy hit man and Average-Joe businessman.. The closest I can think of in terms of tone, is Grosse Pointe Blank. However, this is not a laugh out loud comedy of one liners, the comedy here is in seeing Pierce Brosnan playing so brilliantly against type. He wanted to ditch the James Bond tag, he's done it.Music is fine and quirky, photography frequently imaginative - love the scene where we see Brosnan walking away in the wing mirror of a car. Best of all, the script is sharp, and full of black humour. The situation is surprisingly original, thanks in large part to the enthusiasm of the cast. Brosnan has been rightly praised for his bravery at being such a down and out drunken character, but Greg Kinnear is satisfyingly restrained and effective as the at first unbelieving businessman who becomes a confidante and friend, when the hitman has no-one else to turn to.To say more, would spoil the plot. Not everyone will like this - the language is fruity to say the least, and there are brief explicit scenes, but for once this is intirely in keeping with the character and actually adds to the comedy.Might not bear many repeated viewings, but will make a good rental for the open-minded.

Arrived quickly, have loved this film for many years and just had to see it, you can’t seem to stream it anywhere so had to get a hard copy and it’s still as good as I remember

This is an excellent exposition of the hit man genre. Pierce Brosnan joyfully rips his Bond image to shreds as sleazy messed up hitman Julian, the only commonality with Bond is an occasional view down a sniper's rifle.His life coincides with Danny(an excellent Greg Kinnear) an all round American nice guy in Mexico City on business. Julian realises the emptiness of his sniper's life and befriends Danny in a Mexican bar. The two become friends against the throbbing Latino backdrop of this fascinating city.Danny and wife(an excellent Hope davis) are reeling from bad luck after the death of their son Henry. the two spend a few days together in Mexico City. The second act occurs 6 months later in snowy Denver. Julian pitches up to Danny's house. He has botched 2 jobs due to an exhaustion fuelled breakdown and now is being hunted.The 3 of them share a night of drunkeness and Julian asks Danny to help him on one last hit job to save his life. they fly to Tucson, Arizona to a date with destiny... this is an original excellent film, American but with an independent heart just like Martin Blank! It is amazing to see how Julian helps the nervous Danny who 6 months later helps him, The music is excellent, the jam' The Killers and erm Besame mucho. an excellent film with Brosnan cast against type (and fortunately doesn't sing if I hear right about Mame Mia!)

Embroidering (and then some) on his sleaze-ball pervert in The Tailor of Panama, Brosnan gives an outstanding comic turn as Julian Noble, a going-to-seed hitman looking for an alternative to drinking, shagging and killing for a living. He discovers dull but endearing, Danny (a superb Greg Kinnear holding down a perfect melody to brosnan's soaring harmonies) and is increasingly drawn to the attractions of a 'normal' life.Plot-wise there's little to get worked up about - but that's because the plot is a distant second to a bravura character study and an outrageous narrative. (The scene where Brosnan is 'servicing' a lady in Vienna whilst coping with the distractions of a toy dog still has me laughing)The whole is a very likeable, flies-past comedy thriller which takes some clever risks of levity and depth. But it's Brosnan's wonderful career-best performance that makes this a very fine piece of entertainment indeed.

Fun, under-rated movie. Pierce Brosnan is great. Item was dispatched as promised by the seller.

The Matador is one of the greatest movies of the last decade. It's probably Pierce Brosnan's best performance to date.The main reason of this review is to warn UK (Region B) buyers that this release is not 'Region Free'. Various sites confirm it is region free, however that is for the recent American (Dec 2010)Blu Ray release. This is the Canadian release, which has been available for some time, which is Region A locked.UK buyers are to buy the U.S edition which has a totally different sleeve to this one, so you can't go wrong.I hope that info helps.

Pierce Brosnan, as Julian Noble, burns his Bond and should have bagged an Oscar in the process - Julian runs the gamut from cocksure hitman-swagger through doubt, failure and into shivering, booze-wracked, paralysis. The start point is an unlikely but entirely-convincing chance meeting down in old meh-he-coh, in which Julian decides to befriend a desperate businessman, Danny. For a while we get an entertainingly sadistic buddy movie but it quickly becomes quite sinister. That the whole thing turns out to be an indie feel-good film is unexpectedly, hugely rewarding.

I was put off a little by critics remarks but certainly glad I took a chance. Nice to see a different side of Brosnan - this is not a 007 performance in fact he is a pretty unwholesome character into some fetishes, however, you do warm to him. Greg Kinnear is good in the supporting role (see him in an outstanding piece of casting in "Little Miss Sunshine" soon to be released). Good pace to film and soundtrack is worth a listen.