The Matador
| The Matador | |
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Theatrical poster
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| Directed by | Richard Shepard |
| Produced by |
Pierce Brosnan Ricardo Del Río Bryan Furst Sean Furst Beau St. Clair |
| Written by | Richard Shepard |
| Starring | Pierce Brosnan Greg Kinnear Hope Davis Philip Baker Hall |
| Music by | Rolfe Kent |
| Cinematography | David Tattersall |
| Edited by | Carole Kravetz |
| Distributed by |
The Weinstein Company (North America) Miramax Films (Global) |
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Release date
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Running time
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96 minutes |
| Country | United States Germany Ireland United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12.5 million |
| Box office | $17.3 million |
The Matador is a 2005 dark comedy film written and directed by Richard Shepard and starring Pierce Brosnan and Greg Kinnear. The film was released on DVD on July 4, 2006 and on HD DVD on December 18, 2006. Brosnan was nominated for both a Golden Globe Award and a Saturn Award for his well-received performance as disillusioned, unstable hitman Julian Noble.
An encounter in the bar of the Mexico City branch of the Camino Real Hotels, between tired businessman Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear), hoping to land a life-saving contract in Mexico, and jaded, falling-apart-at-the-seams assassin Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan), leads both men into an awkward friendship. Julian is confronting the immorality of his profession and experiencing a mid-life crisis that causes him to freeze on a job; Danny is fearing that a vitally important deal will fall through and cost him his job. After an uncomfortable-at-times conversation, Danny leaves the bar. Julian apologizes and invites him to see a bullfight. During the spectacle, Julian reveals the kind of work he truly does, and when Danny is skeptical, takes Danny through the steps of murdering a portly spectator in the arena bathroom. Danny is shocked at how easily Julian can get within inches of the man, even though Julian ends the "tutorial" without going through with the murder.
Later, while at an outdoor cafe, Julian asks Danny to assist him in "facilitating a fatality"; Danny flatly refuses and Julian leaves. On leaving the idea seems to be that Julian has had enough of Danny and their friendship has just ended. That evening Julian appears at Danny's hotel room, knocking on the door, pleading to be let in; Julian wants to apologize for attempting to involve Danny in his work. Danny sits within looking undecided, and the scene fades to black without revealing what happened next. There is the sound of glass breaking once the screen goes dark.
The film picks up again six months later, during the Christmas season. Danny and his wife, Bean (Hope Davis) are relaxing at their home when Julian arrives, looking for a place to stay. Danny and Bean have reservations about the situation, but decide to let him in. The grateful Julian notices that Danny has framed the ticket from the bullfight, an act that affects Julian profoundly. That night, he shares the real reason for his visit: he needs help with one last job. Julian convinces Danny to go along with the plan because, he tells Danny, "you owe me." After much internal struggle and with Danny talking him through it, Julian completes the task at a Tucson horse race track.
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