A hitman and a salesman walk into a bar...
A late night chance encounter between lonely hitmam Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan) and down-on-his-luck salesman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) sets off a chain of events that changes both of their lives forever.
Written & Directed by: Richard Shepard Main Cast:
Pierce Brosnan (Julian Noble)
Greg Kinnear (Danny Wright)
Hope Davis (Carolyn 'Bean' Wright)
Adam Scott (Phil Garrison)
Philip Baker Hall (Mr. Randy)
Dylan Baker (Lovell)
Jonah Meyerson (Ten Year Old Boy)
Rated R for strong sexual content and language. (MPAA)
The Matador DVD
The Matador (Widescreen Edition)
The DVD Includes:
- Deleted scenes
- Commentary by director Richard Shepard
- Commentary by Pierce Brosnan, Greg Kinnear, and Richard Shepard (This is very funny by the way!)
- Making the Matador Featurette
- The Business & The Treatment: Radio programs discussing The Matador
- TV Commercial & Theatrical Trailer
Release Date: 07/04/2006
Pierce Brosnan
Greg Kinnear
Irish Dreamtime
The Matador was the sixth production of Los Angeles-based production company, Irish DreamTime, formed by Pierce Brosnan and Beau St. Clair in 1996.
Behind the scenes of The Matador
At PierceBrosnan.com
Behind the scenes pictures, comments from Pierce, and video clips.
The Matador on the Set
Pictures from Pierce's personal album.
The Matador was filmed entirely in Mexico City
Director Richard Shepard's comments on shooting in Mexico:"We shot the whole movie in Mexico. We shot Denver, we shot snow, we shot Budapest and Manila... the kudos should go to the production designer and the location people. We all worked really hard to figure out a way to do it. It was a budgetary thing, but at a certain point, we were like "You know what? We can pull this off!" And I'd rather have a few more days to shoot than have to spend the money to fly us all to wherever." (From Comingsoon.net)
The Hotel
The Mexico City Hotel where Julian and Danny are staying in the movie is The Camino Real. It is also where the Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinear stayed during the filming of the movie.Comments by Greg Kinnear about the hotel:
"It was kind of cool to be there to watch James Bond in a pair of cowboy boots and skivvies walk through a hotel lobby. A little trivia about that, by the way: we were staying in that hotel, the Camino Real, and they didn't really shut it down for the movie. They weren't shutting down a hotel for us, for god's sake. So what people don't realize is that as Pierce is walking through that hotel lobby, only about half of those people who look horrified are actors. The other people are paying customers going, 'Is that Pierce Brosnan?'" (From About.com)
The Bull Ring
The bull fighting scenes were shot at Plaza de Toros México in Mexico City. It is the largest bull ring in the world. According to Director Richard Shepard on the DVD commentary, Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear wouldn't attend a real bull fight. The bull fighting footage was filmed at existing, regularly scheduled bull fights at the ring. Pierce and Greg shot their scenes at an empty bull ring with 2000 extras. Some scenes were also shot with one of the matadors and a mechanical bull.
The closing credits include the following statement:
"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."
Plaza de Toros website (in Spanish)
The Horse Race Track
The scenes at the horse race track, which were supposed to be in Tucson, Arizona, were shot at Hipódromo de las Américas in Mexico City.The horse race scenes are real, but some of the interior scenes with Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear were shot at the track on a day when there was no racing.
Ref. Film credits and DVD commentary by Director Richard Shepard
The Soundtrack
The Matador
1. "A Town Called Malice" - The Jam
2. "El Matador" - Los Fabulosos Cadillacs
3. "It's Not Unusual" - Tom Jones
4. "1,2,3,4" - Titan
5. "Manila Fiasco" - Rolfe Kent
6. "Garbageman" - The Cramps
7. "In The Heat Of The Moment" - Asia
8. "Bahia Blanca" - Ramon Stagnaro
9. "A Mi Guitarra" - Daniel Indart
10. "Matador Theme" - Rolfe Kent
11. "One Night In Mexico" - Rolfe Kent
12. "Wee Small Hours Of The Morning" - Dave Van Norden
13. "No Te Rajes" - Mariachi "La Estrella"
Release Date: 01/10/2006
The Song During the Opening Credits
When Julian is painting his toenails.
The song playing when Julien walks through the hotel lobby
The Song at the Horse Race Track
A Clip From The Matador
Pierce Brosnan walking through the hotel lobby in his underwear.
Golden Globe Nomination
Pierce Brosnan was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for the Matador. The category was "Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical Or Comedy".This was Pierce's second Golden Globe nomination. The first was for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television" for Nancy Astor in 1985.
Two Thumbs Up!
--- Roger Ebert
Watch the Ebert and Roeper review of The Matador
More Reviews of the Matador
"In THE MATADOR, a delightfully sly diversion, Pierce Brosnan breaks the mold and turns in what might be considered the performance of his career, the kind of witty, relaxed star portrayal that recalls those of Cary Grant and other Golden Era legends. Setting him up to perfection is Greg Kinnear, every bit as amusing and assured. As if this weren't enough, Hope Davis, one of the most protean young actresses working in films, lends further sparkle and drollery.
-- Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
A JOY TO BEHOLD
Pierce Brosnan is the anti-Bond in THE MATADOR. And though he's anything but suave, sophisticated or debonair, he's a joy to behold.
What sells this movie is how winningly Brosnan and Kinnear play off each other. Both have never been funnier. Julian tells Danny: "You're the exact opposite of me." And that may be the secret to the gravitational pull between these characters. Writer/director Richard Shepard has fashioned a witty screenplay and well-drawn, compelling characters that feel plausible, despite the outlandish scenario.
-- Claudia Puig, USA TODAY
A SAVAGE, BREEZY, OCCASSIONALLY OBSCENE AND SOMETIMES POIGNANT MIX OF COMEDY AND CRIME
THE MATADOR is a nice year-end surprise worth checking out. I don't know why 52-year-old Pierce Brosnan, after four hit outings as James Bond, lost his job as the world's suavest spy. But THE MATADOR is the perfect revenge on his former employers. It's a savage, breezy, occasionally obscene and sometimes poignant mix of comedy and crime about a scruffy international contract killer and a meek Denver businessman whose lives become serendipitously intertwined in Mexico City. Mr. Brosnan has never been better. As hit man Julian Noble, a cold-blooded killer who loses his nerve, tires of his work ethic and feels close to a nervous breakdown, Mr. Brosnan is a planet away from anything resembling 007 in this comedic film noir.
-- Rex Reed, New York Observer
Read more at PierceBrosnan.com.
Check out The Matador at Rotten Tomatoes. The Rotten Tomatoes "Tomatometer" measures the percentage of positive reviews from Approved Tomatometer Critics. The Matador has 75% positive reviews.
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